View Full Version : Tank Track
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
07-12-2008, 22:49
For the current VEX game 'elevation' my team are currently using a horizontal tank track to storee and deposit cubes.
Everything works perfectly except for one thing,
at the start of the track there is a large lump caused by the sprocket, which means we cannot get cubes over it and on to the track
we didnt think to account for this problem at the beginning (probably should have) and due to a shortage of equipment are unable to find a way to solve it.
can anyone think of any possible solutions - no matter how half-baked they are? we would appreciate it so much as our competition is This Saturday (Monday Now)
thank you all so much
-Steph
(Team GCEC - Auckland, New Zealand)
Please note: We have a severe lack of motors. we have one motor and a ton of servos
I don't exactly understand what you mean by "lump." Pictures may help.
I don't exactly understand what you mean by "lump." Pictures may help.
I think it looks something like this: (rotate 90*)
|
|
|
)
You could try using a counter-rotating wheel or similar item above the "lump" to guide the cubes in. It can be done without any additional motors-- use gears.
Or--flip the cubes over it using a lever of some form, maybe.
Andrew Bates
07-12-2008, 23:29
To minimize the lump instead f the drive wheel you could use one of the single bogey wheels. That would make it smaller but not make it disappear.
These pictures - Compliments of Team 42 (Mostly Harmless) - might help out.
Tread Mounting Pic 1 (http://www.vexforum.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=2426&c=4)
Tread Mounting Pic 2 (http://www.vexforum.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=2421&c=4)
Tread Mounting Pic 3 (http://www.vexforum.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=2416&c=4)
The scenes in the photos are rather messy, but if you zoom in on the ends of the three devices and look at the flat sections/sides of them, you might find something you can use.
There aren't many ways to avoid using at least one sprocket, and there are precious few that are very useful; but there are a few tricks.
Good luck - See you in Dallas -Go Kiwis!
Blake
PS: Whether you win or lose on Saturday - Send us a picture!
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
08-12-2008, 00:05
I don't exactly understand what you mean by "lump." Pictures may help.
put a Tank Tread sprocket on its side. that is the height of the end of our track. we are unable to get the cubes over it to get them on the track.
a few good ideas in there - tempted by the lever and definitely going to use the smaller wheel.
or would it work to put a metal plate on the other side of the cube firmly against it and just roll it against that? anyone know?
also, if you put a large gear on a servo with a small gear meshed to it, will the smallgear be able to turn something 360?
Andrew Bates
08-12-2008, 00:10
if you put a large gear on a servo with a small gear meshed to it, will the smallgear be able to turn something 360?
It might turn in 360 degrees once but it would then have to turn back which might cause you to be able to get the cube partway in but before it was all the way in it would get pushed back out. Try it though see what happens.
also, if you put a large gear on a servo with a small gear meshed to it, will the smallgear be able to turn something 360? If you use something attached to a servo to cause the cube to stay in contact with the tread, the tread's friction should soon pull the cube into your system.
The cubes are very light, so you don't need much friction from the tread. Just a little force will be enough to lift the cube up and over your lump.
Use the servo to cause a "hook" to flop down an press against the cube. I say "flop" because you want this hook to "float" and allow the cube to move the direction the tread is trying to take it. The hook needs to be flexible, not rigid.
Sound feasible in your design?
Blake
PS: Yes - A 36 tooth gear mounted on a servo and turning a 12 tooth gear will rotate the 12 tooth gear nearly full circle.
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
08-12-2008, 00:29
If you use something attached to a servo to cause the cube to stay in contact with the tread, the tread's friction should soon pull the cube into your system.
Use the servo to cause a "hook" to flop down an press against the cube. I say "flop" because you want this hook to "float" and allow the cube to move the direction the tread is trying to take it. The hook needs to be flexible, not rigid.
Sound feasible in your design?
This is great, sounds exactly like what we were looking for. thank you
thanks for all the help everyone, we really appreciate it. wish us luck for saturday
or would it work to put a metal plate on the other side of the cube firmly against it and just roll it against that? anyone know?
Cubes aren't cylindrical or spherical.
Consider this: if you look at pickup mechanisms for FRC for 2006 (or 2004, or 2002, or any other FRC or FTC or VRC game involving balls), they were developed for spherical objects, which a flat plate works for. However, VRC's Elevation uses cubes, which aren't spherical, though they could become that way after going through a flat-plate pickup system!
Other ideas could easily be derived from some of the above teams.
This is great, sounds exactly like what we were looking for. thank you
Glad to help - Try combining that idea with one of the tread arrangements (in the photos in the other post) that eliminates the need for a sprocket at the intake end of your system...
Time to get some sleep over here on our East coast - Don't forget you owe us all some photos :)
Blake
Rick TYler
08-12-2008, 01:46
These pictures - Compliments of Team 42 (Mostly Harmless) - might help out.
Forget the tank treads -- I see you use the same black boxes with yellow trays that we do. Good taste in parts bins, my friend. :)
Rick TYler
08-12-2008, 01:52
Cubes aren't cylindrical or spherical.
Consider this: if you look at pickup mechanisms for FRC for 2006 (or 2004, or 2002, or any other FRC or FTC or VRC game involving balls), they were developed for spherical objects, which a flat plate works for. However, VRC's Elevation uses cubes, which aren't spherical, though they could become that way after going through a flat-plate pickup system!
We used tank-treads-and-a-plate to pick up softballs in the 2006 VRC game, too. Cubes and foam balls were a lot easier. :)
Our team 575 uses rollers to pinch cubes against a flat plate for lifting. It makes use of a Top Sekrit feature which makes it possible for the cubes to ride smoothly up without getting stuck diagonally. I'll post a picture when I download our pics from the Vancouver tournament. Dromedary (the 575 robot) was 4th after qualifying and lost in the semifinals. This is the robot that won the "Amaze" award.
NoahTheBoa
08-12-2008, 02:11
If the problem is that it is too tight for the cubes to get picked up you could do what many teams do and move the treads farther apart and just put zipties on the tread like paddles and then those would pick up the cubes. I've seen a couple robots do this and it seems to work.
hi, the tank tread idea seems to be a good idea but in the competitions in NZ they don't seem to be working that well. I think for the idea to be reliable you would need to create some sort off suspension between the treads, i had an idea of using slotted plates and standoffs with rubber bands around them to create floating rollers that would let the treads expand to hold the cubes securely (i would like to prototype the idea but unfortunately my team doesn't have a set of treads yet). BTW i really liked your pneumatic claw set up, using steel cable and attaching the cylinder at the end of the arm, i thought it saved a lot of weight at the end of the arm where it counts good luck for Saturday and see you then.:)
NoahTheBoa
08-12-2008, 23:24
For a tank tread system to work effectively you should make sure that the tracks are tensioned correctly so that the tread doesn't sag.
ManicMechanic
09-12-2008, 12:41
Moving the treads apart slightly and using rubber bands or non-skid padding allows sufficient room for the cubes while maintaining grip that "gives."
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
20-12-2008, 04:30
Hi Guys,
Competition was last Saturday.
We ended up redoing our design to go with the side tracks, because when we finally got the horizontal going it was too heavy for the 'bot to drive properly.
we made it to the semi's (i drove :D) but then lost out when our alliance bot malfunctioned so the other alliance was faster than us :P oh well, we were so happy to make semi's - as did the other team from our school who played in the other semi and lost too.
Will put up photos tomorrow or the next day when i can (finally) get them from my teammate :)
If we make it to Dallas look us up ;)
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
04-01-2009, 21:18
2 weeks later:
received photos yesterday ^^;; real sorry guys
http://s84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/purpanie/Robotics/
phr34kR - we liked your banner :p
(ours: http://s84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/purpanie/Robotics/?action=view¤t=img_0327.jpg)
... received photos yesterday ... Thanks!
What's that odd-looking machine next to you on the field in picture 15?
Blake
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
05-01-2009, 21:26
that was the 'bot made with partially non-VEX parts who were on our alliance. they had a cable-based elevator lift which worked to good effect when it wasn't breaking down
that was the 'bot made with partially non-VEX parts who were on our alliance. they had a cable-based elevator lift which worked to good effect when it wasn't breaking downNon-Vex parts??? That is odd.
Here in the US we are only allowed to use Vex parts - Does being far away from IFI's warehouses mean the rules were relaxed for your tournament, or was it an "unofficial" tournament? or was something else going on?
Blake
hi, ATM we are just having non official competitions and you are allowed to modify anything you wist freely the electronics etc. you are also allowed to use not vex material. There will be official competitions in March? though to decide on the teams that go to America to compete. Saying that our VEX robot that was fully VEX came second while our other robot that includes some curtain rail and sheet aluminum was on the winning alliance. our team is trying to get our robots as close to fully VEX as we can ATM so come the official competitions we will have a trialed design.
-unfortunately our banner is no more (heavily taped and zip-tied) we will hopefully be getting a proper final one soon though:)
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
06-01-2009, 08:25
Non-Vex parts??? That is odd.
Here in the US we are only allowed to use Vex parts - Does being far away from IFI's warehouses mean the rules were relaxed for your tournament, or was it an "unofficial" tournament? or was something else going on?
Blake
as phr34kR said, ours aren't currently qualifying for champs.
its mostly the cost of importing parts from the U.S. i think, so to get us some practice - since this is the first year of VEX in New Zealand - they currently allowing non-VEX parts.
Saying that our VEX robot that was fully VEX came second while our other robot that includes some curtain rail and sheet aluminum was on the winning alliance. our team is trying to get our robots as close to fully VEX as we can ATM so come the official competitions we will have a trialed design.
we had our pneumatic-claw robot (christened ricebot by me and some mates - long story) in one semi and our tank tread bot (Philup :p) in the other, both with full VEX parts. oh, except for the flashing LEDs on the ricebot when one of the boys got bored, and the tinsel on Philup
of the eight bots in the semi's at least three were full VEX :) and i believe it was more like three that weren't
i think the next competition is March 9th - not sure if that counts for champs though
see you in the finals phr34kR? :D unfortunately i don't think i will be driving next time though as the seniors like to do everything themselves (*yr 10* :rolleyes:)
unfortunately our banner is no more (heavily taped and zip-tied) we will hopefully be getting a proper final one soon though
awww that really sucks, we'll have ours there next competition. we're VERY proud of it haha
saw your buttons, too. they were cool :) we hope to have ours for next competition so might have to organize an exchange
Andrew Bates
06-01-2009, 10:19
How many New Zealand teams are there?
I think there are around twenty something teams, not sure on the exact number but i am fairly sure there are under 30. Shipping is the major killer we order US$600 worth of parts which end up costing us around NZ$1000 add on top of that NZ$600 worth of shipping (if we ordered it ourselves luckily we can add our stuff in with the university that runs it) But it makes it almost impossible to order without pooling our orders together at least for our team and the limited funds we have. We do however have a very supportive school that will cover the costs while we fund raise.
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
06-01-2009, 18:44
How many New Zealand teams are there?
Depends how many each school enters :P general amount is about 28
We do however have a very supportive school that will cover the costs while we fund raise
you're really lucky. Our school gave us $2000 to cover all our VEX kits, button maker, spare parts, decorative stuff (banner etc) and everything else up until our FRC competition. it was gone at the beginning from three VEX kits plus disposable batteries >_>
everything currently is coming out of our Head Mentors pocket, which kinda sucks. we need to start fundraising too.
I should probably clear that up, i believe we have paid off all our debts but i think its cool how your school actually gave you some money, we have had to fund raise the entire thing. I'm glad we changed to the rechargeable's we went through $80 worth of batteries in a day of competition plus another $50 on practice for the competition.:ahh:
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
07-01-2009, 01:45
so you didnt actually start off with any money?
yeah we spent $80 on batteries at Dick Smiths for the Kristin Competition and i think they were all gone by the end. we're looking into the VEX batteries but they're just so expensive and we still need to pay back our mentor.
We started off with $0 got enough to buy around $400 of tools... sold them to the tech department cause we got such a good deal and needed to pay for robot parts plus we must have won quite a few US$100 vex credits by now.(all gone):( we are now mostly using my personal tools, my dad is an gas turbine engineer so has lots of imperial stuff that i have access to which helps. We have access to the tech rooms at school which will be VERY well equipped for the big robots, but at the moment we seem to be working in a business room and out of my garage (i prefer doing a lot of the work at home as i have plenty of machinery and can work without having to notify a teacher all the time).:)
BTW i seriously recommend buying the rechargeable battery packs they save you a lot of money and work well. remember you will have to get a NZ power supply (but then again if you have anyone like me on your team they will have a shopping bag full of assorted power supplies) also look around at school you would be surprised at what you might have lying around.
Since the only batteries allowed for the VEX official comps are the Vex rechargables all the teams will have buy them before the NZ regional.
Later it might be worth asking Vex if we can use their batteries but our chargers.
I take it the Vex only battery rule is so everyone has the same battery capacity.
Our team is using Vex only parts as it's saves building a robot then having to tear it apart and rebuild with Vex parts close to the Regional.
Have you guys got many outside mentors? By this I mean not parents /teachers.
Symbiohsis doesn't really have any mentors we could call on people if we get really stuck but at the moment us the students seem to be doing just fine. When we get to compete in FRC we may get mentors in to help (we have been making contacts with people in different ares E.g room sized CNC machines:D) but as the person on our team that designs, with the help of everyone else's input, what our robot will be like then builds the majority of it (i am training 3rd formers up on how we build them) i think the VEX robotic system is very easy to use and very versatile. Also reading over CD for hours everyday is hopefully giving me a better understanding of what people are doing and of new and interesting ways to address problems:)
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
07-01-2009, 12:06
BTW i seriously recommend buying the rechargeable battery packs they save you a lot of money and work well. remember you will have to get a NZ power supply (but then again if you have anyone like me on your team they will have a shopping bag full of assorted power supplies) also look around at school you would be surprised at what you might have lying around.
haha, i probably have something lying around somewhere, or could improvise something. but our head mentor is likely to hunt one down anyway. we're definitely looking into it, just as soon as we can afford it.
sounds like you're pretty well equipped ;) we have a couple of metalwork rooms and a brill computer lab, but thats all on provision that there isn't a class in there :rolleyes: we're going to try to kick them out during FRC though.
Since the only batteries allowed for the VEX official comps are the Vex rechargables all the teams will have buy them before the NZ regionalreally? i thought since the holder/connector for the AAs was VEX we'd be alright. i'd better inform my team of this one
Our team is using Vex only parts as it's saves building a robot then having to tear it apart and rebuild with Vex parts close to the Regional.we're doing the same. partially due to lack of non-VEX equipment :p
Phr34kR - your team obviously have a lot more experience than ours :yikes: you're doing brilliant in the competitions, too. I look forward to seeing what you guys will come up with for Lunacy.
Yes, Chief Delphi is definitely a huge help for us who dont know what we're doing, and makes the life of all our designers easier
"how do we do this?"
"check Chief Delphi"
"what about this?"
"Chief Delphi"
"And-"
"CHIEF DELPHI"
:D
Yea it seems strange why your not allowed AA batteries at first but when you think about it if someone was to use maybe lithium batteries they might get an edge over the competition power wise (it would be expensive but doable)
i know that for the Westlake competition we had to change the batteries on the winning robot every match (something about those two lead bricks i added to the robot...)
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
07-01-2009, 20:53
Yea it seems strange why your not allowed AA batteries at first but when you think about it if someone was to use maybe lithium batteries they might get an edge over the competition power wise (it would be expensive but doable)
I guess so, but if they don't want us using disposables, they should have to provide us with the rechargeable :p
(something about those two lead bricks i added to the robot...)
yes that would do it :p
I think Philup used more batteries up because of its weight than some of our robots have, but we fortunately had managed to find some really good disposables that lasted us ages (tank tracks weigh a ton :yikes:) but i think the pneumatic robot the boys made only went through one or two sets
we have a huge stockpile of 'controller batteries' that are too weak to run the robot but perfectly fine for the controller :p)
... Later it might be worth asking Vex if we can use their batteries but our chargers. ... You can use non-Vex Chargers and I very highly recommend buying one (often designed for use in other hobbies) that lets you do the following
Charge batteries with different numbers of cells in them
Charge NiCad batteries (and optionally other types)
Discharge batteries fully
Charge batteries at a rate you control
Display how much charge has gone into (or come out of ) the battery
Charge/discharge more than one battery at a time
Measure the output voltage of a battery when unloaded AND when under load (when being discharged)
Buying one with these features will be some of the best money you spend.
You should be able to buy them for under $150 US.
Blake
US$150 is close to NZ$300 btw. To NZ teams Surplustronics seems to be selling 7.2V NiCad battery chargers for $25 although they are only 1400mAh chargers though so im not sure how they would go charging the 2000mAh VEX batteries though?
I had a quick look through my Jaycar catalog and there doesn't seem to be anything in a decent price range. (one for $179.90 that would definitely work and another for $71.90 that may work but there isn't enough information in the catalog to say for sure i would assume so though but with the cheaper one you will have to also buy a 12V supply.)
the 2000mAh VEX batteries though?
Hi where did you find out they are 2000mAh batteries? Is it written on them?
The website doesn't mention this on the page the batteries are on?
Having this info may help get alternative batteries.
Hi i wrote that from memory but yes it does say on them and i can confirm that the 7.2V VEX NiCad's are 2000mAh and the 9.6V ones are 1000mAh (i now have a bunch of them in front of me. i wouldn't think you would be able to buy them here for much cheaper than NZ$40 a piece but then again i haven't been into buying them here much. I went into airsail to buy a PWM cable (buy them from VEX they are much more expensive here, $20 a cable.):ahh: And from memory the batter packs were more expensive than the VEX ones.
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
08-01-2009, 03:13
Yes, it adds up to a fair bit of money in the end.
yeah i wouldn't be surprised if it were cheaper to get them from VEX with the way prices are going here lately.
I reckon the best way to go is the power pack kits, with charger and one battery of each kind. but when running two robots at a time, will we need a spare battery or will they hold all competition?
cos if we needs spares it would add up to around US$200 or NZ$340 (approximately) plus shipping, plus we'd have to find a powerpoint adaptor for them (although that shouldn't be as hard)
We run two robots using 5 motors and a servo each we brought 2 power packs and two spare 7.2V batteries plus one spare 9.6V (you wouldn't really need the spare 9.6V one (we haven't had to use it at a competition yet) so really it would cost you US$140 for enough batteries for the competitions here plus the input into the charger is quite a big range something like 7-14V (don't quote me on this though i will edit the post once i have checked in a few minutes) Symbiohsis has gotten away with four robot batteries two transmitter batteries and one charger (the charger will only charge one battery at a time though even though it holds four:confused: ) for the last competition and we seem to have done okay :cool:
Sorry 11-20V dc input into the chargers (grab a 2A 12V power supply from jaycar for about $40 and wire the two chargers into one power supply - outlets are limited at competitions.
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
08-01-2009, 06:08
great, thanks phr34kR.
we have our first meeting for the year on Saturday so i will bring the battery issue up there, and hopefully we can find some money to get them :)
so you did actually change the robot battery during the competition? darn there goes my budget money-saving ideas. ;)
Trueliez
08-01-2009, 07:00
Hi Guys,
Competition was last Saturday.
We ended up redoing our design to go with the side tracks, because when we finally got the horizontal going it was too heavy for the 'bot to drive properly.
we made it to the semi's (i drove) but then lost out when our alliance bot malfunctioned so the other alliance was faster than us oh well, we were so happy to make semi's - as did the other team from our school who played in the other semi and lost too.
Will put up photos tomorrow or the next day when i can (finally) get them from my teammate
If we make it to Dallas look us up
Yes, that competition went really well. I was so thrilled to see Phillup get so far in it, especially after the trials of building him!
I never thought I would get into building chassis, but I guess that's one of the beauties of FIRST - steep learning curves.
I'm not sure whether I thought there was more or less variation in the designs of the 'bots between the competing teams this time round. I did notice however that there were less quirky experimental ones and more that worked consistently throughout the matches.
I miss the quirks, because it made it entertaining to watch, but I think it goes to show that the teams here are really starting to focus and hone skills.
Correction dear, when we get to Dalhas :D
2 weeks later:
received photos yesterday ^^;; real sorry guys
http://s84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/purpanie/Robotics/
phr34kR - we liked your banner
(ours: http://s84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/purpanie/Robotics/?action=view¤t=img_0327.jpg)
Good to see my photography gets put to good use :P
Sorry about the delay on the photos, technical difficulties with the camera and it's cable.
And I agree, the banners at the competition looked fantastic
Depends how many each school enters general amount is about 28
you're really lucky. Our school gave us $2000 to cover all our VEX kits, button maker, spare parts, decorative stuff (banner etc) and everything else up until our FRC competition. it was gone at the beginning from three VEX kits plus disposable batteries >_>
everything currently is coming out of our Head Mentors pocket, which kinda sucks. we need to start fundraising too.
The $2000 was actually a grant from the local ASB branch which was sourced by our principal. Unfortunately it didn't even cover the three VEX kits. It bothers me that our Mentor is spending so much on our team, though I know it's his passion, and that's something I would really like to change this year.
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
08-01-2009, 22:06
Bwahaha, yes excellent photography G :p and what do you mean it was great seeing Philup get that far? :yikes: we knew he would from the start!!
except for my multiple heart attacks
The $2000 was actually a grant from the local ASB branch which was sourced by our principal.
same diff :P
Unfortunately it didn't even cover the three VEX kits.
it didnt?? he told me it did!! :O
we'll have to find some sponsors this year...
[Ignoring the When comment]
... when running two robots at a time, will we need a spare battery or will they hold all competition? ... In the middle of this long post, Link to VexLabs Forum (http://www.vexforum.com/gallery/browseimages.php?do=member&imageuser=757) you can find some calculations for how long a battery can last across a series of VRC matches. In practice, most folks swap them more often than the simple calculation predicts is necessary.
How well the battery has been treated (Don't slap them on a charger after every use. Fully discharge them before charging them (down to around 5 V)) and how old it is will strongly affect how it stands up (does its voltage dip) when hit with a high demand for current.
Blake
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
10-01-2009, 00:57
Awesome, thanks Blake, we'll keep that in mind
Phr34kR is your team attending the unofficial in early March?
The unofficial? We are competing in the three day championship at Massey if that is what you are talking about (would be a pity if we stopped now :P )
But TBH i don't really mind if we don't qualify to go to Dallas and compete in the regional because i am amazed how well our team has done. VEX has taught me a lot about the robots both at what does work and about what doesn't ....(that is why i have my hammer)
Also the teams that go to the US to compete seem to miss the first week of build for FRC and i cant wait for that i have so many ideas already and i really want to spend the entire six weeks on the robot especially as if we do make it to America i am guaranteed to be one of the 5 students going but seeing as i handle 90% of the build and designing i don't know what will happen in that first week also does anyone know if we can start gathering materials/ ordering in parts from America (as long as we don't start assembling them of course)
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
10-01-2009, 04:24
No, there's an Unofficial VEX in early March, but apparently its only a couple of schools doing it and isn't going to be run in proper competition style.
(i think its a session to plot how to overthrow you guys from first place :p)
You guys have definitely done amazing, yes, i admit. we were happy to just make semis XD
hope we can play with or against you at the qualifying VEX :D i'll be on the lookout
do they really?? i didnt realise that. i suppose that's fair enough then. you could always say you don't want to go, and have the robot built before they leave?
I must say though, i would miss a week of build for it as it may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance. personal preference ;)
i'm not certain but you probably could, i suppose. although they might prefer you wait until the U.S. build season ends
Ah yes i heard about that run by Rangitoto?
I am waiting for conformation of the date but we wont release our really good ideas until the official one, we have been holding back a little on the designs.
We may win but by no means do our robots work perfectly if i sent the robot away with them it would brake in ten minutes... especially if the programmer got his hands on it.... also i would love to go to the competition in the US im just saying if i didn't make it, it wouldn't be so bad.
Also if any teams in NZ want any advise or explanations on how to get something to work or an explanation of why we did certain things on our robot just come and talk to us. My name is Tim and is the name on my shirt (teacher wouldnt allow Phr34kr to be put on it :()
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
10-01-2009, 16:06
Yes, I believe so
we were told March 9th i'm pretty certain but i can ask my head mentor if you want me to
Sounds about right =] we still have a few tricks up our sleeves, hopefully they'll be good enough that we'll catch up to you :p
Well, thats true. Murphy's Law seems to govern these competitions.
Yeah it would be a great opportunity, but as you said, it wouldn't be the end of the world not to.
I still have 3 more years of High School to get there anyway =]
Great, might take you up on that next competition. Aw how come? :p we don't have names on our shirts at all though.
The 9th? Actually now i think i might prefer if we didn't compete, if we competed on the 9th that only leaves me 10 days to rebuild both robots which to me doesn't seem like much time especially for what i have to do to them. Well now I'm hoping for our teacher to let us skip that competition and just make sure we are 100% ready for the official one although i would probably still go to the one on the 9th to see what people are doing.
BTW for NZ teams that want robot batteries you might want to check out trade me. I think as long as they are 7.2V 2000mAh batteries you can use them for VEX (mkae sure oyu check the rules to know for sure though) http://www.trademe.co.nz/Electronics-photography/Other-electronics/Adaptors-chargers/auction-196884284.htm
...
BTW for NZ teams that want robot batteries you might want to check out trade me. I think as long as they are 7.2V 2000mAh batteries you can use them for VEX (mkae sure oyu check the rules to know for sure though) http://www.trademe.co.nz/Electronics-photography/Other-electronics/Adaptors-chargers/auction-196884284.htm ...Current rules for the "official" vex Elevation competitions require Vex "brand" batteries (see rule R5), but buying a few of some other type can be a good idea for everyday use during construction and exhibitions.
Blake
Okay i just got confused about section R5 C which states
"c. Any parts which are identical to legal VEX parts may be used."
This seems contradictory to the other rule which says you have to use 7.2V VEX batteries but im not sure if the intent of that is to dictate how many batteries you can use on your robot?
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
10-01-2009, 20:50
fair enough about not wanting to do the 9th, i think we're using the same robots for both, just with alterations
:O you're going to spy on us?! :p so ungraciousprofessionalismistic of you (fully kidding)
at this stage i have no idea what to do about batteries as we have just found about NZ$710 worth of other parts we need to buy :yikes:
yes, the phrasing of the rule is kinda weird. maybe you should contact VEX directly? or go through the VEX forums where the officials look
Okay i just got confused about section R5 C which states
"c. Any parts which are identical to legal VEX parts may be used."
This seems contradictory to the other rule which says you have to use 7.2V VEX batteries but im not sure if the intent of that is to dictate how many batteries you can use on your robot?
This "What does 'identical' mean and what parts does it apply to?" topic has been an area of perennial confusion - I recommend searching the official VRC Elevation Q&A, and if you don't see a good answer, then post the question.
Maybe I'll get a chance to influence how next year's R5c gets written.
Blake
Andrew Bates
10-01-2009, 22:17
Here's what you need to do if you want to use other batteries than the ones VEX sells. Have your mentor email IFI, they should have an email address, and ask if it would be okay if they purchased a 7.2volt and/or 9.6volt battery from a local retailer. I expect they would say okay since they understand it is expensive to ship overseas.
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
11-01-2009, 01:18
Here's what you need to do if you want to use other batteries than the ones VEX sells. Have your mentor email IFI, they should have an email address, and ask if it would be okay if they purchased a 7.2volt and/or 9.6volt battery from a local retailer. I expect they would say okay since they understand it is expensive to ship overseas.
good idea :) i'll get onto that for my team
EDIT:
i believe <R5> c. refers more to Axles, Collars, Screws, things like that
Heres a link to a newspaper article about the last New Zealand Vex training competion we had.
http://www.times.co.nz/cms/news/education/2009/01/robo_wars_at_school.php
I tried Pm'ng this to one of the NZ team members but it dosen't appear to have got there so I thought I would post it here.:confused:
The 9th? Actually now i think i might prefer if we didn't compete, if we competed on the 9th that only leaves me 10 days to rebuild both robots which to me doesn't seem like much time especially for what i have to do to them. Well now I'm hoping for our teacher to let us skip that competition and just make sure we are 100% ready for the official one although i would probably still go to the one on the 9th to see what people are doing.
BTW for NZ teams that want robot batteries you might want to check out trade me. I think as long as they are 7.2V 2000mAh batteries you can use them for VEX (mkae sure oyu check the rules to know for sure though) http://www.trademe.co.nz/Electronics-photography/Other-electronics/Adaptors-chargers/auction-196884284.htm
I think Massey will be running a few pre-regional training competitions. I'll try and find out the dates.
On the battery situation be sure if you are hoping to use non Vex ones that where you buy them from can supply a receipt for documentation.
Skipping a competition may give you more time but personally going to Regionals without giving our final robot a work out would worry me.
Also if things go wrong you can practice fixing them without the possibilty of being penalised for missing a match due to repairs. You can also give other team members responsibilty for maintaining the robot. This will be important if your team wins the regional and you decide not to go to the States.
Yes it does give us other teams a chance to scout your robot though:]
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
11-01-2009, 18:26
Heres a link to a newspaper article about the last New Zealand Vex training competion we had.
http://www.times.co.nz/cms/news/education/2009/01/robo_wars_at_school.php
I tried Pm'ng this to one of the NZ team members but it dosen't appear to have got there so I thought I would post it here.:confused:
Me? :p i got it and replied but just found out my reply didn't go through. have just sent one, so hopefully you will either get it or both, haha
i agree about the whole trial-the-robot thing
after our experiences last time, with Philup's top motor popping out in the middle of three of the five qualifying rounds, we would like to assure that wont happen next time :p
fortunately he was fixed eventually by adding more cable ties :D but hopefully our current build project will go better
What makes you think if you don't go to competition you cant test to see how durable your robot is?
We make sure on our team that we throw everything we have at the robots to make sure we know what will break, the situations we put them in are far far harsher on the robots than anything that could happen in competition.
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
11-01-2009, 21:22
I drove Philup into a wall and he still worked fine (dont tell my teammates that :O) but he broke in competition
you need to test them in what they'll actually be doing or you wont know for sure.
i'm not saying you cant test them out of competition, just that its easier to do it in one. and more fun when you have someone to play against :)
A wall yea i wont even go into what has happened to our robots... we didn't pick up a steel rubbish bin and tip the contents all over our robot.... (only one of the major fails we have encounted) We set up a field to test our robots on, we were lucky enough to have a full set of foam cubes donated (just make sure your ruler wasn't printed so 1 inch = 4.5cm???? i don even know how we got it?)
But a third former and a band saw fixed that little mistake.:D
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
12-01-2009, 00:52
lol, i wont ask about the rubbish bin ^^;;
we've just been using cardboard cubes haha, and one of our guys made cardboard goals to match. electrical and duct tape work wonders.
i've done more than the wall, though :P i just prefer not to post them where trueliez can see next time she comes on :)
maybe thats why one of the guys wont leave any of his possessions around me when he leaves the room :O *sudden revelation*
haha, thats a pretty cool ruler. i'd have kept it just as a novelty and found a new one.
wow, you letter a third former do it? we'd have had all the seniors fighting for that right :)
Um 70 cubes 3 cuts a cube 70*3=210
making 210 cuts is not fun therefor we let a third former do it and got the programmers to stack them :p
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
12-01-2009, 02:15
ok thats true, but with our team it would have been a senior cutting til they got bored, then another taking over, then another, and if there were still leftovers we would THEN make a third former do it :D
Hey! don't dis programmers! XD
Trueliez
19-01-2009, 03:07
i've done more than the wall, though :P i just prefer not to post them where trueliez can see next time she comes on :)
You drove Philup into a wall?! XD
Our team doesn't have an even number of students from each year level which partly accounts for the seniors taking over the build sessions, but it is partly an attitude/ego thing which needs to be sorted out.
a goal for this year perhaps? :o
Nice going with the rubbish bin btw haha
I heard the unofficial competition may not be happening on the 9th can anyone confirm this?
I heard the unofficial competition may not be happening on the 9th can anyone confirm this?
I am still waiting to hear the dates and venues for the official Massey pre-regional comps. This probably will effect the unoffical Rangitoto comp.
But it means comps with the fields etc to get in practice for the regionals.
So hopefully your head mentors should have them by the end of next week?
Because the comp dates are still up in the air try not to committ to too many things on Saturdays till you hear from your mentors.
SCROSSLEY-GCEC
23-01-2009, 03:38
You drove Philup into a wall?! XD
^^;; did i not tell you?
did i tell you about the battery pack and the controller, then? no?
never mind ><
haven't heard anything about cancellations, my team will probably find out when school starts
vBulletin® v3.6.4, Copyright ©2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.