Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

Hey guys, here is the design of our robot made up in Inventor. What do you think? This is our rookie year, so all criticism, suggestions and questions are welcome! Here are links to all of our views! (I can't figure out how to post a photo!:confused:)

http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...onTopview1.jpg

http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...nsideview1.jpg

http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...omatoniso1.jpg

Re: Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

does it stay within the 80in cylinder rule?

Re: Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

80in. cylinder rule? I can't find that, what's the rule number?

Re: Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

R16 says that your robot must fit within an 80 inch diameter cylinder at all times during the match.

Re: Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

<R16> is the number...But the cylinder is not part of the rule; the measurement is point-to-point on any part of the robot.

[edit] Jason and Ryan, note that the cylinder part is in parenthesis and is preceded by "e.g.", which means "for example". Q&A clarified that it was an example and not the rule last week.[/edit]

And to post pictures on CD, go to CD-Media and there should be a little link that says "upload" under "Photos" (generally, all images). There are some restrictions, mainly file type and size.

Re: Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

Here's the exact rule

<R16> Once the MATCH has started, the ROBOT may assume a PLAYING CONFIGURATION that
exceeds the size dimensions specified in Rule <R11>. While in the PLAYING
CONFIGURATION, the ROBOT may expand up to a maximum horizontal dimension of 80
inches (e.g. all parts of the ROBOT must fit within an imaginary 80-inch-diameter upright
cylinder). There are no height limits for a ROBOT in its PLAYING CONFIGURATION at any
time after the start of the MATCH.

Re: Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

Thanks for mentioning that, We just measured out our robot and such, and it should be able to fit that rule as long as we don't deploy the full arm to pick the trackball up. Thanks!

Re: Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

I would think about reinforcing that arm. Arms that are only one piece of chassis metal thick can be prone to serious swaying, anyone know saw us in Silicon Valley knows what Im talking about.

Re: Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

1. From the looks of your grabbing mechanism, they would violate rule R05 which states that teams must prevent harm to game pieces from sharp points or pinch points, which seems to classify the end of your grabber.

2. Will you fit in you starting dimensions, the grabber looks far too wide

Re: Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

I really like the way you're actuating your claw. It's a really good design and it looks reliable. Like everyone said, just make sure you're within 80" and reinforcing your arm. It looks great.

Re: Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

So, I've been reading rule <R16> and I was wondering, our arm has the capability to go past 80 inches because we need to be able to lift a trackball up to the overhead platform. We don't plan to extend our arm past the 80 inch limit horizontally, but is our arm illegal anyway because it can go past 80 inches?

Re: Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

Theres no height restiction, only a length/width restriction, the 80" rule applies only to horizontal dimensions

Re: Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

If you can go past 80" horizontally, but never do, you're ok per this Q&A answer http://forums.usfirst.org/showthread.php?t=8181. If you can restrict it in software, that would be wise, so that you can easily demonstrate compliance and to prevent mistakes in the heat of competition.

Re: Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

I had a similar idea as this for herding the ball rather than picking it up - but one challenge to be aware of is that the overall width and length of the robot must not exceed robot limits at the starting position (28" x 38" I believe). Once the match starts then you can deploy your mechanism to be larger than that.

then, of course, you have the 80" rule that others have mentioned.

Other than that, I really like your design.

Re: Official Team 2526 Robot Model!!
 

Make sure you understand how the pneumatic system works. As rookies last year, we designed an arm that bears a strong resemblance to yours, but didn't realize that the pneumatic cylinders can be either all the way out or all the way in, not stopped in the middle with the provided parts. We came up with a hack that used two solenoids per cylinder to achieve midpositions, but we had major control problems and ended up having to remove our arm. The cylinders you have also look undersized to me; I have doubts they will be able to hold the arm and trackball up.

That's a really cool design, just avoid making the mistakes we made with pneumatics.