Stacking containers(recycling cans)
 

How many of you are planning to stack containers on top of tote stacks, and if so, how high are you planning on making those tote stacks?

Re: Stacking containers(recycling cans)
 

IMO, I think making stacks of four and then stacking a RC on top is best. At 5 or 6 tall stacks, it takes a little longer to stack containers and time is of the essence.

Re: Stacking containers(recycling cans)
 

YOu only have automatic access to three recycling containers -then there are four more for which you must compete. I figure that if you are able to do all three near the feeder station, your alliance partners will go directly to the step. If you are only doing three stacks, a strong robot ought to be able to do them quickly enough to go five/six high...

Re: Stacking containers(recycling cans)
 

True, I was thinking in terms of getting at least two of the ones on the step.
The keyword however is strong robots.
If your team does not have a strong (a subjective term, btw) robot, and you get matched with two other robots with similar strengths and weaknesses, there's no point in trying to make 5/6 tall stacks with a topped off CONTAINER because none of the robots can actually make them.

I think I'm getting off topic, we plan on making 5/6 tall stacks if we have robots on our alliance that can top them off, otherwise 4 is enough.

Re: Stacking containers(recycling cans)
 

Shooting for sixes. Our robot is being optimized to clear the landfill of upright totes, or to stack at a human player station. We figure that there will be games where we get the landfill, and want to be able to get the greatest number of points from each trip back to the alliance wall. Flipping the inverted totes is also on the agenda, at a lower priority. If we somehow get the tote stack working fast enough to clear the space during a match and our opposing alliance isn't doing a "wings of death" or other method that will pull the RCs onto their side faster than we can, we'll score stacks of four from the landfill, then top them with two totes and an RC from the inverted landfill area and the step.

Re: Stacking containers(recycling cans)
 

Do you think there will be many teams that can take a stack of 3-4 totes WITH a recycling container and add the remaining totes without knocking off the RC?? I think there might be more than people think since there will likely be people who gear their lift so slow(whether they mean to or not) that it is rather smooth...

Re: Stacking containers(recycling cans)
 

I didn't think about it in terms of stacking the container and moving the stack, I was just thinking about topping off after a stack is placed on the platform.
I know exactly what you mean, and when I think the way you are I'm sure that 5/6 stacks might be a little more common than I think.

Re: Stacking containers(recycling cans)
 

I don't quite see what you mean -- adding the totes to a stack topped by an RC? I can only figure that you're talking about "bottom-stacking". If this is the case, it isn't so much adding totes as carrying the 7-layer stack to the scoring platform without spillage. I don't expect to see any 7-layer stacks being scored at a single run. Also, it doesn't seem likely to score a stack of 6 totes and then top it with an RC; you'd have to grapple it awfully low. However, I would not be at all surprised to see several robots at each regional score a stack of 3 or 4 or 5 totes, then top it with 3 or 2 or 1 tote(s) and an RC; I seem to recall one of the Ri3d robots performing this feat at the 3-and-3 level.

Re: Stacking containers(recycling cans)
 

Grabbing a container first and then building the stack underneath it is what made most sense to us.

Re: Stacking containers(recycling cans)
 

yes, i meant "bottom-stacking". I did did not mean average teams driving around with a stack of 6+RC. I was imagining a team that builds two stacks on the scoring platform, then top with minimal movement needed.

I can also imagine 2 pretty average teams that work together well where the first team with the slow lift just sits at the scoring platform making stacks while another robot goes to fetch 2 tote stacks from the chute and places them under the first team's stack. seems like 80ish teleop points should be no problem for 2 average bots as long as they can coordinate well...