disk hopper ideas
 

our team has a shooter made and is now wondering what the best way to store and load the disks in to the shooter. our biggest concern is that the disks wont go in and lay flat. we are also trying not to use pneumatics in our robot.

Re: disk hopper ideas
 

Our team had similar concerns about using a magazine style feeder, that the frisbees would overlap and not enter the shooting chamber cleanly, so we decided to use a sliding feed mechanism, similar to what Robot in Three Days used. We haven't prototyped it yet but it seems like it should work.

Re: disk hopper ideas
 

We're planning on using part of a 5 gallon bucket as our magazine feeder, it works as a funnel to help orient the frisbees so they should be stacked cleanly at the bottom of the magazine

Re: disk hopper ideas
 

We too, were prototyping with the top of a 5 gallon bucket, it is the perfect size and its light. probably will end up on the robot.

Re: disk hopper ideas
 

You know it's the little things like "The disks fit perfectly inside a 5 gallon bucket." that make life so much easier. Although my team is opposed to it I want a 5 gallon bucket feeder; THE DISKS DO NOT OVERLAP. At least not enough to worry about, they way they curve the edges go out and back in preventing one from falling all the way on top of the other so you con stack them one on top of the other and push the one on the bottom out without affecting the others too much. Here is a good example http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=JziVZvfsA3c.

Re: disk hopper ideas
 

We got our prototype working. But it is designed to use pneumatics...because we want to use them for another robot feature, and they're easy once you get the compressor running and the plumbing for the pressure regulator figured out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WddNQfBA5Cw

Re: disk hopper ideas
 

What advantages do a five-gallon bucket give that three aluminum posts don't give at less weight?

Re: disk hopper ideas
 

My immediately response to that would be error correction. With the three posts, I suppose there's a way for a frisbee to deform out.

HOWEVER, I do not necessarily believe that the advantage will be terrible great. With a properly tuned system, I expect the differences to be greatly marginalized.

- Sunny G.

Re: disk hopper ideas
 

We probably won't be using this on our robot (doesn't work so well with our feeder design).
It keeps the frisbees separated so that they do not stick together.

http://youtu.be/YhE55Yjt03M

Re: disk hopper ideas
 

This doesn't integrate with our feeder design, so I thought I would share.

The spurs keep the frisbees separated so that they can slide out easily. The spurs are acrylic, riding on lego axles.

http://youtu.be/YhE55Yjt03M [I don't think I have the rep to link]

Re: disk hopper ideas
 

Would you be willing to supply the CAD file for the spurs? They are a great idea to limit the sophistication of the hoopers.

Re: disk hopper ideas
 

Ok! IPT, DWG and DXF attached.

Re: disk hopper ideas
 

The spurs are a neat idea!