paper: FRC862: Lightning Robotics Build Season Breakdown
 

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FRC862: Lightning Robotics Build Season Breakdown by C_Morgan

Re: paper: FRC862: Lightning Robotics Build Season Breakdown
 

Chris,
Thanks for sharing your schedule. It's good to compare task durations with other FRC teams.

Does 2013 revision 2 represent the actual activity dates or your 2013 pre-season plan? Did you miss any key milestones if this only represented your plan?

We finished our 2013 robot on time, but missed several interim milestones. In the end, it was not a significant impact, but we would have preferred more practice time before bag day.

Thanks,
David

Re: paper: FRC862: Lightning Robotics Build Season Breakdown
 

Hello David,

Rev 2 was simply the plan for the build season. It does not take into account slipped milestones. That is the one area that we need to work better on documenting.

I can say for certain that we spent much more time on prototyping and concept selection for 2013 then planned. Our 2nd PRACTICE BOT was the most completed of the past few years.

I will offer that it really helps having a PRACTICE CHASSIS. It allowed our PROGRAMMING TEAM to really work to refine the control and optimize the gear shifting algorithm (1st multi-speed trans in team history).

In addition, we also spent significantly more time in the CAD environment to ensure component placement, fit, etc. We have a release process for drawings to the fabrication group, and the fabricators work very hard to build parts to spec (at least those that need it). While I think the process can be better, the important part is that the students learned the value of the design tools and process. The flip side is the diminished time to build and validate caused some challenges downstream.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of leaving your programming team some time with the hardware, as well as having the possibility of testing on an actual field mock-up to work out the mechanics. Our field elements and bumper stack-up were a bit short (collector deck needed to be adjusted downward), which resulted in the addition of a passive drop-down flap after our 1st qualification match during Week #1 of Kettering. Only then did we arrive at the results we had hoped for.

Like anything it remains a work in progress.