What is the most ghetto thing you've seen on a robot?

[Dalas]

So we're working on our climber now, and it struck us how incredibly ghetto (jurry-rigged, cheap, unrefined etc.) it is.

Ours has ground-down bolts, nuts used as spacers, angle ground gearboxes, a wrench as a ratchet, rubber bands, bent steel bars, ground down hex shafts a seatbelt, and generally a lot of crap. Here's pictures:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPezTscf2cJa9tllA11dFguXdGETLXSQ1pa7hMZdUjlSY zOi4qWMGB0PcfS29AUzw/photo/AF1QipMGL2zqyaPVzrP4yN-5QCBqe1fDNA-yMPbDKGmw?key=ZERUQ2p5UWVwLVdjU1ZVSGJvNTVzZGJGeGls M053

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPezTscf2cJa9tllA11dFguXdGETLXSQ1pa7hMZdUjlSY zOi4qWMGB0PcfS29AUzw/photo/AF1QipM5SEjNZhIJcM696AgTus_9jrhQTcmkS7OVPzA_?key=Z ERUQ2p5UWVwLVdjU1ZVSGJvNTVzZGJGeGlsM053

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPezTscf2cJa9tllA11dFguXdGETLXSQ1pa7hMZdUjlSY zOi4qWMGB0PcfS29AUzw/photo/AF1QipOtvA1ySb4cAM3rtcqyxaDfs0KNuz8jeITpJwwb?key=Z ERUQ2p5UWVwLVdjU1ZVSGJvNTVzZGJGeGlsM053

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPezTscf2cJa9tllA11dFguXdGETLXSQ1pa7hMZdUjlSY zOi4qWMGB0PcfS29AUzw/photo/AF1QipOr-hIJR7cGmqFsKjKVlLBnBoYH0OQz_OekebLm?key=ZERUQ2p5UW VwLVdjU1ZVSGJvNTVzZGJGeGlsM053

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPezTscf2cJa9tllA11dFguXdGETLXSQ1pa7hMZdUjlSY zOi4qWMGB0PcfS29AUzw/photo/AF1QipNER3x4MmSWRBEB_p668aT0DkZucaSEe17diHQ1?key=Z ERUQ2p5UWVwLVdjU1ZVSGJvNTVzZGJGeGlsM053

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPezTscf2cJa9tllA11dFguXdGETLXSQ1pa7hMZdUjlSY zOi4qWMGB0PcfS29AUzw/photo/AF1QipNiemFviUOQL8yMpdV_1zKcWAmCbbwGpXFmzemW?key=Z ERUQ2p5UWVwLVdjU1ZVSGJvNTVzZGJGeGlsM053

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPezTscf2cJa9tllA11dFguXdGETLXSQ1pa7hMZdUjlSY zOi4qWMGB0PcfS29AUzw/photo/AF1QipNwsVBDCuOmsCYYYCq0XK_d3nZIS-5GEu8yzaEh?key=ZERUQ2p5UWVwLVdjU1ZVSGJvNTVzZGJGeGl sM053

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPezTscf2cJa9tllA11dFguXdGETLXSQ1pa7hMZdUjlSY zOi4qWMGB0PcfS29AUzw/photo/AF1QipOfFp5dthZnv3fUiz5zsdnvKmTWx6tS8JzNSgOm?key=Z ERUQ2p5UWVwLVdjU1ZVSGJvNTVzZGJGeGlsM053


Anyways I don't have the best hopes for our end-game this year (even if its my fault).

What's the most ghetto thing you've seen on your robot?

[RoboChair]

I have personally built far more janky robot parts than those and won events with said janky robot. Driving a janky robot very well is far better than driving a top tier robot poorly.

[Dalas]

Any pictures? Just curious :)

We got a fair amount of driving practice in before bag and tag, but this is my first time driving mecanum, and we have a pretty bad weight imbalance screwing with our strafing. Still hoping for a fun regional next week though, I'll drive my best!

[bEdhEd]

In 2014, we had a linear ballista-style ball launcher that used really fat latex tubing. We were running into concerns about the wear and tear on the tubing because it only wrapped around two 1/4 bolts, and there was probably upwards of 150+ pounds of tension in the launcher when retracted. So yes, lots of pressure on a little surface.

It was evident that lubricant was necessary, but as the material was latex, we had to opt for water-based lubricant since oil-based lubricants degrade latex. Well, the only water-based lubricants available near the regional were in the form of personal lubricants at the nearby drug stores and supermarkets.

In our pit for the rest of the event, we had a tube of Astroglide covered with red duct taped and labeled "Secret Sauce." We applied a fresh coat to the latex tubing before every match.

Not sure if it's the kind of "ghetto" you're looking for, but it's certainly an unexpected fix to a problem. Worked like a charm, though.

[TheBoulderite]

In 2013, our design was to have the robot drive to the HP station, be fed frisbees, and hold onto the frisbees until the endgame, where we would scale the pyramid and dump the frisbees into the top of the pyramid for points. The collector for the frisbees broke during the Quals of Colorado, and we ended up fixing it with duct tape and a Team Driven t-shirt.

[RoboChair]

In 2014, we had a linear ballista-style ball launcher that used really fat latex tubing. We were running into concerns about the wear and tear on the tubing because it only wrapped around two 1/4 bolts, and there was probably upwards of 150+ pounds of tension in the launcher when retracted. So yes, lots of pressure on a little surface.

It was evident that lubricant was necessary, but as the material was latex, we had to opt for water-based lubricant since oil-based lubricants degrade latex. Well, the only water-based lubricants available near the regional were in the form of personal lubricants at the nearby drug stores and supermarkets.

In our pit for the rest of the event, we had a tube of Astroglide covered with red duct taped and labeled "Secret Sauce." We applied a fresh coat to the latex tubing before every match.

Not sure if it's the kind of "ghetto" you're looking for, but it's certainly an unexpected fix to a problem. Worked like a charm, though.

We applied white lithium grease to the surgical tubing bundle of our 2014 bot. It kept disappearing so we kept adding more, worked fine all season.

Edit: also at our first event we had to C-clamp a major component(without it we couldn't shoot properly) into place after it broke, we then proceeded to run 2 perfect cycles back to back at Inland Empire with a seriously crippled robot.

[chapman1]

I don't know about anyone else, but personally, I find the phrase "most ghetto thing" offensive.

Invite conversation about shoddy construction and poor taste if you want to, but to equate it to anything that comes out of poor urban areas reeks of classism and racism. It has no place here.

[techhelpbb]

Dear Craftsman tools,

I am very disappointed in my 1/2" Craftsman ratchet. It doesn't perform nearly as I expect when jury-rigged into an FRC component. I'd like to claim on my lifetime warranty.

...

Dear FRC team,

Although we appreciate your talent and unique use case. We can't provide a replacement for a use we clearly did not intend.

[Shrub]

I don't know about anyone else, but personally, I find the phrase "most ghetto thing" offensive.

Invite conversation about shoddy construction and poor taste if you want to, but to equate it to anything that comes out of poor urban areas reeks of classism and racism. It has no place here.

Just gonna bump this. "Ghetto" being used to describe something negatively or of poor craftsmanship has a strong history of classism and racism. There are many, many other words out there that could have been used instead of "ghetto", and part of making FIRST more inclusive and welcoming to PoC and people from low income areas (which is what teams are looking for, or should be looking for), is eliminating language like this and using it in this way.

[Aura_]

Come on dude everyone knows what he means with ghetto do be so critical about it.

[cadandcookies]

I have a friend from a team that describes how sketchy an idea/solution is by removing letters from the word "sketchy." I've been a part of teams that got down to what I would consider "ske."

And yeah, no need to refer to badly-made robots parts as ghetto. There are plenty of other words that less people will find offensive that one can use.

[Madison]

Come on dude everyone knows what he means with ghetto do be so critical about it.

Come on dude, language changes and we learn to be more respectful of experiences that aren't our own as time goes by.

[ratdude747]

The most (insert non-racist word here) hack I've seen was 1646 in 2008 at Great Lakes regional. They built a ball herding lap runner and a fast one at that... and during eliminations their mechanism broke to the point of requiring removal, and that caused all sorts of weight distribution issues. OK, what to do? Add weight, obviously... but what to add? Obviously they couldn't add extra CIMs or batteries (the latter was more obvious then than in 2014), so they had to go for the next heaviest thing in the pits, tools! Wrenches, a drill press vice, you name it, they added it to the front of the robot to get the weight back. They didn't advance to finals, but it was still funny to look at.

[Pretzel]

I still have the crescent end of a combo ratchet/crescent wrench that we used to make a gearbox addition in order to prevent backdriving of a motor at all times. The funny part was that at first we installed the wrench the wrong way, meaning that it had to be taken completely apart (a not so kind procedure) before being reinstalled.

There was a part last year on our robot, which held the end of a Dart actuator in place, that was meant to be CNC milled. It was a small part that was to be made from box tubing with precision, not thinking about the small surface area of the part, I attempted to run it on a CNC mill with a tape plate (3 of the 4 sides had to be cut, hence the tape plate). One loudly thrown part later, I decided that manual machining would be precise enough since we did not have enough time to machine a fixture for the part at that point in the build season. Thus was born the "TNC" (Tyler Non-numerically Controlled) bracket, a part which could only be described as "passable" after using a belt sander to attempt to shape the part from a rectangular piece of box tubing down to the teardrop shape specified in the CAD model. It was eventually replaced after two regional events worth of abuse caused it to begin to buckle (I later postulated that techniques used such as "using a vice to mash it back to square" and "beating on it with a hammer" did not result in it having the highest measure of structural integrity), but while it was on the robot it fairly evident that it did not belong despite the fact that it worked.

[HurdFIRST]

I just had to address a student about this exact issue in the pits at Kettering last week. She was addressing a cable ran to the second floor via a ladder with caution tape wrapped around it. My exact words to her were "unless there's 7 hungry families living in that ladder, you need to find a different word to describe it."

It's not about being politically correct, it's about being inclusive and approachable. (I hope) you wouldn't call someone acting in an undesirable manner gay for the same reason that you shouldn't call the crap you put on your robot ghetto. In doing so you let those who are gay and those who actually live in the ghetto know that they are undesirable and that they are crap respectively.

[pilleya]

Come on dude everyone knows what he means with ghetto do be so critical about it.

Maybe something like "improvised" could be more suitable to discuss a topic like this.

Yes, we know what he means. But it is time that society breaks away from these traditional and disrespectful terms and descriptions. We are well into the 21st century, lets not condone these sort of descriptions any where, let alone in the FIRST community.

Also many teams struggle with limited resources, let's not take away the pride that they feel when they have finished building their robot, even though it may not live up to some peoples standards. While you may see it as okay, to be submitting photos of parts on your own robots, teams which may be proud of their ability to utilise that tool or part in that way also look at CD

[Whippet]

Our 2013 robot, designed to be a 30-point climber, never worked due to poor engineering and a lack of any tangible top-level design. We missed our first couple of qualifications matches just trying to get the thing to pass inspection, and the climbing mechanism was destroyed a couple matches later in a collision with another robot. We ended up building a simple 10-point climber that was held together entirely by zip ties that we broke at the beginning of the match, allowing the robot to climb at the be beginning of the match and literally nothing else. If we tried to do defense, the zip ties would fail prematurely and remove any ability for is to score points. (Un)fortunately,I am not aware of any existing photographs or videos of said robot.

Our 2014 entry was far more effective, but looked even more poorly constructed:
https://youtu.be/QDLsJxaACUA

[GeeTwo]

Ignoring the possible offense of the term used (and noting in passing that I have heard far more offensive terms that mean the same thing), here are a few examples of creative use of products:

There was a rookie robot at Bayou in 2014 (Aerial Assist) which was largely constructed of scrap metal, such as old road signs. The goalie riser was particularly shocking, but up close, all the rough edges were knocked down and it was a slick piece of work on an extreme budget.

The second iteration of our boulder pickup this year used a Home Depot "Homer Bucket" cut off to about 12" tall and "dissected like a frog" to both help bring the boulder to the centerline of the robot and ensure a clean pour into the launcher. Iterations 3, 4, and 5 have returned to all aluminum and/or polycarb construction, but none have centered the ball as cleanly as #2.

Our 2013 Ultimate Ascent climbing slide was rather curious. A CIM was mounted in a piece of angle which was mounted to a T-hinge, and drove a timing belt sheave directly. The other end of the timing belt drove a "lead screw" composed of threaded rod and a coupling nut. The gh interesting bit was how the belt was tensioned by a turnbuckle hooked into the last hole on the t-hinge. The carriage that this lead screw drove rode on flanged bearings against an inverted rail of aluminum angle. It looked like junk, but it was one of the few mechanical systems of our 2013 robot that did not fail at Bayou.

[JustinCAD]

Well, some people interpret things differently. It all depends on your point of view. I wouldn't say they are considering it as a racist word, more as a word, when taken out of context, could be offensive to others.

CD is more of a formal forums when it comes to FIRST robotics - r/FRC would possibly be more accepting of the word, though I wouldn't suggest using it there in the first place.

[RoboChair]

It's not about being politically correct, it's about being inclusive and approachable. (I hope) you wouldn't call someone acting in an undesirable manner gay for the same reason that you shouldn't call the crap you put on your robot ghetto. In doing so you let those who are gay and those who actually live in the ghetto know that they are undesirable and that they are crap respectively.

A counter argument to this is that most of what is actually being described and discussed on topic in this thread has a prominent emphasis of fond feelings for said robot components, how they came to be, and what made them special to us. There are plenty of negative terms that exist that are used in a positive context, as I feel was the intent of the OP. My personal example was that even if its built like crap from a rough build season that makes no difference on its final performance, what you do with it is the part that matters.

Such as building an Einstein field worthy robot out of a leaky shipping container with a 3 phase wiring job that would make any licensed electrician scream in horror. Yes our build practices were sub-par, but that did nothing to deter us from rebuilding practically our whole robot and practicing like mad to be on even footing with the best and the greatest.

Edit: I feel that the term "Janky" has the closest feel and meaning to what OP was going for, let's all just agree to use that and carry on with this thread as intended before it gets any further derailed. Let's just use this as a learning experience.

[chapman1]

Well , it seems that at least one person may have missed the point of this discussion. Seriously, if you were a student in an economically disadvantaged school struggling to come up with funding to even continue from year to year, how do you think you would feel to read comments that essentially make fun of anything you and your team tried to do with limited resources? Is that the spirit that FIRST is trying to inspire?

I'll say it again: the implication that comes with the perjorative "ghetto" (and no, it is not the dictionary definition being discussed here) has no place in FIRST.

[dmaggio744]

Last year our off season bot had lexan rectangles on hinges so they could slide down the totes but not up. Fortunately, they would flip too far rendering our manipulator useless.

The solution resulted in the majority of our robot's usefulness relying on the preserverance of paperclips and rubber bands. If it works, im not complaining ;)

[scooty199]

I'll say as a person of color, I don't allow any of the students on the team I mentor use the term ghetto. I had the discussion and broke down the uses of the term and why it's an issue. I don't use it myself. I see it as offensive, particularly as I came from some not so great environments. As I work on making FIRST and other robotics programs more accessible to other students in my area that aren't all the same, I have to do my part to break some things down.

Now to the actual question..

It would most likely be either the pulleys and pneumatic grippers we built for last year's robot. Had some roughly machined metal that was ill-shaped, poorly cut, not smooth, and not uniform for the cable we were using, along with haphazardly cut stock metal. Actually during a community event while running with the robot I actually nearly got skewered by the thing as the bridge wasn't reset.

[Monochron]

To be honest, a lot of your examples look really professionally put together compared to a lot of robots I have seen, and quite a few that I have been a part of making.
Last minute fixes and adjustments are always a great experience.

[IronicDeadBird]

Wow I didn't think I'd get hit for saying what I did.
I'm not on chief delphi to explain my methodology on how I've dealt with racism all my life.
1339 has had issues in previous years that were dealt with in different ways. I'll see if I can get photos

[David Lame]

In 2014 (Aerial Assist), we were having problems with the ball falling out of our shooter. Our shooter was a catapult of aluminum bar, bent to have a circular footprint where the ball rested until being shot. The problem was that it wasn't deep enough. As the drivers raced off after picking up the ball, the acceleration would sometimes cause the ball to drop out. We needed some way to keep it in, but whatever we used had to be something we could pull it over as we picked it up off the floor.

Of course we discovered this problem at our first district, and were trying to fix it during "out of bag" time just before the second district. Mentors had come up with a few proposals, but testing showed them inadequate. We had a few failures. The time was running out. Then someone saw the broom. It was a push broom, 28" wide, with tall, soft, bristles. It fit perfectly. The bristles were easy to drag the ball over with our pickup mechanism, but they provided just enough resistance to keep the ball in the cradle before we shot.

The only thing that made it look a little not so...err...that word, was that it fit so well and worked so well you very well might have thought that we did it on purpose.

[Maximillian]

Last year one of the gussets on our elevator broke a day before we left for IRI. We somehow didn't have a replacement so we made up a janky solution (http://i.imgur.com/l3y18Iw.jpg) to hold on one of the bearings using another VEX gusset bolted on. We ended up leaving it like that for our two other off seasons after IRI...

[BaileyJoseph166]

Last year we quickly realized while we were at NE District Champs that we needed a can burglar... and so starts the tale of the Jank Shank...

It was an awful piece of 1/2 conduit and some hacksawed brackets with a horribly mounted piston on the side of our robot. It worked with mighty hutzpa! We eventually took it off do to complications with the integrity of the device when we went to St. Louis. :(

But... when we competed at the offseason event River Rage in NH there was once again a need for the Shank! I was able to borrow and not return (with permission) a piece of square conduit from team 138 and I constructed a new Jank Shank. This monstrosity was held together purely by electrical tape, it was awful. It took be a total of 20 minutes, and the entire time I kept telling people to not expect much, it would only work once. If anyone who was there remembers how this new Shank worked... good. It worked once in a semifinal auto to grab the Great RC painted orange like a Great Pumpkin (Charlie Brown!) and everyone thought it broke accidentally because it was all bent up afterward. It was meant to do that!

And that is the most janky thing I have ever seen on a robot I built!

[Paul Richardson]

Let me just say that there's a whole lot of people chiming in here that I don't think have any real insight into this discussion on "ghetto".

Eastside Memorial High School, a 'borderline failing' high school which replaced an actually 'failed' high school, used to host FRC Team 3320, which I helped mentor from 2013 until they disbanded mid-season in 2015. This school serves a very poor population, with 86.9% of students listed as "Economically Disadvantaged" on the school's webpage (https://www.austinisd.org/schools/eastsidememorial).

how do you think you would feel to read comments that essentially make fun of anything you and your team tried to do with limited resources?

Those kids wouldn't make that connection at all. Time and effort turns scraps into elegant, functional robots. Just because you have limited resources doesn't mean you make ghetto robots, and it especially doesn't mean that you think others are making fun of you when they say their own stuff is ghetto. It's a bunch of self-deprecating humor and generally fond memories of fun build sessions making funny mechanisms. Have a laugh about it.

Now, implying that those kids think everything they'd ever made must be crap because the team didn't have resources, that I have a problem with.

[Scott England]

Back on the topic of "least professionally engineered solution deployed on a robot"

a literal lead brick from the small parts catalog, 1997, roughly hewn with a hack saw to get the total robot weight to the exact maximum. You can still find the basic item at small parts (since they were purchased by amazon)

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Parts-Lead-Brick-ASTM-B749/dp/B003SLEVSA


on FRC Team # 122, used to counterbalance a long arm.

[dradel]

I'd say use Mickey Mouse but Disney would probably sue.

[FrankJ]

A lot of robots used 5 gal buckets for Frisbee storage for Ultimate Ascent. Successful engineering is all about making the best use of your resources.

[s_forbes]

a literal lead brick from the small parts catalog, 1997, roughly hewn with a hack saw to get the total robot weight to the exact maximum. You can still find the basic item at small parts (since they were purchased by amazon)


That's more high tech than a masonry brick, at least!

I tried really hard to have our defense manipulator be made out of 2x4s this year, but we opted for fancier material in the end. Mechanisms that use cheap materials and ultra-low precision machining are my favorite part of any robot.

http://i.imgur.com/5VPJe6p.png

[billbo911]

I'd say use Mickey Mouse but Disney would probably sue.

I like to use the expression "Disney Engineering, it's either Mikey Mouse, or Goofy ".

Man I hope the PC police don't get all spun up over that. Sadly, I'm sure someone will find it offensive.

[techhelpbb]

I like to use the expression "Disney Engineering, it's either Mikey Mouse, or Goofy ".

Man I hope the PC police don't get all spun up over that. Sadly, I'm sure someone will find it offensive.

I find this offensive.

Disney Engineering is not that bad...
Six Flags engineering that's a whole other story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnAawCUTNC4
Let's not even talk about the original Haunted House.

[billbo911]

I find this offensive.

Disney Engineering is not that bad...
Six Flags engineering that's a whole other story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnAawCUTNC4

Having grown up in So. Cal, I can say without a doubt, I agree.

[techhelpbb]

In response to a post that was deleted...

Six Flags does maintain the rides, or hire the contractors who do so.
Sort of like not everyone on a robot teams necessarily designs the robot.

BTW the video audio does clearly state these facts.

Mind you - I have no problem with innovative use of materials in robots.
I would like to see it rewarded in fact, but I would hope not to the point of creating safety issues.

[DaveL]

Dear Craftsman tools,

I am very disappointed in my 1/2" Craftsman ratchet. It doesn't perform nearly as I expect when jury-rigged into an FRC component. I'd like to claim on my lifetime warranty.

...

Dear FRC team,

Although we appreciate your talent and unique use case. We can't provide a replacement for a use we clearly did not intend.

Too Funny!
Maybe vendors will see the value in having an "FRC Robot Tested Tough" sticker on their products.

Like in the days of yore when Timex had funny ads showing how tough their watch was.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ynSrvluQBy8

[Dibit1010]

For our flywheels this year we hacksawed, drill pressed, and lathed down a bolt so that it would fit onto a motor shaft

[RadonH0926]

Since I've been on Cyber Blue, the most "ghetto" solution we had was in 2013 when we replaced a floor pickup system with a blue bucket for taking frisbees from from the HP station.

[caltemus]

In 2010 we had a ramp assembly that required the addition of a duct tape roll core; being used to prevent the robot from smashing itself and losing comm every time the ramp was closed.

[BetaHelix]

In 2014 we used a drill and a hex bearing(still attached to the chassis) as a lathe

In 2015 we needed HDPE spacers and wheels for our lift so we mangled a milk jug and some casters. Best BOM item ever: Mangled caster x4

Sketchineering at its finest

[Hgree56]

I remember this past winter we were at an FLL competition demoing with 461. They had their 2012 bot and one of their tiny belts broke and they didn't have spares with them. They ended up using a wristband as a belt and it kinda worked for awhile. I personally loved how simple but creative a fix it was!

[Peyton Yeung]

I remember this past winter we were at an FLL competition demoing with 461. They had their 2012 bot and one of their tiny belts broke and they didn't have spares with them. They ended up using a wristband as a belt and it kinda worked for awhile. I personally loved how simple but creative a fix it was!

Yeah pretty much all of our questionable "fixes" are belt related. We're getting pretty good at finding out how to connect pulleys without belts.

[Eric Scheuing]

We went into our W1 competition with our shooter guides taped on, and our camera mount was entirely made of tape. No need to be elegant if what you have works.

We do plan on making more permanent solutions to these in the future, but we didn't want to make any major last-minute changes to an already functional and practiced component.

[frcguy]

Back on the topic of "least professionally engineered solution deployed on a robot"

a literal lead brick from the small parts catalog, 1997, roughly hewn with a hack saw to get the total robot weight to the exact maximum. You can still find the basic item at small parts (since they were purchased by amazon)

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Parts-Lead-Brick-ASTM-B749/dp/B003SLEVSA


on FRC Team # 122, used to counterbalance a long arm.

I didn't even think that you could buy lead bricks from Amazon...

Anyways, the most sketch thing we've done is the mod to our AM14U2 kitbot for driver training. We attached two 2x4s as forks with this really interesting contraption for mounting the camera, but you still couldn't see the ball you were trying to pick up. We then proceeded to drive it through an obstacle course made out of chairs and other furniture. The best part was fastening the plywood top to the robot and then trying to frantically drill holes above the RoboRio to plug in the camera. Fun times.

http://imgur.com/a/1vw1P

[nedwards28]

2014 rookie year in aerial assist. Robot won't stay in correct configuration at match start. We used zip ties to hold the arm up and then used the autonomous to jerk the robot to a stop hard enough to break said zip ties. We also didn't have enough pneumatic guts to get the ball over the truss without a solid running start.

2015 recycle rush. Needed to spring load some clips that we're supposed to pick up totes by the handles during our second district competition. The only thing we had were hair ties from the girls on the team. Our running joke is that hair ties got us to Worlds.

[ratdude747]

Since I've been on Cyber Blue, the most "ghetto" solution we had was in 2013 when we replaced a floor pickup system with a blue bucket for taking frisbees from from the HP station.

Despite being a somewhat crude fix, you guys (and gals) wrote a nice whitepaper on why you ditched the vending machine coils for a sawed off bucket. Engineering isn't about "what", but "why" and "how".

Yeah pretty much all of our questionable "fixes" are belt related. We're getting pretty good at finding out how to connect pulleys without belts.

What is it with 461 and belt incidents... I think the story goes that in 2009 they went with the Archimedes screw because of conveyor belt issues in 2008. At least that's what I heard back then :D

[dawilliams]

We all have our "offensive" terms. It seems to be the adults who are posting about the offensive terms. Kids may shrug it off if not guided by adult sensibilities. My minority students use the term "n..ga" even though I try to stop them. Terms even mean different things to different people. Lets "chill" (I'm not trying to offend those from northern latitudes) on the whole topic and get back to the real question...

Our first season we used 150 lb zip ties to keep shafts from flexing. It worked great, but I wouldn't brag to my engineer friends... oh wait, yes I would, bc it worked!

We also used a Lowes bucket (not to offend the HD crowd) on our Frizbee collector bin.

[Jay H 237]

I was going to say "What is the most MacGyver'd thing you've seen on a robot?" but I have a feeling most of the posters on here wouldn't know what I was talking about ;)

A lot of stuff gets 'MacGyver'd' the last night of build or between matches when you just need to get something to work in a very short amount of time. Sometimes it works so well it gets left alone :yikes:

Just remember even people who hold an A&P license now had to get a start somewhere, learning how to work on something when they were younger. When you look back someday at stuff you built in the beginning you'll wonder why you did that (really?! is that what I thought was good?!?! :eek: ) but at the time you were just proud you did that AND made it WORK at that time!!!

Knowledge, and refinement, comes with experience :)

[MikLast]

I was going to say "What is the most MacGyver'd thing you've seen on a robot?" but I have a feeling most of the posters on here wouldn't know what I was talking about ;)

Hey, give us "Youngsters" a little credit! ;)

The closest thing i think of is our net in 2014. Lack of materials made it hard, so we got some PVC and a net, attached it to some bolted down wood blocks, and Voila! We have a way to catch balls! Surprisingly enough, the net never fell out (it was not secured in any way except for being inside the wood a few inches) and was part of the reason we went to district champs (too bad we couldn't pay for it...)

[JohnSmooth42]

We had to fix our intakes at an off season event one year and we discovered a shaft key had come out. While looking for said shaft key we found a rivet on the floor. I don't think I need to elaborate on this any more...

[GeeTwo]

Sometimes people are just offended too easily. Sometimes offensively so.

For the record, in our neck of the woods we sometimes refer to this as "cajun engineering", in jest but not intended as an offense. Also for the record, the guy whose hands are in the picture that I posted as a "cajun compass" is not in fact a cajun, but I am at least 3/8 cajun myself, and I did not intend to be mean to either the man wielding the crawfish tray as a circle guide or to my own relatives. Nor do I believe any of them took it that way.

Chill!

[Andy A.]

We had to fix our intakes at an off season event one year and we discovered a shaft key had come out. While looking for said shaft key we found a rivet on the floor. I don't think I need to elaborate on this any more...

In the same vain, HSS drill bits make crappy yet expedient dowel pins. Drill the hole and, while still running the drill, angle it to the side with a sharp jerking motion. Instint pinned connection. Back it up with a drop of CA glue if you're the nervous nelly type.

[hwu24110]

I was not able to witness the performance of the robot, but I remember in 2014 Aerial Assist, I looked down the end of the convention center and I saw a robot that featured a folding chair (with arm rests) as the catching mechanism.

[Alex2614]

Okay, okay, can we move past whether or not you think the title of the thread is offensive? We get it. You've all made your point. Now let's focus on the actual INTENT behind the words and what the thread was intended to be about?

[EricH]

I was not able to witness the performance of the robot, but I remember in 2014 Aerial Assist, I looked down the end of the convention center and I saw a robot that featured a folding chair (with arm rests) as the catching mechanism.
Had one of those at L.A., too.

This year, I've seen a robot that held its intake in starting configuration with... wait for it...

...Painter's tape. Yep, folks, painter's tape, 1" wide and stretched long. I knew they needed a new piece when they were trying to find a spot to stick the two pieces they made every time they went out for a match together...

[araniaraniratul]

I was not able to witness the performance of the robot, but I remember in 2014 Aerial Assist, I looked down the end of the convention center and I saw a robot that featured a folding chair (with arm rests) as the catching mechanism.

So it was the same robot in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. In 2014, we (294) stuck a lawn chair on 687 because they had an awesome drivetrain but their other mechanisms were struggling. It helped them consistently get that first assist. They eventually grew out of the chair by the time eliminations in LV came around. I love bugging one of my co-mentors (687) about it though!

[BeardyMentor]

The following story is not the most kludgey thing we have ever done, but it is one of the most successful kludges we have ever pulled off.

This year at Mount Olive, we took the robot out of the bag and noticed the intake arm was spinning loose on the shaft. We looked a little closer and somewhere between final testing and bagging the robot, the 3/16" key had fallen out of the sprocket. After looking through everything we brought we discovered that the spare key stock had not been packed. After calming down, we cut the heads off of some #10 bolts and shoved them into the empty keyways and re-tightened the retaining set screws with loctite and they held for the entire event.

[Peyton Yeung]

We had an interesting "fix" this past weekend. During a match the sensor for our defense manipulator broke off. This sensor tells the robot where the arm is so we can go under the low bar/portcullis in autonomous mode. With no spare sensor we hot glued a limit switch to the inside of our robot, used the unused wire from the limit switches pwm cable as a string, and fastened the other end to the arm. This depressed the switch when the arm was fully down. The funny thing is that it worked for the rest of the competition.

[Why_A_Username?]

Although I disagree with the thread creator's diction, due to the conotations with racism and poverty, I do wish to share the"jankiest" thing that we on 2910 have done this season.

Our current robot: Lady Bertrude, had one of the shooter motors come completely off during our second to last semi final match at the Glacier Peak week 2 event. The repair consisted of wrapping "Engineering Tape" (duct tape) around it until it was reasonably secured. this allowed us to play in the last match, where the other shooter motor bent horribly to one side.

Also, during build season, we did not build a channel for the climber rope, and promptly allowed it to rest on top of our gatherer angler sprocket and chain.

These kind of jury rigs often are the result of a lack of time or budget, and really ought to be looked at more fondly than anything else, as they add character and identity to a robot, and symbolize creative and clever design in a pinch.

[ratdude747]

Here's another "improvised" repair that was notable.

Boilermaker Regional, 2013. In the finals it was the 1 seed vs 2 seed. 359+868+1747 vs. 234+1741+3147. 3147 had a "unique" design that year, with nothing but a human-loaded "bucket" frisbee shooter and drivetrain in the base, and on top of that a belt-driven climber that also housed the battery and electronics.

Final match 1: 3147's climber breaks at the actuator driving the base-to-climber joint, and can no longer support the climber assembly. They are disabled for the rest of the match as a result. Not good, as that assembly can't be removed (since all the eletricals were inside it). Likewise, with the assembly flopped down, they're not in starting configuration... What to do?

Allaince 2 uses thier timeout coupon, and after the timeouts, 3147 comes out... with a broomstick supporting the climber! IIRC it was also duct taped in, which added to the "jerry rigged" look of the repair. Suffice to say, the stick snapped in match 2, they were disabled once again, and with Alliance 1 winning both matches the competition was settled.

TheBlueAlliance links to the matches:

http://www.thebluealliance.com/match/2013inwl_f1m1
http://www.thebluealliance.com/match/2013inwl_f1m2

You gotta do what you gotta do sometimes... :D

[KevinG]

As a robot inspector I would immediately commend you guys for using a ratchet in such an innovative manner. I love jury-rigged stuff. In a competition full of beautiful robots made with CAD/CAM and precisely machined components I always enjoy seeing students who pull off an innovative solution using unconventional materials.

[Nirnaeth]

As an urban educator, I commend the rational discussion in this thread regarding the language in the OP's title. I think we've arrived at a mature and reasonable conclusion.

That said, I also think that youngsters who are inculcated within a specific cultural context are not yet experienced enough to truly empathize with those in other contexts. This is not their fault, but rather just a lack of life experience. So, I want to provide some more information:

At our district regional this past weekend, the first thing my students-of-color said to me as we walked into the pit area was: "I don't see anyone else that looks like me."

How racism and classism operates is less and less on a personal level these days (which is good!), but more and more on an ontological and systemic level (which is pernicious!). Just go to Google Images right now and type in the word "engineer", and describe the top pictures that pop up. In fact, I'm gonna do that now! Here is what pops up for me:

http://i.imgur.com/pWbqtof.jpg

As you can see, beyond the lack of racial diversity in this representation, there's also a lack of gender diversity. This is emblematic of the normalization of certain representations of students of color. This normalization, which some scholars refer to as anti-blackness, is the ontological construction through media and narrative of what it means to be an urban youth. In essence, when we think about an "urban youth", whatever that may mean, the first images that pop into mind is not an engineer in a shirt-and-tie wearing a hard-hat.

And it's not just people who are privileged that carry those thoughts! Some of my students do as well! That's how pervasive anti-blackness is within our culture. I was judging a debate round once, when two teams were debating this very issue, and a student asked in cross-examination to another student: "Where is the black identity in America that is not equivocated with struggle?" Even at the regional competition this weekend, we were asked by our judges to juxtapose our success as a rookie team with our students' socioeconomic status.

Ultimately, this is why the language we use is super important. Yes, we can take back that term "ghetto", and yes, some of our students might not even see or take offense to that term. However, it's not just this one term. It is the amalgamation of the images and representations they see, the language they hear being used to describe them, the fact that their perception of the role of police in society is very different than majority culture, the fact that they can't hang out at a park in the afternoon without being harassed by authorities, etc. All of these add up to systemic racism.

I'll get off my soap-box now. :)

EDIT: That picture was gigantic.

[Moonsault]

How about a riveted seat belt to secure a battery in its holder:D ?

[Moonsault]

Too Funny!
Maybe vendors will see the value in having an "FRC Robot Tested Tough" sticker on their products.

Like in the days of yore when Timex had funny ads showing how tough their watch was.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ynSrvluQBy8
Our team has used 3/8 wrenches in our super shifter.

[Boltman]

I'll submit our ghetto secret weapon that seemed to work out ok

[Ryan_Todd]

Accepting the previous conclusions about choice of language, I'm rolling with "janky" to describe things that look like they shouldn't work, but do anyways (and as such, these are among the best moments for fond recollection in years to come).

You wouldn't know it by looking at our more recent robots, but 862 was once defined by our mastery of all things jank. With inconsistent availability of build spaces and a complete lack of precision tooling (our first in-house drill press was a pretty big deal), we promoted ourselves based on our "old school" build philosophy (if it requires any more tooling than a hacksaw and drill, it can't be done).

During my rookie year in '06, our team had an expanding hopper to hold poof balls; the walls of the hopper were made of fabric, which naturally kept getting torn. In between each match, we patched up any new holes with zip ties, until eventually we ended up with no fabric left at all; just a sheet of zip ties linked together like chainmaille.
(I would also call out our collection roller system from the same year, but that wasn't really all that janky; it just sucked.)

The next year in '07, we initially didn't give our claw enough leverage to consistently clamp onto the inner tubes and hold them stable; a couple of gel insoles zip tied to the claw helped to solve that problem with better friction.
(Don't even get me started on the janked-out ramp we concocted for other bots to climb on top of; alumalite (http://www.alumapanel.com/view_product.cfm?step=1&lines_ID=733&name=Alumalite) sign panels were never meant for use as weight-bearing elements, much less with 2.5" swiss cheese holes drilled through them!)

During the '08 competition season, we discovered that we had vastly underestimated the side loads that our elbow joint would be subjected to; we managed to get by for a while, bending it back into shape in between each match with a pair of vise grips and our trusty dead-blow hammer... But when it snapped clean in two near the end of the competition season, we ended up needing to replace the whole assembly.
Later during the post-season, we wanted to protect our nice expensive mecanum wheels during demonstrations on concrete; for a while there, we ran the bot with strips of carpet zip tied to the wheels as sacrificial treads.
(We also ended up using the same carpet-tread technique a year later in '09, of course, to protect the FRC-mandated slick wheels!)

[droopy]

I remember seeing a team that duck taped a cim on their robot. When I asked them why they did that they responded with "we ran out of gaff tape"

[GreyingJay]

We brought our practice robot in pieces (drive base and ball manipulator) to the local library for drive practice (yes, our city library lets us drive the robot around! They're awesome!) and realized that we forgot the 3/8" spacer block for where the mechanism bolts onto the frame. The only tools we had brought were the basic ones we knew we needed to bolt the frame on, including an ample set of wrenches. Wrenches that were approximately 3/8" thick...

Fast-forward to a week or two later, and to this conversation:

Me: "I need a 3/8" wrench."
Other team member: "Uh..."
Me: *searching toolbox* "I know we have one. More than one. Where are they?"
Other team member: "Uh..."
Me: "... they're all on the robot, aren't they."
Other team member: "Yup."

That same day I also found all of our small allen keys substituting for hitch pins, holding our bumpers in place.

[happyWobot]

Back on the topic of "least professionally engineered solution deployed on a robot"

a literal lead brick from the small parts catalog, 1997, roughly hewn with a hack saw to get the total robot weight to the exact maximum. You can still find the basic item at small parts (since they were purchased by amazon)

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Parts-Lead-Brick-ASTM-B749/dp/B003SLEVSA


on FRC Team # 122, used to counterbalance a long arm.

I sincerely apologize but you are mistaken. The two ballast on the arms are constructed of .5 inch plate steel. This steel is occasionally used in cooking applications and was a remnant I had left over from a grill project I never completed. They needed something really heavy and very thin. I donated it to the team and it did the job quite nicely. I can assure you that these steel plates were not cut with a hacksaw. I gave up on that barely 2 inches into the plate and an hour later.

[FrankJ]

Perhaps a better name for this thread would have been "Necessity is the mother of invention? "

[Scott England]

I may not have been clear, but do you realize I was talking about 122's robot from the 1997 game, Toroid Terror? This was from before 122 even paired with New Horizons, I think it was with Phoebus High School, but it was so long ago I'm not even sure of that. Jeff Seaton or John Evans might be the only ones who remember anymore.

As I recall, the 1997 robot for 122 had a 36" square base, with the wheels oriented 45 degrees out of plane and a tall base for a two-linked arm so the robot was almost impossible to get through any doorways. The shoulder joint had some surgical tubing and what I'm pretty sure was the lead brick from the small parts catalog to help counter balance the crazy torque that arm had to deal with when delivering inner tubes. The 1998 robot was my first year, so looking at the prior year's, I just remember Ansel Butterfield describing what the parts were, so maybe I heard wrong or my memory is fuzzy after nearly 20 years.

I sincerely apologize but you are mistaken. The two ballast on the arms are constructed of .5 inch plate steel. This steel is occasionally used in cooking applications and was a remnant I had left over from a grill project I never completed. They needed something really heavy and very thin. I donated it to the team and it did the job quite nicely. I can assure you that these steel plates were not cut with a hacksaw. I gave up on that barely 2 inches into the plate and an hour later.

[AJCaliciuri]

I have a story that probably qualifies as ghetto.

A few years ago, I was at a Regional with a large number of Rookie teams. On Friday morning, walking through the pits, I noticed one of the Rookie teams was charging their robot battery using alligator clips, while it was still plugged into the robot using the Anderson connector.

It was one of the most cringeworthy things I've ever seen at an FRC Regional. Of course, they didn't know any better, so you can't really blame them. Now, one of the first things I look at when I visit a Rookie pit, is how they're charging their batteries.

[happyWobot]

I may not have been clear, but do you realize I was talking about 122's robot from the 1997 game, Toroid Terror? This was from before 122 even paired with New Horizons.....

No, I didnt. Incidentally we have an arm and counterbalance weights on this year's robot. I've only been with 122 since about 08 so would not have any reference for what the 97 year's robot was like. I'm grateful to know that it wasn't a description of this year's bot. The steel was so difficult to cut it was sent out to be done on a Bridgeport. They came back beautifully milled complete with beveled edges to the exact profile we provided. I was really confused why anyone would think it was cut with a hacksaw. Thanks for the clarification.

[EricH]

No, I didnt. Incidentally we have an arm and counterbalance weights on this year's robot. I've only been with 122 since about 08 so would not have any reference for what the 97 year's robot was like. I'm grateful to know that it wasn't a description of this year's bot. The steel was so difficult to cut it was sent out to be done on a Bridgeport. They came back beautifully milled complete with beveled edges to the exact profile we provided. I was really confused why anyone would think it was cut with a hacksaw. Thanks for the clarification.
Ah, yes, when the old-timers start talking about the "good old days" and the newbies don't have a clue... No worries, happens a few times a year. (Back in the year he was talking about, I do believe that steel would have needed to come from the Small Parts Inc. catalog.)

Probably the most kludged-together robot I've seen was back in 2005. Kit frame. Electronics protection was a clear plastic tub upside down. Superstructure was a small stepladder. Arm was a single piece of PVC (not a bad option). The gripper, on the other hand, was a masterful piece of engineering: Needle-nose pliers (or was it a pair of dikes?), stuck into the end of the PVC pipe so the handles were out and slightly open. Talk about creative uses of materials...

[C.Lesco]

In the same vain, HSS drill bits make crappy yet expedient dowel pins. Drill the hole and, while still running the drill, angle it to the side with a sharp jerking motion. Instint pinned connection. Back it up with a drop of CA glue if you're the nervous nelly type.

Oh my god im so happy to hear that we werent the only ones doing this. Sketchiest thing, losing bolts on battery box, fixing battery box to frame using zipties which all broke at the end of every match.

All fixed for worlds though

[Gsquared]

At centerline last year there was a robot with a cornhole game on top of a kit bot frame. Still put up more points then anyone on our alliance.

[Ninjastahr]

Team 3928's can burglar from last year was pretty janky, we had to bend plastic (pvc?) pipe by using a heat-shrink gun between qualification and finals because one broke.:D

(It's the grey one in this (https://www.flickr.com/photos/frcneutrino/16842533607/in/album-72157651789198805/) picture)

[Batterink]

On our current robot we have a potentiometer double sided taped to our chassis then a cut pen tube attaching it to the shaft. I'll see about getting a picture.

[Twepeler]

We're using a garage door spring to help lift our arm and to slow it down when it comes down

[techhelpbb]

On my test chassis I wanted a way to couple my enclosed rotary shaft encoders to the shaft on the AndyMark gear boxes. So we tie wrapped a piece of automotive hose around the shafts on either end making a 1 foot long flexible shaft coupler that goes back to a brace in the middle of the robot.

I was concerned it might slip but it does not.
I was concerned the misalignment from end to end might cause it to lash, but it does not.

It is janky (jenky sp?) and I like it. :D

That's not quite as bad as the day a friend and I put a model airplane prop on a weed-whacker small engine clamped to my deck to test something. What could ->possibly<- go wrong there? (Leave that dumb trick to the professionals okay kids!)

[Alan Anderson]

At an off-season several years ago we had a motor sticking out the side of the robot's superstructure with wires in danger of being damaged by contacting other robots. After trying and failing to fashion a wire guard out of polycarb, we pulled an empty plastic soda bottle out of the trash, cut off the top, and zip-tied it around the end of the motor.

I have seen aluminum ladders cut into short sections and used as robot frame pieces.

I don't know what category I'd put this one in: a rookie team at the 2014 Arkansas Regional used a mannequin leg as a kicker for Aerial Assist. They also had a lampshade they put over the top of the robot.

[Nate Laverdure]

I don't know what category I'd put this one in: a rookie team at the 2014 Arkansas Regional used a mannequin leg as a kicker for Aerial Assist. They also had a lampshade they put over the top of the robot.
I hope they won a Major Award for that.

[Alan Anderson]

[leg lamp]I hope they won a Major Award for that.

I'm pretty sure they got Rookie Inspiration.

[GreyingJay]

I don't know what category I'd put this one in: a rookie team at the 2014 Arkansas Regional used a mannequin leg as a kicker for Aerial Assist. They also had a lampshade they put over the top of the robot.

I really wanted to use a toilet plunger as the "kicker" that would push the boulders into the shooter. We even prototyped it, as it was approximately the contour we needed, but as expected, the plunger occasionally created suction that stuck to the boulder.

My next suggestion was a boot - they stopped taking my suggestions after that. :p

[bennettj800]

How about a box made of pegboard which was *made* to entrap the ball in the Hub City Regional of 2014? (it was affectionately known by all as "Fridgebot" and did exactly what was required of it... although it made a few people mad... and the referees had to make an improv move on entrapment, but still! it was awesome! (so creative, they were)

[logank013]

I really wanted to use a toilet plunger as the "kicker" that would push the boulders into the shooter. We even prototyped it, as it was approximately the contour we needed, but as expected, the plunger occasionally created suction that stuck to the boulder.

My next suggestion was a boot - they stopped taking my suggestions after that. :p

Why not just drill a hole in the the rubber of the plunger somewhere to prevent suction?

[GreyingJay]

Why not just drill a hole in the the rubber of the plunger somewhere to prevent suction?

We did talk about that actually. Or 3D printing a piece of rigid plastic that just looked like a toilet plunger. We decided at this point that we were solving the wrong problem.

[techhelpbb]

We did talk about that actually. Or 3D printing a piece of rigid plastic that just looked like a toilet plunger. We decided at this point that we were solving the wrong problem.

You ever see the Red Green Show (http://www.redgreen.com/)?

Handyman Corner (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Green_Show)
Red attempted to demonstrate creative and often humorous ways to tackle relatively common tasks, such as taking out the trash or making use of derelict cars, or to create something extravagant out of whatever he could get his hands on. Memorable examples included a paddlewheeler made out of a van on pallets and a revolving door, a jetpack made from two propane tanks, a hybrid car from recycled golf carts and satellite dishes, and a kiddie ride made from a bar stool attached to the agitator of a washing machine. Duct tape, "the handyman's secret weapon," was almost always the fastener of choice. In one episode, he tried to duct tape the Ontario-Quebec border as a potential solution to Quebec separatism. The segment customarily concluded with the aphorism "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."

Whenever you find yourself over engineering, I just ask myself can this be done with a some piece of junk I've got laying somewhere :)
http://cliff.hostkansas.com/pffimages/Mvc-142x.jpg

[EricH]

At an off-season several years ago we had a motor sticking out the side of the robot's superstructure with wires in danger of being damaged by contacting other robots. After trying and failing to fashion a wire guard out of polycarb, we pulled an empty plastic soda bottle out of the trash, cut off the top, and zip-tied it around the end of the motor.
For a non-FRC event a few years back, my team needed anti-dust shields for our drive motors (a quartet of 775s, in this case). I think they opted for the Mountain Dew cans rather than some others that might have been available... And they were covered with tape or something like that. The rest of the electronics were in more professional boxes.

[natejo99]

Not sure if this qualifies as sketchy/janky, but I have to bring up what our team has dubbed "chairbot" from 2014


https://imgur.com/bHhtJpb

[arc25565]

On our robot at the Greater Toronto central regional the screws holding a cim into a transmission were loose. Needless to say we didn't have enough time to fix it properly so we used pieces of scrap metal, zip ties and about a half roll of duct tape to hold it in place.

[chrisfl]

In 2013 we were prototyping a shooter and ran out of hubs for Banebot wheels and ended up wrapping a cim shaft in duct tape and pressing the wheel on. Needless to say the design didn't work, partially to the wheel we used and a shabby structure and partially to the uncentered rotation of the wheel.

[C.Lesco]

Not sure if this qualifies as sketchy/janky, but I have to bring up what our team has dubbed "chairbot" from 2014


https://imgur.com/bHhtJpb

I am not even kidding, hands down, no doubt, this is my favorite robot from 2014. This is so awesome. We use peices of chairs on our bot as a frame but this is next level. Fav bot fav team 2014.

[messer5740]

I am not even kidding, hands down, no doubt, this is my favorite robot from 2014. This is so awesome. We use peices of chairs on our bot as a frame but this is next level. Fav bot fav team 2014.

WHAAAAAAAAAA?????
Catcher only or could it shoot too? (Don't know the rules too well rookie year was 2015)

[Hitchhiker 42]

WHAAAAAAAAAA?????
Catcher only or could it shoot too? (Don't know the rules too well rookie year was 2015)

Seems like a defense bot.

[Christopher149]

Seems like a defense bot.

Amusingly, the chair replaced a wooden structure for their second event.

Example of it earning a possession (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V16KeM1wNo) in a match (so it is much more than a mere defense bot).

[techhelpbb]

Not sure if this qualifies as sketchy/janky, but I have to bring up what our team has dubbed "chairbot" from 2014

https://imgur.com/bHhtJpb

Chairman's: light on man, heavy on chair :yikes:

[Maxwellfire]

2014 rookie year in aerial assist. Robot won't stay in correct configuration at match start. We used zip ties to hold the arm up and then used the autonomous to jerk the robot to a stop hard enough to break said zip ties. We also didn't have enough pneumatic guts to get the ball over the truss without a solid running start.

2015 recycle rush. Needed to spring load some clips that we're supposed to pick up totes by the handles during our second district competition. The only thing we had were hair ties from the girls on the team. Our running joke is that hair ties got us to Worlds.

Hair ties of various types are a continual sight on our robots: 2014 to retract the shooter after firing, 2015 to hold our sponsor panels on, and 2016 tbd :D

[hardcopi]

I had no idea Hartford did this for their 2nd event. This was their first year and they had some HUGE setbacks. Their main mentor was in a car accident and out for the season. We helped them to get their robot built and programmed. During St Joe, if my memory isn't failing which it always does, Enginerds, Rush, Robotarians and Joes helped them to build a catcher throughout the day. We ended up picking them for our 3rd pick.

Did I mention they had like 4 kids on their team? The girls on the team got to cheering for them because their ENTIRE team was on the field. :)

Here is a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72jV0C6NqkA

Now that post brought back some good memories. (BTW, we rearranged our numbers to make 5246, but we didn't have a 4 so we used a roughly 4 shaped giant head of our head mentor. :)

[sir tyson]

On this year's robot, our lift system consists of a tape measure connected to a motor with a hook duct taped to the end of it. The hook is attached to a "winch" (a hex shaft fitted through a socket wrench that's zip tied to the frame) with paracord.

[PeeDiddy]

We took the entire gearbox and motor assembly out of a drill and hotwired the motor controller to the arm of our robot to put it back in starting configuration post match every match.

[Daniel_LaFleur]

For a non-FRC event a few years back, my team needed anti-dust shields for our drive motors (a quartet of 775s, in this case). I think they opted for the Mountain Dew cans rather than some others that might have been available... And they were covered with tape or something like that. The rest of the electronics were in more professional boxes.

This year at Dalton the RI (Hi Brandon) stated that the robot signal light was too low and could not be seen from all angles.
The students fix: Mount a Coca-Cola can on the robot and mount the Robot signal light on top of it.
Was it a kludge? Absolutely.
Did it work? Yes :)

[Trevor1523]

YES! This thread was made for 1523 :)

My favourite ghetto part on one of our robots was our chain tensioner from last year. We used a PVC block which was circular (referred to by team members as a urinal cake), which was wedged between the chain and the trolley that lifted the tote to keep the chain tought.

We've used tables to bend metal, wrong tools for the right jobs etc etc.

There's probably other things that we've done, but I can't remember.

[GeeTwo]

It may not be the most ghetto thing I ever saw, but we definitely made a data point last night. After three weeks of completely rebuilding the air cannon (which we traditionally do every 18 months or so, but this one made it simpler rather than more complex, yeah!), something in the arduino code just did not work. This code was finally available and tested to a fail at about 1700 (5pm), and the game started at 1900 (7pm). I took to the streets to buy starter switches, horn switches, and wire. After visiting three different auto parts shops, we got down to a wonderful fast build - everyone was out of the comfort zone, myself included. While we did not make the 1900 start of game, the robot rolled out before halftime with a 12 foot (3.6m) tether consisting of 8 12 ga wires (4 red, 2 green, 2 blue) to switch the four motors on starter switches and a four-conductor set of trailer wires to switch the two solenoid valve launchers, all in a wire handler bundle, coming up into a too-small radio shack project box (the only one in the shop, can you believe it?) with the switches. We could only drive forward, with slight turns by pushing only on one side, but we helped keep the home crowd entertained as our football team lost 21-3 to Covington. Official tryouts start a week after next, but a handful of our new recruits made the cut in my mind last night.

[berkleyfanatic]

In 2015 our winch for lowering and raising our arms broke either before or during semi finals so we had to use duct tape to fix it

[Billfred]

I'm sure I've participated in worse and am forgetting, but:

Palmetto 2016. Most of the teething problems on Sandstorm III's drivetrain were sorted out early on, but right as alliance selection starts a message goes out on the Garnet Squadron group chat: Decline any invitation, drivetrain lost a bearing deep inside. I was just across the way as the defense coordinator, so I bolted over to the pit. Sure enough, one of the center inside bearings had popped free into the box tubing. We had the spare, and I had a flash of brilliance. Take the spare bearing, line it up with the hex shaft and hole, whack it with a hammer and wood block, and maybe it'd be enough to buy us some time, right? I took the whack, figuring we'd either be functional or just as hosed...and by some miracle, everything nestled into place and we would be ready for action.

Of course, we didn't get picked anyway...

[euhlmann]

I think our second robot counts

We designed both robots to be modular, so the shooter, intake, and cheval wedges can be swapped as part of withholding allowance. By postseason (we were registered at Beantown Blitz) we really wanted our second robot to be able to compete as well and this was the result:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ligerbots/27700732052/in/album-72157667311431234/
Here you can see:
- stapled bumpers
- ziptie- and duct tape-based intake
- wooden shooter (needless to say it didn't last very long)
- PVC tube boulder blocker complete with transparent packing tape.
Thus the second robot was aptly renamed "Jankosaurus Rex"
Nevertheless our team had a lot of fun putting it together in just a few team meetings before Blitz :rolleyes:

[Jonah Sachs]

This:

https://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/img/a69/a690b89ea523041aa8d760843337a49d_l.jpg

[Thayer McCollum]

^^
What is that?!?!

I'm an advocate of getting something to work by any means necessary and so I'm usually able to tell what each jury-rigged sketchy piece does, but with that I don't even know... Might I ask what happened that required that... contraption?

[GeeTwo]

^^
What is that?!?!

I'm an advocate of getting something to work by any means necessary and so I'm usually able to tell what each jury-rigged sketchy piece does, but with that I don't even know... Might I ask what happened that required that... contraption?

That is one of the most unlikely wheels on Einstein: https://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150021

[s1900ahon]

For Recycle Rush, one of our students had the idea of using a deformable structure on our 3310-style canburglar to absorb impact energy and reduce bounce. His implementation? He taped an empty soda can to each carbon fiber rod.

[bobbysq]

Team As Sketchy As Possible hasn't shown up in here yet? We need to step up our CD game.

2013: For the most consistent points in every match, Optimus Climb (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIhT7gD5jpE) started on the corner of a tower. It then fell over and spent the whole match climbing up it. This was also entirely in teleop.

2015: A milk jug was used to create spacers on our pulley. We also had a slide drive that only worked on our concrete shop floor and never carpet.

2016: At the Iowa scrimmage, we found that our intake was good for firing boulders straight up. Solution: Sherman 1.2: Bagbot (https://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/img/933/933f824bd113d768a7659bbd08f9b8ac_m.jpg). (we later decided to just make a bootleg of another team's intake in the 4 days between CIR and Iowa)

[Ben Wolsieffer]

2013: For the most consistent points in every match, Optimus Climb (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIhT7gD5jpE) started on the corner of a tower. It then fell over and spent the whole match climbing up it. This was also entirely in teleop.

If you think that's bad, you haven't seen our 2013 robot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lGCPwSTIYw). It was similar to yours, but instead of pulling itself up, it spent the whole match slowly flipping itself end over end up the tower, trying not to rip the tower apart in the process. We usually try to forget that year ever happened.

[NShep98]

If you think that's bad, you haven't seen our 2013 robot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lGCPwSTIYw). It was similar to yours, but instead of pulling itself up, it spent the whole match slowly flipping itself end over end up the tower, trying not to rip the tower apart in the process. We usually try to forget that year ever happened.

At least you got up the pyramid (https://youtu.be/Vbx37MT73OE?t=36s)

Besides that, the awful mess of velcro, tape, and zip ties that struggles to keep our 2016 climber arm just for it to break. (https://youtu.be/tV3PWbEDIRc?t=28s)

And in 2014...this (https://youtu.be/36cYJ9dPjjQ?t=16s)

[logank013]

In NC this year, our alliance in the playoffs had a very interesting time.

Our tread fell off both matches


Team SPORK 3196 had some issues with their high goal shooter breaking. Before the QF matches, they determined it wasn't fixable and went with a low goal shooting mechanism. In order for their auto to work, a switch had to be pressed down so they just duck taped it so the auto would work.


Our 3rd partner, 3680, got flipped in a match


Feel free to watch some of these matches here. (http://www.thebluealliance.com/event/2016ncmcl)

P.S. Teams in Indiana are very nice and easy to work with. But 3196 and 3680 were definitely some of the nicest people I worked worth over the last 2 years. I hope to come back next year to NC next year (and not decline like in 2016 :D)

[Jeremy Germita]

On 399's 2013 robot we sheared a 1/4-20 bolt that drove our disc feeder kicker mechanism at a robot demo, so we used velcro to hold zipties to hold a screw driver in its place (http://i.imgur.com/EdPqSmK.jpg).

5012's offseason rebuild 2014 - in our first match at Chezy Champs, a collision with a partner (https://youtu.be/-tqZQQdpWiI?t=6m30s) shattered our MDF intake jaws. We spent the entire weekend rebuilding the jaw with whatever parts we could scrape together with materials from 399, 1678, 8, and 5136. We arrived in San Jose with this (http://i.imgur.com/9rZr1fW.jpg), and left with this (http://i.imgur.com/VIto0y8.png) monstrosity constructed from 399's spare catapult cradle, fiberglass rod, surgical tubing, and string. For our next offseason events, we rebuilt (http://i.imgur.com/THh48Ju.png) it out of 1/4" aluminum and lexan.

[Jonny_Jee]

L-bot!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4nsFmmZPmo

The most magnificent robot I've had the pleasure of working on BY FAR. The scoring mechanism is a cardboard tube attached to a piston. With a sweet 2 wheel drive and 7 caster wheels, it glides effortlessly across the arena! And how could anyone forget the 60lb steel plates zip tied to a piston on the side of the robot!

[frcguy]

L-bot!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4nsFmmZPmo



The most magnificent robot I've had the pleasure of working on BY FAR. The scoring mechanism is a cardboard tube attached to a piston. With a sweet 2 wheel drive and 7 caster wheels, it glides effortlessly across the arena! And how could anyone forget the 60lb steel plates zip tied to a piston on the side of the robot!


Oh boy...

[otherguy]

In 2012 at Beantown Blitz one of our alliance partners had issues with chain popping off on their drive train during eliminations.

As a last ditch effort we got our bulkiest zip ties and made an awesome chain tensioner by wrapping one the around the chain loop. Then two more ties attaching the tensioner off to each side of the parallel plates of the drivetrain (to keep everything vertically and horizontally centered). It actually worked surprisingly well. I can't find event results or videos of finals. But I'm pretty sure we went through multiple matches and finals in that configuration.

Definitely one to keep in your back pocket.



Sent from my LGLS751 using Tapatalk

[Ceering]

2 years ago our non-FIRST robot was held together almost entirely by zip-ties.

[mikexcao]

I've seen a robot that bounced around so much they had to use duct tape to hold down the RoboRIO (which was secured sideways on one of the sides of the robot)

[Connor McBride]

we used zip ties on our 2015 robot to push around the pool noodles. Very effective I must say.

[RoboChair]

In 2012 at Beantown Blitz one of our alliance partners had issues with chain popping off on their drive train during eliminations.

As a last ditch effort we got our bulkiest zip ties and made an awesome chain tensioner by wrapping one the around the chain loop. Then two more ties attaching the tensioner off to each side of the parallel plates of the drivetrain (to keep everything vertically and horizontally centered). It actually worked surprisingly well. I can't find event results or videos of finals. But I'm pretty sure we went through multiple matches and finals in that configuration.

Definitely one to keep in your back pocket.



This is actually a very reliable fix by the way. It doesn't sound fantastic when it's running, but it will last many matches without replacement. It is easier on the zip tie if its just tensioning one side but works on both.

[Doomwyte]

For Recycle Rush, a team (I think it was 1510) decided that they needed to turn their bot into a defending robot for one match. Their solution: tape three totes on top of the robot. It was pretty funny to watch.

[bobbysq]

For Recycle Rush
defending robot

but why

[GeeTwo]

For Recycle Rush, a team (I think it was 1510) decided that they needed to turn their bot into a defending robot for one match. Their solution: tape three totes on top of the robot. It was pretty funny to watch.

but why

Litter blocker?

[Daler99]

I think our second robot counts

We designed both robots to be modular, so the shooter, intake, and cheval wedges can be swapped as part of withholding allowance. By postseason (we were registered at Beantown Blitz) we really wanted our second robot to be able to compete as well and this was the result:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ligerbots/27700732052/in/album-72157667311431234/
Here you can see:
- stapled bumpers
- ziptie- and duct tape-based intake
- wooden shooter (needless to say it didn't last very long)
- PVC tube boulder blocker complete with transparent packing tape.
Thus the second robot was aptly renamed "Jankosaurus Rex"
Nevertheless our team had a lot of fun putting it together in just a few team meetings before Blitz :rolleyes:

If I recall correctly, Jankosaurus Rex actually won the event. ;)

[ThariqRidha]

For Recycle Rush, a team (I think it was 1510) decided that they needed to turn their bot into a defending robot for one match. Their solution: tape three totes on top of the robot. It was pretty funny to watch.

I don't recall 1510 ever doing that for Recycle Rush, but we definetely did something very similar and sketchy (https://i.imgur.com/emGgrse.jpg) during Stronghold. :D

[BenDSterling]

I'm not event going to mention the most ghetto thing I have done to a robot...

[GavinL]

I came up with a very clever nickname for our robot. D.A.D, Duct-tape and Dreams. You can guess what it looked like.

[Cam_Team 2619]

Not really on our robot, but to aim our high goal shooter at our off-season event, Team 2619 put a piece of electrical tape on the spot on our laptop screen where the goal needed to be lined up with on our camera. "Vision tracking :)"

[bobbysq]

Not really on our robot, but to aim our high goal shooter at our off-season event, Team 2619 put a piece of electrical tape on the spot on our laptop screen where the goal needed to be lined up with on our camera. "Vision tracking :)"

We put an image overlay on SmartDashboard, and we used a screenshot of the laptop screen with TableViewer to try to get the correct values into our program. This screenshot also included the dashboard. Our driver then proceeded to score several consecutive perfect shots on the practice field.

He was aiming off of the still screenshot of SmartDashboard in MS Paint and didn't even notice until we thought that the camera froze.

[K-Dawg157]

In 2014 my team's robot (157 AZTECHS) made to eliminations for the first time in years. We were doing well, until one of the belts on our drive train snapped during a match.

We ended up using nuts, bolts, duct tape and zip ties to try to keep the belt together long enough to finish the competition...

It didn't work too well.

[EricH]

There's a running joke that a peg leg is better than a caster on an FRC robot. It's... not a joke anymore.

There was a team at Beach Blitz that lost a wheel from their (long-suffering) swerve modules. They came out for their next match or two with that module wrapped in tape--looked like gaff tape, maybe duct tape or gorilla tape.

The kicker is that their robot still drove OK with that "peg leg", continuing to play defense.

[Eric Scheuing]

Ok, this wasn't on our robot per-se, but I think it still applies. At out week 1 Stronghold competition this year, we had a camera with live feedback mounted to the top of our shooter. Instead of applying crosshairs to the driver station video feed, we duct taped two pieces of string to the laptop in a "calibrated" position so our driver could make high goal shots. We had 100% accuracy at the high goal that week... 1 for 1!

[Hitchhiker 42]

Ok, this wasn't on our robot per-se, but I think it still applies. At out week 1 Stronghold competition this year, we had a camera with live feedback mounted to the top of our shooter. Instead of applying crosshairs to the driver station video feed, we duct taped two pieces of string to the laptop in a "calibrated" position so our driver could make high goal shots. We had 100% accuracy at the high goal that week... 1 for 1!

We did something similar, but with clear packing tape on the screen and dry-erase markers.

[Pooja Anil]

Team SPORK 3196 had some issues with their high goal shooter breaking. Before the QF matches, they determined it wasn't fixable and went with a low goal shooting mechanism. In order for their auto to work, a switch had to be pressed down so they just duck taped it so the auto would work.


P.S. Teams in Indiana are very nice and easy to work with. But 3196 and 3680 were definitely some of the nicest people I worked worth over the last 2 years. I hope to come back next year to NC next year (and not decline like in 2016 :D)

Sorry we haven't responded to this, but thank you!! You guys were one of the best teams we have ever worked with, and you definitely made that competition awesome! You really should come back to NC next year, we would love to see you all again!

Our shooter mechanism wasn't the greatest. Taping it seemed like the smartest thing to do at that time :D

[MichaelBick]

There's a running joke that a peg leg is better than a caster on an FRC robot. It's... not a joke anymore.

There was a team at Beach Blitz that lost a wheel from their (long-suffering) swerve modules. They came out for their next match or two with that module wrapped in tape--looked like gaff tape, maybe duct tape or gorilla tape.

The kicker is that their robot still drove OK with that "peg leg", continuing to play defense.

I've heard rumors that 1717 made LA finals in 2012 with 3 swerve modules operational(they didn't have time to replace the module until the break between SF and F).

[AdamHeard]

I've heard rumors that 1717 made LA finals in 2012 with 3 swerve modules operational(they didn't have time to replace the module until the break between SF and F).

CVR I believe.

[pjt0620]

In 2013 on team 308 we realized that we needed a way to block shots from the corner so we used "locally sourced materials" left over from lunch (otherwise known as a pizza box) and a bit of duct tape and that worked ok. Later in the season we replaced it with a fiberglass driveway marker "borrowed" from the parking lot of the event and that stayed the rest of the season due to how well it worked.
Pizza Box Frisbee Blocker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVjvgTwHi-E)

[346CADmen]

In 2013 on team 308 we realized that we needed a way to block shots from the corner so we used "locally sourced materials" left over from lunch (otherwise known as a pizza box) and a bit of duct tape and that worked ok. Later in the season we replaced it with a fiberglass driveway marker "borrowed" from the parking lot of the event and that stayed the rest of the season due to how well it worked.
Pizza Box Frisbee Blocker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVjvgTwHi-E)

Why to think outside the box, as it were. Hope your upgrade was more effective.
Is it my imagination or does one of the robots in the video still have power on at the end of the match? I see a green light on when the field assist open the net.

[ctt956]

Why to think outside the box, as it were. Hope your upgrade was more effective.
Is it my imagination or does one of the robots in the video still have power on at the end of the match? I see a green light on when the field assist open the net.

It looks like a vision targeting light to me. I think they stay on as long as the robot is turned on, similarly to the safety light.

[346CADmen]

It looks like a vision targeting light to me. I think they stay on as long as the robot is turned on, similarly to the safety light.

Exactly, and at the end of a match all power should be off. The safety light goes off to assure all robots are powered down. So this was interesting to me. Did they not power down at termination of the match?

[Lireal]

Exactly, and at the end of a match all power should be off. The safety light goes off to assure all robots are powered down. So this was interesting to me. Did they not power down at termination of the match?

They probably connected the light directly to the PDP, and not the cRio, so the cRio wouldn't be able to shut it off.

[EricH]

Exactly, and at the end of a match all power should be off. The safety light goes off to assure all robots are powered down. So this was interesting to me. Did they not power down at termination of the match?
Power to the robots does not shut off until someone hits the robot main breakers; however, all robots are disabled after the match. Disabled means that all the outputs controlled by the RoboRIO (AKA, all the outputs!) are shut off. There are no particular rules stating that stuff not controlled by the RIO has to shut off when the robot is disabled; after all, those items have no way of knowing that the robot is disabled. You'll typically see that on LED strips or targeting flashlights/ring lights that are "constant on", or on lights that are controlled by a Spike relay that is set to stay/go on when disabled. Not uncommon to see some lights on until main breakers are hit.

The "Safety" light is actually the RSL, Robot Signal Light. Its primary function is to display what the robot status is, not to be a safety light per se. As I recall, it goes solid (NOT off) at the end of the match, or when the robot is disabled, but it has several possible states that help field staff troubleshoot problems.

[Ben Wolsieffer]

Exactly, and at the end of a match all power should be off. The safety light goes off to assure all robots are powered down. So this was interesting to me. Did they not power down at termination of the match?

Power does not get turned off at the end of the match (though you are supposed to turn it off before moving your robot off the field). It is perfectly legal to wire a light straight into the PDP (this could obviously change in future years, but I see no reason why it would). All moving parts have to be controlled by the roboRIO, and software running on the roboRIO prevents control signals from being sent to any actuator when the robot is disabled. At the end of a match, all motor controllers are still powered, they are just being sent a signal that tells them not to move.

[Trevor1523]

Today, at Mission Mayhem, was full of plenty of ghetto moments I thought I'd share.

1: we have wedges on the front of our robot that we put down to let us get over the Cheval de Frise, and a 3/4 inch aluminum Stock connecting that to a cylinder. We sheared the 3/4 in half and I was running around trying to find a pencil or something to fix it with; 179 luckily gave us a pencil, it worked for a little bit but broke the next match. We ended up taking apart our standard and ziptying the rod to the 3/4 to keep it straight. It worked very well

2: both 1523 and 1524 were having drive train issues all day, at the end we realized 1523 was missing a spacer in the gearbox. We ended up using a zip tie to keep the gears in place. It worked very well until .6 seconds into our first Quarterfinal match when the other gear box blew apart.

We feel really bad about choosing 1251 and 59 and then dying, but they were really good sports about it, and we actually won our second quarterfinal match (without 1523) against 2383 and 3653 by 2 points.

And our intake fell apart, but we didn't bother to botch it because it broke in our first quarterfinal match.

[Ari423]

It's definitely not the MOST ghetto thing I've ever seen on a robot, but it's probably the most ghetto thing that I have personally done.

Once when I was putting the robot on the field, I noticed one of the battery terminals had come unscrewed. We didn't have any extra batteries on the cart, and there wasn't enough time to run back to the pit to get a new battery. Luckily, I had a small zip-tie in my pocket, which I used to hold the Anderson connector onto the battery terminal. I wasn't really expecting it to work, but it did for one match until we could get back to the pit and replace it.