One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

I was looking at the field today, especially at the hanging tetras.

I'll tell you now, if you didn't figure it out already (and by looking at the topics thus far, it doesn't look like anyone has)...

• Putting a tetra on top will make it drop.
• Giving it any reasonable amount of force on the side will make it drop.
• A good whack to the goal about midways (like me hitting it with the palm of my hand with a bit of a grunt) will make it drop. (Note that you don't want to break the field, lest the thing that drops becomes your ranking.)

And one other thing about the tetras that may or may not be addressed soon...holding some of them, a loose nut in one piece of the pipe will cause that part to spin around. Know that if you're planning on building a one-pole grabber.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

what does that have to do with the nut? are these pvc pipes, or poles?

another thing to note, though might have been said, is that you can't just through them on top, you have to place them as shown in the clips.
I suspect that if you just carelessly put them on top, they might not align easily.

i hope that made sense, it's real early right now, i'm going to prepare our bot for the israeli kickoff (which will be really boring cause i watched the whole thing yesterday :))

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

Try and put a tetra on a goal not-aligned, or carelessly... it's hard to balance it that way, and it takes just the slightest movement to knock it into place.. it'll slide into seated position... this is a good thing.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

They're PVC pipes, yes. But the tetra-maker plates are held in place by nuts and bolts. They come loose, and the pipe it is attached to rotates.

Of course, you can retighten it (I fixed one with my fingers), but when you've got 80 of the darn things around the field, that may get a bit unwieldly.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

I don't know about giving it a side whack would take it down. They are using some pretty heavy magnets (50 pounders to be exact). That'll be a little bit of force to take down. Nothing that should be too hard however.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

On the actual field pieces, the end caps will be glued to the pipe, so it will not rotate. And the bolts should be installed with loctite, so there should be very little chance of them coming apart during a competition.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

Mike - I don't recall seeing a 50 lb magnet - I think they hang from something like a 3 lb magnet - it looked to me like the magnet described in the non-encrypted field pieces and parts list released on Thursday. I thought they were called pot magnets or something like that - anyways, I don't think they are 50 lb magnets, but - maybe I missed that.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

Well..the tetras would in no way be able to be held up by 3 lb magnets as they are 8.5 pounds each. I was talking to one of the builders of the field in Kokomo. I asked how the hanging tetras were attached. He said there are 3 washers on the tetras and a 50 lb magnet on the goal.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

the magnets are small round disc-shaped magnets that can rotate 360 degrees It doesn't take much force to knock the tetra down

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

The pot magnets were listed as 30lbs from one source and 50 lbs from the other.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

I personally think 30 would sound like a better number. 50 seems like it would be an overkill.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

Thanks Joe - I missed that.

The hanging tetras weigh about 8.5 lbs (vision tetras weigh more)
so - I suppose that makes sense.

Hope it is 30 lbs. although impacts tend to dislodge magnets even if they are pretty strong.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

I don't know how much impact they will receive since the hanging tetras will only be available in autonomous mode.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

Extend, turn around, WHACK.

Seems like it'll be quite common for teams unable to get the vision tetras.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

I have looked everywhere and can't find out how many points you recieve for knocking off a hanging tetra or for capping with a vision tetra. Does anyone know???

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

When all else fails, check the manual.

If you put a vision tetra on a goal, it counts as a normal tetra--three points. (And then there's the whole bonus tetra thing--check the manual for that.)

If you knock off a hanging tetra, you get nothing for that--but dropping the tetra into the area under the goal is one point.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

The Hanging tetras are worth one point if they just fall and land inside the bottom of the support struts. If you cap with tetra it is worth 3 points and can be used in a tic tac toe if it is the top most tetra. I think that everyone should go for knowcking down the tatras seeing as all you have to do is smack and walk away!

-J of D

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

Just remember that tetras inside (on the floor) goals only count for 1pt if they're there at the end of the match.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

Yea, the only thing the hanging tetras are good for is to get an extra tetra during autonomous, because after autonomous they go away.

It's not clear in the diagram (or it wasn't for me anyway), but capping the vision tetra puts bonus tetras on your OPPONENTS goals, not on the ones close to you. This makes them better.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

I'm pretty sure the bonus is for your OWN corner goals, because I would not see any strategical advantage in letting your opponent start off with anywhere from 6-9 points over you.

And i'm sorry if i get off topic slightly, but, - if you put BOTH vision tetras on any of the center goals during autonomous, would you get TWO extra tetras on the corners? or still only one?

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

yeahh well u would need a lot of tork and you would need somthing like a claw machine. but a lot more force.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

It looks like if there are two of your vision tetras on the center goal, you get four bonus tetras placed, 2 on each of your corners.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

here are some things that i have learned from the rules and might have been said here already.
1. knocking off a hanging tetra is one point if it stays int he goal the whole match.
2. capping a vision tetra put the bonus tetras on your side not the other and if you cap both vision tetras u get 4 bonus tetras on you side.
3. I thought the tetras that you score on are made of pipe not plastic pipe, even so the magnet is weak just smacking it with a little bit of force makes it drop very easily and hitting the sides also makes it drop no matter what the material is pipe or plastic.
at our meeting we were playing with tetras that one of our adult mentors put together with the magnet on it and it was able to fall easily.

If i am wrong on something some one please let me know so i wont sound stupid in another post :)

Good luck to everyone.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

Kyle,
You get one bonus tetra for each vision tetra placed on the outside middle goals. You get two bonus tetras for each vision tetra placed on the center middle goal.
This is all per rule 4.3.3, G10, and the accompanying diagram in the rulebook.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

yea thats what i ment, really its true, but i didnt say it the right way but thank you.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

I have a question about these hanging tetras. :confused: Are they any differnt then the normal field tetras. I mean do they have metal in them so they can hang and the other ones dont. Or do they all have metal in them so they can hang.
Steve

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

the connectors on the tops of them all have metal on them so they can be hung, at least there is nothing in the book that says other wise. the only differences that are in the feild tetras and that is the vision and regular ones. the vision ones are 12.5 lbs and the regular are 8.5 also the vision ones have the green on them for the sensors

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

This will need to be adressed in a Q&A because the illustration shows them going to the opposite alliance, but they would be of your color, just on their goals, and this would give you an advantage.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

The prints for the tetras show that the hanging ones have an extra bolt and several wide washers at the top for the magnet to capture.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

That's correct. The figure on Page 8 of section 4 (the game) contradicts Rule <G10> right above it.

My guess is that they transposed red and blue in the description of the figure. Edit: See here for the unofficial answer. http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...1&postcount=10

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

Is it possible for magnets to get weaker as the competition goes on? That was one question that arised today in the design meeting...

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

Probably, but it isn't likely. I'm sure they've been tested and worked on a lot throughout the past year. Usually it takes thousands of uses before magnets become substantially less powerful.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

This is correct. At the kickoff, everyone was messing with various ways to drop the magnetic tetras. They *do* drop very easily. If you tap them, they fall. If you push them to the side, they fall. If you pull down on them, they fall. If you rap on the goal itself with about 5 times the force, they fall anyway!

If you had something that could knock the ball off of the Tee in First Frenzy, you've got something that will knock off the hanging tetra this year.

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

They could get weeker if the competition lasted for thosands of years. Also, i beleive that only 4 goals and 4 tetras (2 red and 2 blue) are modified. Also, i remember during a question period at our kickoff location, i remember someone saying that it was a 20 pound magnet

Re: One thing to note on the hanging tetras...
 

If you go to the McMaster-Carr online catalog and find the product that is listed in the FRC Game Team Field Elements Materials list the description of the magnet says that it is a 38 pound magnet. Product # 5685K32