pic: Team 714 week 3 robot
 

Re: pic: Team 714 week 3 robot
 

Will the front bumpers be at least 8" long?

R27 Bumper Rule

Re: pic: Team 714 week 3 robot
 

Yes the bumpers will be 8 inches long on both sides of the gap on the back side of the robot. Granted we will lose some space to pick up the balls though.

Re: pic: Team 714 week 3 robot
 

Nice chassis. Nicely machined.

Re: pic: Team 714 week 3 robot
 

Very interesting looking design. I suppose you are planning to shoot all three balls at once?

And what's going on with your middle wheels? Is that a suspension system for crossing the bump?

Re: pic: Team 714 week 3 robot
 

Well all three balls do fit in the cannon, but we can only effectively shoot two at a time if needed. The robot will only be shooting one ball at a time for the most part though.

As far as the middle wheels go, what you there is a pneumatic system which drops the wheels allowing the robot to move only on four wheels, thus allowing for tighter turns and increased maneuverability. It also raises them allowing all six wheels to be on the ground which increases our traction.

Re: pic: Team 714 week 3 robot
 

Have you guys had any problems with your frame twisting due to the large opening in the front? The reason I ask is that we have, although we have more cross bracing than you. We had issues with all wheels not touching the ground until we were able to loosen up many bolts, clamp down the robot on a table and tighten up everything and then it was okay.

Re: pic: Team 714 week 3 robot
 

Well to answer your question, at this point, yes the frame did twist. Although we have added more mechanisms and structural supports. I'm just waiting for another more recent picture that I posted to be approved so that you can see more clearly. Also, what material are you using for your frame and cross bracing?

Re: pic: Team 714 week 3 robot
 

Our lower frame is made out of the KitBot material with most of the frame above made out of 8020. One of the benefits (and drawbacks) with 8020 is that you can fairly easily slide pieces around for adjustability. To deal with the twisting issue not only do we have cross braces in the front but at critical points we had to drill through and bolt components together. This is something we learned about 8020 many moons ago so we know how to deal with this now. Here is a link to some pictures of them.