Re: surefire ways to break you robot
 

Let a NOOB drive it

Re: surefire ways to break you robot
 

Release the magic smoke that makes all FIRST robots run. This is usually followed by people quickly turning their heads in the direction of the person saying "who let out their magic smoke" and people yelling "turn the robot off!"

Re: surefire ways to break you robot
 

Silly magic smoke!

Re: surefire ways to break you robot
 

Silly magic smoke, CIM's are for the Kit of parts.

Re: surefire ways to break you robot
 

That was almost as bad as my recipe for "RC nachos".

Re: surefire ways to break you robot
 

Giving a programmer full possession of the robot for a couple of hours.

Re: surefire ways to break you robot
 

Yep, that works.

Re: surefire ways to break you robot
 

over use some rope that winches down your spring... watch it break and the spring fly up into the arm, causing the U-bolt to bend a terrific angle.:yikes:

Re: surefire ways to break you robot
 

1. Remove "unessential parts" to make weight
2. Make a small adjustment to an actuator
3. Install electric panel THEN file off sharp edges
4. Use "wobble drill" method to make parts fit
5. Bring pizza in the middle of an important assembly ("hmm never did get back to that did we?")
6. Load the robot in the crate
7. Unload the robot from the crate
8. Check wire tightness while in queue
9. Have "new engineering mentor" show up during last week of build ("I'm a garage engineer")
10. Have one of your BIG students star torque a 1/4" bolt*

*Star torque: A last resort torque spec that requires the fastener to be torqued until one sees stars. It works better for larger bolts.

Re: surefire ways to break your robot
 

Ha this happened to us. The head of the school board showed up and we explained how great we'd been doing, everything was going bettered then planned and yea.

So the first match he watches... the pwm for our left wheel is unplugged so first we sent us and one of our alliance members across the plane. Then we spent the rest of the match trying to defend by spinning in circles in the 4th quadrant

We won the match because of our amazing alliance partners 171 and 166 but it still was a bit embarassing

Re: surefire ways to break you robot
 

some more


have everything work for more then 5 matches


sit and watch the competion for more then 5 matchs, giving the chief engineer job to somebody else, this will result just as the robot is going onto the field, the new engineer will walk up to you, "We had a problem with the arm, so we took it off and replaced a broken slide, but after we mounted the new one we couldn't fit all the screws in." Then shows you a fist full of about 8 or 9 bolts.

Re: surefire ways to break you robot
 

forget to put a "Stop" command in your autonomous routine

Re: surefire ways to break you robot
 

Step 1) Wear a green shirt with a demonic chicken on it.

Step 2) Attend a regional on Friday.

Re: surefire ways to break you robot
 

Let a teacher / mentor / administrator / parent / programmer / web site designer / someone's little brother / sleep deprived student / me / <insert your choice here> drive the bot "just for a minute" 30 minutes before the FedEx truck is coming...

"Post, what post?"

Re: surefire ways to break you robot
 

Hit it with a sledgehammer?