pic: 330
 

Re: pic: 330
 

This picture is our robot all "Folded" up so to say
The hook on the end of our arm is one of our slight modifications for holding a Tetra... Although it was not the one we used.
if any has any question about our robot this year feel free to ask!

Re: pic: 330
 

Whats with the lexan on the sides? Do those come down or what?

Re: pic: 330
 

Many teams have asked us "What are they for?" or "How do they work?" the answer to this is
They are mainly used for defense while capping -
this works by robots trying to ram us, instead they end up driving straight up them and loosing traction.
They also aid us to prevent "Side tipping"
Now the next question people ask is "Are they going to break from the amount of weight pressed down on them?
The answer is most likely no
The Wedges are made of 1/4 inch Lexan which is very reliable
As some dont know 1/4 inch lexan is an 1/8 smaller than Bullet-Proof
so yes they are very strong.
The wedges are motor driven by two Window Motors (One per side)

Thats the scoop on our Wedges

Any other questions?

Re: pic: 330
 

Ok. So I didnt go to nationals and I couldn't watch the webcast. Usually a national champion has something different about their robot. What was the thing that set your robot apart from the rest? (Miss America type question lol)

Re: pic: 330
 

Excellent driving. There is nothing particularly stunning about the Beachbot (aside from the fold-down side panels, which were the last things a couple of robots saw before hitting the ground), but the drivers were amazingly efficient at auto-loading and capping, which put them far ahead of the rest.

Re: pic: 330
 

On the stabilizing bar (at least I think that's what it's called) what is that wrapped around the PVC? It looks like hand towels.. does that have anything to do with the "Beachbot" theme? Or do they hold a different purpose.

Re: pic: 330
 

Great robot. Simple yet effective. Thanks from #340 for your help to our team. We appreciate it a lot.

Re: pic: 330
 

Another reason (imo) is that the arm is so simple. Since it's a single joint, they don't have to worry about coordinating two different movements, which I would think makes it a lot easier to control.

Re: pic: 330
 

It is the rubber stuff that you use as a shelf liner or to put under rugs to keep them from sliding. Kind of grippy stuff.

Re: pic: 330
 

Yep. Here's the stuff: http://www.smallparts.com/products/descriptions/mat.cfm

We originally bought it in 2000 for our roller, and have used it in small quantities for other things since.

Re: pic: 330
 

That is what we call "Cheese Cloth" It has no "Beachbot Theme" it just is very grippy cloth used to hang on to the tetra

I personally liked having only 1 degree of motion. it was very easy to cap effectively and pick up tetras from the autoloader.
Another specialty of our arm was that it was designed to be able to pick up 130lbs!!!
This helped
Stack over an arm attempting to block a goal
Help correct being tipped (On front or back)
and easily carry around a tetra

Once again I would say The Wedges

view my above post about them

Feel free to ask anything else!

Re: pic: 330
 

I see. Simplicity is good. Team 939 had a very simple bot. They beat us in St. Louis, but who knows what would have happened if we didnt get crushed by them... lol. I really like the bot. Simple seemed to work well this year. We had a stabilizing mechanism on our robot. Our body extended 14" length wise. Does anybody know of any other bots that did that? Wildstang had great wedges stabalizers, and they worked magnificently to push tetras under goals if they dropped them. Great job guys and congradulations on winning!

Re: pic: 330
 

umm, hate to be so general, but


Drivetrain specs, those middle wheels look killa

Also, what kind(s) of chain did you use? there are also no pneumatics, right?

Re: pic: 330
 

Yes the middle wheels were designed a little taller than the others to make manuvers, as far as turning in place, a bit smoother. And because the air pressure is ajustable in the middle wheels, we can ajust the smoothness of the turning.

And yes, we used no pneumatics. Our wedges are power by window motors.

As for the type of chain, I am not sure what it is...... :ahh: