Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

Really??? What problems did you have exactly? We used the Kitbot frame and riveted it together with 1/4" aluminum pop rivets to save weight and get rid of those pesky KitBot frame nuts and bolts that keep falling out. We never had a problem and the frame is as solid and tight today as the day we put it together in January.

Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

Actually, we did use a kitbot frame in competition this year. When our powder-coated robot decided to hang out in SoCal until Thurs night of the Greater Toronto Regional, we obtained a kitbot frame from the TechnoKats to build the "One-day Wonder". It was very easy to assemble, quite strong, and though not the most mass efficient chassis, it was quite acceptable. The predrilled holes for the axles (with the center wheel axle slightly lower than front and back) and transmissions makes assembling the drive components very straight forward. Next year, we'll have our "newbies" build a drive base from the KoP frame and transmissions so they can have a driveable 'bot early in the build season.

P.S. Guy says a good looking robot is better than one that is running well just to "jerk my chain". I guess I'm just not one of those "form-over-function" people.

Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

The kitbot frame could be improved (we collapsed parts of it this year just from our conveyor belt to pick up balls), and is impracitcal for some drive systems. I think building our own chassis would be interesting; however with no machining or even welding capabilities, our team is quite happy to get the kit frame than trying to invent something of our own with nothing but hand tools like we've had to do in the past (I think we might have managed to get someone to do a tiny bit of welding for us). The kitbot works very well, and unless you're a team who knows what they're doing, I think it's the best way to go.

Of course I'd just love to do a fiberglass or wood frame and be totally custom, but I'll stick with what we can do for now.

Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

I see building a custom frame as a great FRC pastime that so many new teams are missing out on.

Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

We used the kit bot last year and it bent and racked.

My self and some of the other mentors knew we could do stronger and lighter with welded box. We took a ~13 lb kitbot and replaced it with a sub 2 lb box frame. We however have access to welders who weld thin wall tubing all day long.

Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

1" square steel tubing > kit frame.

The kitbot frame became the basis for our robot cart, and served us well.

Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

umm what exactly does the kitbot frame look like, our team has used our own chasis design, but i want to see how different it is from the kitbot frame

Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

Here is a link to the IFI's website where it shows what the kit frame looks like.

Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

Amen.

We've used a similar frame design, but built it out of Bosch extrusion for the simple reason that its simple to build off of and simple to use. Simple simple simple, gotta love it and hate it at the same time.

However, being next year is my senior year, I want to build something other than a boxy drivetrain. It's what we've been going with since 2000 something.

Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

We were going to use the kit chassis. Then we realized that we would end up having to make modifcations to the kit chassis for our harvester and that those modifications made the kit chassis much weaker.

So we designed our own. Surprisingly our chassis is about 2-3 Lbs. lighter than the kit chassis and is much stronger. We will for sure be making our own chassis next year.

Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

Well it depends on the kind of game and what is needed. This year we used the gear boxes from the kit, but built our own frame out of Bosch, because its really simply to use as stated above and provides you with infinite possibilities as far as position of the tires goes.
Last year, out team actually built the Ackerman Drive System. It was really cool, until we had a system breakdown, tow days before the shipment, and have to switch the whole drive system to the kit drive system.

Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

The kitbot is great if you want to build a kitbot, but we wanted to build a 1139 bot. Building your own frame takes minimal effort, gives infinite flexibility and theres nothing stronger than a welded connection. Designing around the kitbot seems like more trouble than its worth.

Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

This is going to sound really silly, but we didn't use it this year because we didn't have to. It was kind of like a right of passage, we can do what we want! Kind of a reward for doing so much better in getting sponsors this year

Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

Our team did use the kitbot frame in 2006. But I sure wished we hadn't.

The problem with that frame is that it has no cross bracing to prevent bending. Over time it will slowly deform.

Which is what happened to us.

We started out with a six-wheeled, rocking (center wheel lowered), robot and ended our last match without any rock. The whole frame had literally been bent into an arch, with all six wheels flat on the floor.

To make matters worse the sides also bent in-wards! This distorted our chain path causing us to perpetually lose chains during matches.

I will be very hesitant to use the kitbot again in the future.

Re: Why didn't your team use the Kitbot frame in 2006?
 

Very true... but to solve the problem why not make your own cross bracing to prevent it from bending?

... the kit chassis that is provided in the kit is very useful and I am sure many teams thank FIRST for providing them each year.