Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

*Waits to see the 50 ball catapult*

Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

I suspect what whatever we build will be powered to accommodate this, and I promise a video when it happens. Generally we build this type of mechanism with our target to hit peak power on the motor curves when possible. This means generally we have twice the throughput that the system is designed for. Should be a hoot.

Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

The biggest limitation here is not going to be the accuracy or power of your shooter, but the indexing of the fuel leading up to it. Getting the balls from a bulk storage in the robot to a single file line ready to go into the shooter is not trivial and can easily limit your otherwise perfect robot.

Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

See Simbotics 2009 robot

Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

Why must they be in a single file line?

Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

I imagine he was thinking of a single wheel shooter similar to almost all the RI3D teams have been using

Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

Wide wheel shooting is possible but harder to do well. Lots more things to control. It may be easier than indexing single file, but that is what build season is for.

Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

I wonder if we will see multi stage shooters like the ones used in 2013 return. I could foresee it being more consistent at a high ROF.

Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

The assumption you are making is that all balls are still lined up at the apex. Break that assumption, and things start to get way more interesting :)

Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

A limited version of this might be a good way to control rof. Small sticky wheel just in front of your shooter spinning at a controlled rate. Conveyor system Infront of the rate control wheel can shove balls together at higher speed and provide a consistent stream for the rate control wheel to pay out.

Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

Do you know what this model is exactly? I'd like to show it to my team.

Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

Why is it harder to do well? Other than spinup time / speed loss (which is a throughput problem not a width problem), I don't necessarily think this is true at all, and it is certainly easier to get a large ball throughput this way.

Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

My big thing is fitting everything together in a way that emphasizes the priorities in use of space. My old team, FRC 2970, came up with a good design in 2009 for ball throughput from a static hopper. Check us out on TBA for details. My biggest concern isn't so much dump/shooter design, but space and positioning everything else, which is a necessary detail that I feel most teams will need to acknowledge. Considering we can minimize the climb mechanism to around 4 or 5 inches tall at the top of the robot, and we've got around 9 inches on the bottom for drivetrain and intake, and one side has a gear delivery mechanism, how do we optimize the space so that:

- Intake of balls into the on-robot hopper/container is easy
- Output isn't limited by necessary frame space
- We have the power and space for actuators
- We don't lose our balls
- Dumping is consistent and fast

Our priority is not to emphasize use of the top target, so we can use a dumper rather than a powered shooter or turret, but we want to be able to deliver fuel effectively as a backup plan.

Re: Realistic high goal scoring rate
 

Absolutely. This is where the discussion of spin and the possible benefit/cost of trying to exploit the magnus effect began. Looks like we're going to provide an adjustable mechanical bias to test that hypothesis as well, primarily comparing performance in cases where either no spin or forward spin are imparted on the game piece.