Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

We can use both the auto and manual loading zones, but due to the rule <G15> I have found that you have a better chance of getting to the human loading zone under very defensive matches. Combined with low human error of tetra placement on the robot, i find the human loader a faster and more reliable source of tetra supply.

Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

We use the manual loading zone because it is impossible for our robot's design to be able to use the auto loader and be on the triangle.

Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

We actually can use both loaders but our arm allows for a much faster pick-up from the auto loader, and we have yet to try the auto. The only way we would use the human loader would be if we were alligned with a team like Wildstang that uses both loaders one after the other, or if two teams we are alligned with can only use auto. We have yet to human load so we might give it a try in a practice match in Atlanta and see how it works for us.

Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

Our robot was origionaly designed to load from the auto loader, but after a little mishap with the forks puncturing an air conditioner we decided to cut the ends off. Now we can only do human player zone...not that I'm unhappy, :D I'm human player :p

Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

A couple of thoughts:

1) There was a spreadsheet created some time ago that calculated that going for the auto-load stations was more efficient time-wise. I believe it is here: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/pa...le&paperid=416

2) However, that spreadsheet did not account for the extra time that most robots seem to need at the auto-load stations to be EXACTLY perpendicular to the loader.

3) For the manual loaders with human players, the robot can be at any angle to the load station (but still "INSIDE" the load station triangle). At three regionals, I would say that the ratio of robots using human players versus auto-load is about 75% human, 25% auto.

BUT....in an alliance, be sure to seek robots that can be positioned on either side of the field for a quick pick-up at both auto and human load station. If your robot can ONLY go to the human-load station, it might not be valued as highly in an alliance.

ALSO.....by far, there have been a lot of penalties for "foot faults" by the human players either passing each other (three people in a skinny area) and setting feet outside the zone or by NOT having both feet on the ground while placing a tetra.

Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

well are driver Jeff and uhh co pilot Eric would get the vison tetras off the floor and then come to me...Doug :) so manuel

Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

with our robots skewer we can be at any angle as long as we are on that triangle and our skewer can break the plane of the tetra.


that is the biggest reason i do not like the human loader. one you can get a 10 point penalty for lifting your foot off the floor in the box. two you can get disabled for touching your bot. three your human player can disable you robot in auto mode, screwing it all up, by shifting their weight from one leg to the other. there is too many risks involved in using the human loader. and from what Ive seen on most robots it takes longer then the bots that go to the auto loader (i.e 65 66 67 68 111 108 45 and the list goes on)

Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

Good adds Stevie,

1) Yes, some robots with "skewers" can get the tetra in auto-load and NOT be exactly square to the loading zone. But I'v also seen a lot of robots miss tetras and the attendants then have to reload. Plus the tetra tends to fall INSIDE the field, thereby creating a traffic roadblock.

2) Yes, I've heard about the human players shifting ont he pads. I see a lot of human players being told to face AWAY from the field during auto mode in order to HOLD STILL. But overall, if they're in the middle of the pad, it shouldn't be a problem. In the future, the pads shouldn't be "in the loop" during autonomous modes anyways.

3) The one big "plus" to human loaders is that it a) involves more team members and b) creates some more randomness to the overall game. Just treat your human player(s) as if they too were robots; hard for us humans to do!

Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

we had the problem that we couldn't use the human zone because hte arm wieghs too much and juts falls down as soon as the power is cut...
so Auto here!

Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

We can use both the auto and human loaders. Whichever one we are closer to is the one that we will use. We actually timed ourselves, without the drivers knowing, and we found that we were about three seconds faster in the auto loader, but it all depends.

Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

Why don't you use a Gas Spring?


GO 1403!!!

Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

when the power is cut our arm will stay up but once the weight of the tetra is put on it immediatly falls. thats a reason we don't use our human player.

Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

Coming into competition we thought that we were mainly going to use the human loader to place tetras on our back, but after a day of practice matches, we realized that autoloader was faster for us. We would use the human player station every once in a while to put a tetra on our back to save the tetra for the end of the match for a final stack, but our strategy changed from loading them our back to using the autoloader and stacking as many as we could, although our strategy of loading tetras on our back is still fully functional we prefer the autoloader.

Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

As long as either of our robots front wheels are touching the triangle (and at just about any angle) we can pick up from the manual loader.

The manual loader and human player are both about the same speed for us because we can leave our lift high when going to the Human which makes up for the running time. The lift has to be low to work from the manual zone so it evens out.

For me it just depends what side of the field I'm driving from (which zone is easiest to see) and which goal needs a tetra.

Re: auto vs. manual loading zone, which one?
 

The whole 10 vrs. 13 second auto to human loading times were based on the driver (pablo) lining up the robot correctly BUT this was timed from last cap to load. From load zone to cap about 8 sec on both.

P.S. i was the one secetly timeing them