Re: How much planning goes into your robot?
 

This year, 45 had like 4 or 5 sub-groups. They all stayed apart for a week and we presented a prototype made of like cardboard at the end of the first week. Then, Andy combined all of em' into one basically, he also added his own ideas in. This year that method worked out really great for us. :D

-Kyle

Re: How much planning goes into your robot?
 

Well, this is somewhat correct.

We do split into 4 different design teams for 5 days. At the end of this time, we get together and each team presents their concept and how to play the game. We highlight the ideas we, as a team, like the most. Then, we sleep on these ideas for a day. The next day, we get together and choose an overall design, as a team.

We took one design team's idea (Austin and Steve Butler's group), and then added a "funnel" idea from the group I was on. We knew that if the funnel design did not work, the fall-back plan was a ball-collecting robot with a great arm.

(it was definitely not my idea... it was a team decision this year)

Andy B.

Re: How much planning goes into your robot?
 

We do everything for our robot from the second kickoff ends to the final day of shipoff's :D

And we do it moderately-extremely (no inbetween, all well).

Re: How much planning goes into your robot?
 

We also split up into design sub-groups for about a week after kickoff. About a week and a half in, we present prototypes to the combined group, make adjustments to calculations for a few days after that so that each part fits. We attempt to CAD it out, but most times we just have really specific drawings on paper of each system. Then build begins (trumpets sounding in the background)!

Re: How much planning goes into your robot?
 

Our team drafts and calculates everything to the smallest hole. It is definitely why our robots are usually good every year. Even if we make design changes, or anything, we CAD draw it first, do the calculations and then make changes. The main people behind this is our Bristol Myers tradesmen, we learn a huge load from them. They are truly unique people.

Re: How much planning goes into your robot?
 

we created a lego model, agreed it was a good design, and built... built= measure...cut...fit...(if it doesnt fit, cut again or file)...get next piece...repeat...overweight? ..drill....drill....drill.....drill.... :D

Re: How much planning goes into your robot?
 

a good amount goes into the planning of our bots-- we just sit for about the first few days and decided what we want to our bot to do-- we take in the consideration of what he have available-- i believe that's a key thing-- then students come up ideas along w/ our mentors-- from there we just vote on designs and concepts--and eventually the engineers draw out the simple designs the students have come up with on the blackboard or the overhead sheets

plannning is somethign that all teams should do-- good luck with all the planning next season

Re: How much planning goes into your robot?
 

as much time as in takes. most a week.

Re: How much planning goes into your robot?
 

We spent the first week and a half building the playing field and coming up with different designs for the robot. Then we came up with a final idea and drew it out and wrote in the different measurements we would need to make everything work their best. We then dry-fitted peices and measured and cut. I put medium for drafting, but minimal for the calculations.

Re: How much planning goes into your robot?
 

We make solid models and detailed drawings of every part on the robot, including kit parts. This makes our assembly actually assemble without having to widen holes, remake parts when interferences are discovered.

In 2003, the came in very useful when the drive key ways in our primary drive shaft started to fail. We got some material, printed out the drawings and submitted them to the shop. We had replacement parts ready before the key ways actually failed.

This past year, one of our high school students learned enough to be able to make our engineering drawings based on the models which we uploaded on our message board. He prepared a design notebook with every part on the robot, material, how much it cost, etc. It was an impressive piece of work, and he really knew how to make engineering drawings by the end.

Since we have something like 400 different parts on our robots, that's a lot of drawings.

Re: How much planning goes into your robot?
 

Hey, I feel slighted. There's nothing in the thread so far about software. :p

This year was different for the TechnoKats in a couple of ways. First, the programming language changed, so none of the previous code was usable. Second, the usual programming mentor was called away on business just when things needed to get started, and I got asked to try to take charge.

With no prior experience with FIRST robotics, and no idea how programming the InnovationFirst system worked, I said yes anyway. I started by planning what I thought was a reasonable software architecture, with the control algorithms decoupled from the actual I/O, having separate bits of code dedicated to mediating between internal program states and the sensors and actuators. It turned out to match what was possible with the system very well. A couple of weeks later, everything was mapped out and most of it looked like it was going to be easy to make work. By the time the robot's motors were wired up, the software was ready to run.

The advance planning paid off again when it came time to implement the autonomous code. The architecture had been designed to make it easy to deal with both manual control and programmed sequences, and it turned out to work that way in practice.

Now that I know my way around the IDE and this year's default code better, I intend to make use of separate source code files better next year. I've already begun sketching out a more easily configurable PID control routine, and I'll probably be working with a couple of students this fall to prototype a motor/feedback package so we can experiment with it.

Re: How much planning goes into your robot?
 

I tried doing the same thing, but didn't start early enough and didn't get it tweaked enough.

Inside Sparky 384
 

Here at the Sparky 384 HQ, we have learned one thing well: planning helps prevent frustration, prevents relationships from breaking up, and also prevents those late night runs to Walgreen's for PeptoBismo.

At Sparky, we use a highly evolved form of decision making that not only makes the leaders lives easier, but also prevents one person from being targeted for an idea that didn't pan out at the competition. It's called a "survey". This "survey" helps us discover what our team wants in a robot.

After the patent pending "survey", we then go to the drawing boards (aka Clark's Office) to draw up plans. We are never done. As long as the robot isn't in the crate and off to FedEx, there is still time for changes. While this is a blessing, we have limited it's curse part by freezing certain parts of the design, such as the drive system and others.

Re: How much planning goes into your robot?
 

Is there a book/web site/white paper that you know of that discusses in more detail on how "eventually you'll end up with a differential equation", something that I can use to explain these complex calculations in lame terms for my team?

Thanks
Adrian

Re: How much planning goes into your robot?
 

we normally draw up the essentials of the drive train and just go hacking away at the end effect. setup an end effect test it out, works - keep it, doesn't work - throw it out....start again.....make for a very proficient end effect, but gives little time for the drive train to be developed so we need to have the final drive train on the floor in very little time....

We normally know where we want to end up with our machine right after the kickoff weekend, but getting there is a little more tricky....