Originally Posted by Loose Screw (Post 1456374)

Oh man those minibots. At our first competition one of them went up and hit the top with enough force to scrape the battery cover plate into the battery, resulting in a ball of smoke falling from a 10-foot high drop (very much like BX 2013). One of the volunteers quickly removed it from the playing field. That was the same volunteer who turned off power to the 2013 robot.

At our second 2011 event, our mini bots kept going up and down the pole. We were the only team who could win 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place in one match. It was fun for the crowd to watch, but usually resulted in motors burning out (we hadn't thought about using a 7.5 amp fuze until after that). We eventually found out that the flat light switch we were using to turn it off at the top was weak enough to switch back on from the force of the fall.

Originally Posted by Mschmeh144 (Post 1456391)

I would find that pretty amusing, especially If a ref was trying to get it down and it kept zipping back and forth

Originally Posted by Loose Screw (Post 1456374)

Oh man those minibots. At our first competition one of them went up and hit the top with enough force to scrape the battery cover plate into the battery, resulting in a ball of smoke falling from a 10-foot high drop (very much like BX 2013). One of the volunteers quickly removed it from the playing field. That was the same volunteer who turned off power to the 2013 robot.

At our second 2011 event, our mini bots kept going up and down the pole. We were the only team who could win 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place in one match. It was fun for the crowd to watch, but usually resulted in motors burning out (we hadn't thought about using a 7.5 amp fuze until after that). We eventually found out that the flat light switch we were using to turn it off at the top was weak enough to switch back on from the force of the fall.

Originally Posted by audietron (Post 1456443)

I don't understand. Are you telling me tetrix motors burnout?!?!?

Originally Posted by Mschmeh144 (Post 1456495)

if you stall them or over work them they fail. theyre prone to burnouts, its very common

Originally Posted by Loose Screw (Post 1456499)

That as well as those gearboxes were weak. Our minibots didn't use them, but the FTC team I coach used them one year, and ended up breaking multiple tetrix gear boxes for their lift. The next year they improved the gear boxes and made them stronger.

Originally Posted by Mschmeh144 (Post 1456495)

if you stall them or over work them they fail. theyre prone to burnouts, its very common

Originally Posted by audietron (Post 1456535)

I realize this. Tetrix motors ratings are terrible and an FTC team that uses solely tetrix will go through 10 or more motors in a season simply because of the lack of quality. Thank goodness andymark made the nevrest motors.

Originally Posted by Loose Screw (Post 1456537)

Tetrix aren't as bad as you think. The Loose Screws (FTC 5237) used tetrix and we didn't burn any in competition. The last one we burnt was when we tested our lift and we continued to power it even though it was at the top.

Even when we broke those gearboxes in ring it up, the motors were perfectly fine.

There are also four other FTC teams in Bedford, and I haven't heard of them burning out motors.

Originally Posted by Mschmeh144 (Post 1456555)

We are referring to the older Tetrix motors, they are the ones that are very prone to burning up

Originally Posted by Koko Ed (Post 1456176)

The worst damage I've ever heard done to a robot was 801 and 1592's robots back in 2013 on load in night for the Orlando Regional. Both robots were destroyed when a pickup truck slammed into the back of their trailer and pulverized 1592 while 801's robot was decapitated. Fortunately the student and mentor were unhurt but they and their teammates were obviously devastated.
Then they got over it and built competition ready robots that made the elims in one night.
Inspiring stuff.

Originally Posted by Loose Screw (Post 1456558)

They were worse before ring it up? Wow, those must have sucked. I'm glad now that the motors and gearboxes are stronger.

Originally Posted by MaGiC_PiKaChU (Post 1456157)

in 2013 we fell from the pyramid when an opposing robot hit us, breaking 2 wheels and their respective planetary gearboxes, and our inch-wide screw that held our elevator mechanism