Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

81. Try to program in LabView.

*ducks*

Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

=+ 1. While programming autonomous for the next match "meh, 5 seconds should be good enough"

Queue Karthik "That robot isn't suppose to be there ?!"

Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

1551, if you use blocky 5's!

What's not to like about rotational symmetry?

Also: great thread idea, Al!

Here's at least one:

Ram your largest sponsor in the shins with an unbumpered robot while demonstrating your drive train. (That was our first year; fortunately, the driver was her nephew!)

Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

80. Grabbing a rivet after its been drilled out
81. Bend lexan with a heat gun
82. Use one robot appendage to do two different things (We had a scoop at the beginning of the year that we were going to use to pick up frisbees and hang. Needless to say, we took it off after our first district.)
83. Not weigh the robot until an hour before B&T.
84. Add a top-heavy FCS blocker to our robot.

Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

How else does one bend lexan?

85. Forget to plug the wench motor that raises your arm for climbing in before a match and have the team try to blame the programmers when the arm won't move and the robot doesn't climb because the programmers were trying to make the lights do a disco flash at the top of the pyramid.

Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

We've done this on several robots with excellent success. Why not?

86. Get married the night before kickoff. (Anniversary? What's that?)
87. Forget to send thank-you notes.
88. Fail to zip-tie the Anderson Connectors for the battery/PD board.
89. Use a twist and some masking tape instead of solder on sensor wires, just for now to test it real quick, then never fix it.

Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

Sorry, I meant thick lexan. When I did it, I melted the lexan and it was a very shady result.

Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

90. Blame the programmers before you double check that the PWMs are all connected.

Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

Re: lexan, whatever you do, don't lasercut it. We've got a nice big materials sign behind the lasercutter in the lab I work in, and next to "polycarbonate," in big red text, is "TOXIC FUMES: DO NOT CUT."

Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

91. Use jaguars for drivetrain CIM motors

Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

92. Use casters
93. Use a scissor lift

Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

As a previous member of 449, I would like to take issue with this.

Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

94. Drill above an uncovered Jaguar
95. Use solder the size of your index finger for 16 gauge wire
96. Wire the "Angle" terminal of the gyro get vi to the set motor value vi
97. Touch the robot while the gyro is calibrating
98. A barrel roll with your robot
99. Order pizza while that one guy who can eat 8 pieces of pizza is around
100. Let your laptop's battery die while coding
101. Test the robot for the first time without blocks
102. Walk 4.5 miles after your team's bus broke down
103. Hack code together to make something from a stock WPI library VI work
104. Make your pick-list based on average alliance score.

Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

My statement stands.

Re: Things you only do ONCE!
 

That was one of the best and most reliable systems we've ever had on a robot. It never failed. It never even required maintenance. Worked like a charm for every competition we attended, and for demos for years after.

It was also incredibly easy to make and not demanding in terms of precision, at all. Several pieces of angle-stock with three holes drilled in them, some bolts, and some nylon washers.