Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

Also, what happens if you stack a bunch of tetras and the opponent then comes and knocks over the stack. That wouldn't be very fun. All that effort wasted... :(

Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

that'd actually be good, u want ur oppenents to knock down ur tetras :) :P in the rules it says that the oppenents cant knock down the tetra's and if they do u own the goal for the rest of the match and i think there were some penalty points :D :D :D

Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

What I meant was if you were stacking them to place a bunch on a goal at one time. If your robot were in, say, the loading zone, and mine knocked over your stack, then you'd have a problem. :p

Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

Well, I think our arm may be able to pull off stacking more than one tetra (after adjusting our regulator), but we don't plan to do it.
It makes more sense to focus on effectively capping individual tetras to be more precise in forming and maintaining rows. I think that is our key strategy this year (oops!, well, not entirely ;) )

Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

yet again, if the opposing team messes with you while u are loading tetras or on the loading zone :P the opposing team gets penalty.

Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

Yet.. if you stack a stack of tetras on one goal quickly enough, you might be able to make it a hell of a lot harder for the opponent to stack a tetra of theirs on top of that specific goal. it'd be even better if it's the center goal, considering how many potential rows you can get out of that :)

Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

You can put a tetra on top of the goal with out having to go 2 1/2 feet out

Have you not thought about going over the bottom bar then dropping the tetra unto the goal. So as long as up the human can place the tetra far enough on the robot arm and the arm is in the center of your robot you could put many tetra on at one time and place them all on the top at once without flipping. 5 tetra is not un heard of.

To give you what we had in the past

http://www.valleytech.k12.ma.us/robo...1Robot2001.jpg

this arm went up 14' to place that ball on. It is all about keeping the CG low enough

Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

Only if they interfere with the actual loading of the tetra. As long as the robot in the LZ retrieves the tetra successfully, there is no penalty. You have to put the tetras somewhere, which would be a stack, and it is not against the rules to knock over a stack as long as you don't interfere with the robot itself.

Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

one quick question, in autonomous mode if your in loading zone getting a tetra and an opposing team's robot hits u, thats a penalty right?

Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

I think the only arm that could effectively do this would be an arm that pokes through the tetras. i.e. does not grab the tetras at the top or on the sides. So maybe a forklift kind of arm design?

Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

Strategically... I feel that the quantity of tetras placed will be only slightly less important than strategic placement of tetras on the goals. Although if two members of an alliance work on that strategy while another just works on getting large quantities of tetras to rack up points, then it would be a good idea.

-Alex

Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

we are thinking of multiple stacking. We are currently making prototypes.

Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

I think what will happen is that the multiple tetra stackers won't be stacking a bunch and then capping the whole bunch. They'll probably have multiple "lances"(tetra manipulator term for a stick) coming out of their lifter. For two reasons, one to make it harder to miss a tetra you're trying to grab and two, if you need to you'll have an other available lance to grab another tetra.

Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

The rules jut say that if you interfere it's a 50-point penalty. They don't specify if it doesn't apply at any point in the match.

EDIT: Because I can't post again, I'll just edit the post. Thanks to whoever pointed it out, but it is, in fact, a 30-point penalty. Maybe I need to reread the updates.

Re: multiple tetra stacking
 

I believe it is a 30-pt penalty....

oh and for the discussion earlier of being to tall and too easy to tip.....why not just make your footprint larger....you just have to fit in the envelope at the START of the match. Use some outriggers like on a crane....