CIMs + Toughbox + Victors + Arduino = Vehicle In a Box

[dtengineering]

What else can you do with an FRC drivetrain?

The "Vehicle in a Box" competition is an annual capstone project for our students in the Technology Teacher Education Program at BCIT. They go on to become high school technology education ("shop") teachers in B.C.

As some random guy explains on this video clip, they are very limited in the funds they have to build these vehicles (so don't expect to see any additional AM or VexPro stuff here), and they have to pack their vehicle away into a box (about the size of two VRC sizing boxes, although we let them keep the wheels and batteries outside the box) and reassemble prior to competition.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Video+BCIT+students+raise+their+game+forklift+chal lenge/11053499/story.html

Jason

[ArtemusMaximus]

What else can you do with an FRC drivetrain?

The "Vehicle in a Box" competition is an annual capstone project for our students in the Technology Teacher Education Program at BCIT. They go on to become high school technology education ("shop") teachers in B.C.

As some random guy explains on this video clip, they are very limited in the funds they have to build these vehicles (so don't expect to see any additional AM or VexPro stuff here), and they have to pack their vehicle away into a box (about the size of two VRC sizing boxes, although we let them keep the wheels and batteries outside the box) and reassemble prior to competition.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Video+BCIT+students+raise+their+game+forklift+chal lenge/11053499/story.html

Jason

Have you niticed that there is a guy on a video looks just like you :D

[GeeTwo]

What was "provided" to which they must add no more than C$100 in materials (plus labor and presumably shop time)? Were the materials for the bridge included, or part of the budget? Did the bridge material also have to fit in the box(es)? This would make a good summer project, probably with a bit of re-scaling.

[dtengineering]

The $100 was just for "consumables" for the vehicle. Wheels, wood, sprockets, chains, slides, steel, aluminum... they had to fit all that into the $100. They provided the labour... the shop time was part of their studies. They had every Wednesday for four months (plus a bit extra) and had to follow a documented design process. They had access to some pretty nice shops, and had spent most of the previous year and a half learning how to use the shop tools efficiently.

They were given the basics of an FRC drive train... two batteries, main breaker, 40A breakers, four victors, four cims, two AM toughboxes (14:1, choice of short or long shaft), and an Arduino to control it all. They etched and soldered their own breakout shield for the Arduino to connect the PWM cables, designed their own joysticks/controllers and wrote their own code.

We did something similar a couple years ago with just two CIMs and one battery, and we made the teams build their own gearboxes. Last year we used 5HP engines and raced on a go kart track. Next year... well... we've got some ideas for next year!

Jason

[dtengineering]

I've uploaded my "Big Bots on a Budget" presentation that explains the control system... check out the link in the last paragraph of this document. http://hbridge.ca/wp/?p=98 It will be fairly basic information to an experienced FRC'er, but might suggest some ways to leverage all the old motors and stuff stored away in the back room and turn it into an off-season project.

I've also linked to a nice story about three siblings... brother and two sisters, who are graduating from our program this year. http://globalnews.ca/video/1997540/bcit-competitors/

Jason