Videos From AndyMark
 

Hello Chief Delphi!

Over here at AndyMark we’re working hard to do some very cool things this summer. We’re working to have more information on our products, release new products regularly for you to check out, and we are looking to add videos as well.

We are going to be creating assembly videos, demo videos of products, and most importantly videos to help all of you out! What we want to know from the CD community is what kind of videos would help you or your team? “How to put on and remove a pinion gear?” “How do you guys crimp your cables?” Please let us know what kind of videos we can create to help you out.

We can’t guarantee that we can use every suggestion given but we will certainly look at all of the ones given.

Thanks CD!

Brett Heininger
Technician
AndyMark, Inc.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

A separate category that would be really cool and useful (not only to teams, but to your sales) is videos that demonstrate why a FRC robot should use AndyMark products. Also possibly a variant of this which shows a well known robot, and the team's use of the product (I bet many teams would be surprised at how many "all custom" teams still use a lot of AndyMark product).

I'm thinking videos along the lines of; Gearing a single joint arm with Andy Baker, laying out a competitive low cost drivetrain with Andy Baker, etc... etc...

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

Season-wise I think it would be awesome if you published some basic videos on crimping (as you mentioned), how to break chains (And where to buy a quality chain breaker, you have no idea how many our team has broken...), and how to solder connections. Those resources would be great for rookie teams who have non-engineering mentors. I would certainly love to see you guys post specs/instructions on your custom builds, that way teams have a summer project to work on (not to mention it would boost sales in the off-season).

Just a few thoughts from me...

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

Thank you both for your input so far! Hopefully we can get some more suggestions, were off to a great start.

Thanks again!

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

Not sure you want to gear an arm with Andy, his teeth may not mesh very well. Especially after the gnashing of teeth at St. Louis when told his team's robot was illegal.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

I don't know about you but the omnis on a scooter video with Andy was instructional on how not to ride a scooter :p

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

A mecanum 101 video would be helpful to many. Also basic pneumatics.

Some videos of the destructive testing AM does would be cool.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

Scott can you be more specific on what you mean by a mecanum 101 video?

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

Maybe a "How to wire a FRC Robot" or a "How to select the right motor for the job"?

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

Oh man do I have some ideas, but I have to formulate most of them for you first.

I think it would be really cool if you have a section like "AndyMark beyond FIRST" that can feature other uses of AndyMark Products. These can be as simple as featuring the stuff you guys tinker with in the shop or more advanced crowd sourced segments featuring how-tos by teams that use your parts to make t-shirt cannons, other robots, etc.

-Kelli

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

A basic how to primmer. Things to do, things to avoid.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

I think a video showing how to wire sensors and encoders and connect them to the digital sidecar/analog module would be handy.
(It was pretty intimidating to cope with that for the first time last year...)

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

Although it may seem basic, "How to assemble a kitbot chassis with CIM motors" would be nice. Including wheels, sprockets and chain.

Care and feeding of (name the gearbox) - assembly, lubrication and break-in. CIMple box, supershifters, etc...

A tour of AndyMark - office, warehouse, production(?), Order picking/fulfillment, shipping & receiving. It would be nice to meet the team and see the facility!

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

Along these lines motor performance testing videos would be interesting.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

I'd like to see a "how to design the best motor + gearbox combo". Some people who may or may not be on our team might need a "how to tell if you are using too much lubricant" video.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

1114's kitbot on steroids video serves this purpose well.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

How to make wiring neat, and why it's important to do so.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

Absolutely - and while we're at it, do both long and wide configuration. Many times the kit will go together in an obvious fashion in one direction, but when you want to do the other orientation it's not so obvious.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

Does he whine under high loads? Our old arm operator used to do that, but no amount of lubricant helped :D

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

Start with the kitbot chassis that you have been putting in the last couple of kits. Many teams get caught up on the simple details, how to break chain, what is a master link, how to crimp electrical connectors, what is the difference between a wrench and a ratchet, etc. Make some common mistakes and advise on how to correct them.

With that being said, these items are way beyond AM's obligation as a supplier, but they do help customers have a good experience with the product. Thank you for allowing us to make suggestions. I look forward to the output of this process.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

"Hot to choose sprockets?"
Many teams don't really know what speed reduction they need and how to match it to the wheels they are using.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

Secrets to a Good Cable Assembly: from Battery Terminals to custom PWM cables...best tools for crimping, best methods, tips and trade secrets, crimp vs. solder, etc.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

How about something along the lines of "how to maintain various Andymark products". Stuff like how to take apart and put back together various gearboxes, and what kinds of grease to use.


Also, something on installing Optical Encoders.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

Thanks for all the input everyone! I think what we have so far is great. I think we could use some more suggestions, however. Help spread this thread around. We want to get as much input as we can. Don't forget, these videos are for you guys.

Thanks again!

Brett Heininger
Technician
AndyMark, Inc.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

And on top of this, considerations to make:
- serviceability - I want to be able to swap components on the fly and be able to fix that major problem we find while queuing for eliminations. What do I add to my system, and where, so I can do this?
- routing - I have wires going from my electronics board to motors on this arm. How do I route the wire so that it never catches as the arm moves up and down?
- stress relief - I have wires that if yanked out will break my robot. How do I make sure that they don't get yanked out?
- rules compliance - There are some rules that we can expect to return with 99% certainty, if not 100% - e.g. an accessible, clearly labeled main breaker, appropriately color-coded wiring

Going back to the mecanum 101 video idea, it should contain two parts: first, how and why mecanum drive works like it does (there are so many misconceptions about the theory that it's frightening), and second, what's common to all mecanum drives - 4 individual gearboxes (e.g. toughbox nanos), wheel orientation, control loops, etc. Goes a bit beyond the basics, but something that teams definitely need.

A rundown of how digital sensors work would also be great. I'd like to see an explanation of what a digital signal is, and then an explanation of how the FRC control system works with it, and then it's explained how this applies to sensors that AndyMark offers, like limit switches and optical encoders.

For certain complex products, perhaps an explanation of the product's functionality - e.g. how the dog switches between gears in the supershifter.

And just as a sidenote that I expect you've already thought of, quality video. Some of the guides on the website, while great, are populated with blurry/grainy images, which at times makes it hard to see/understand what's going on.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

even if it isn't a rule, the inspectors would prefer it if you treated it like one. Thus, it might deserve a video regardless of whether or not it makes it into the 2013 rules.

Re: Videos From AndyMark
 

This.

We went to hell and back trying to figure this out, we ended up just taking the pinion already on the motor off via bandsaw.