Hanging Mechanisms
 

Has anyone prototyped a hanging mechanism? what have you tried?

we have, and our robot base it currently hanging in our shop now:D ...

Re: Hanging Mechanisms
 

What have you guys come up with? I'm helping out a team who is currently on their third year and we are looking for some ideas on where to start. The ideas we have had so far were really heavy.

Re: Hanging Mechanisms
 

Our team is sort of having issues with ideas. Either they aren't plausible or they just aren't great ideas or whatever, not to mention a general lack of ideas.

Re: Hanging Mechanisms
 

I say shoot a grappling hook, and then hoist ourselves up using a CIM motor that is attached to a gear box :P

But I don't think that is allowed?

Re: Hanging Mechanisms
 

There's nothing specific in the rules to prevent it, except that it may possibly be ruled unsafe. But you'd have to have a very accurate grappling hook shooter. You are only allowed to expand to a maximum of 90" (remember, your hook and cable are part of your robot). And the top of the tower is 84".

Re: Hanging Mechanisms
 

we are really considering the grappling hook idea,and using a cim motor to draw us up but launching it straight accross from a scissor lift. what do you think? legal? good idea?

Re: Hanging Mechanisms
 

you all might want to look at some of the old 2004 robots. there are quite a few videos, and so forth of robots that had to hang 10! feet in the air.

just go to youtube or whatever and search for 2004 frc robots.

Re: Hanging Mechanisms
 

Our team's also looking at a grappling hook-type mechanism. Launching from a scissor lift would be legal, (as long as it isn't hazardous.)

If you check out some of the '04 robots, look at Team 801's. They used a grappling-type mechanism and it worked pretty well for them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlo5Z...eature=related

Re: Hanging Mechanisms
 

we prototyped a lifting mechanism that is two 36' alluminum tubes bolted together like a scissor lift, with another set 13' away to make a sort of hinged arm, two hooks are attached to the pipes at the end of the secong tube, spring loaded with surgical tubing it lifts it self up and hooks the bar, we then use a winch attached to the top to pull ourselves up.

Re: Hanging Mechanisms
 

Pardon all the extra fluff (and Meat Loaf!), but the following video has footage of our Team 48 2004 robot in hanging action:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...27946966&hl=en#


P.S. I'm ollllllllllllld.

Re: Hanging Mechanisms
 

Why do you need to launch a hook if you've already lifted up to the bar? Why not just tilt your lift a little and velcro your cable to the lift so it pulls free when you retract?

Re: Hanging Mechanisms
 

How far into the movie?

Re: Hanging Mechanisms
 

Around 2 minutes in. As a bonus, you get to see 118's telescoping winch lift, too.

Re: Hanging Mechanisms
 

what did you use to raise and lower your arm?

Re: Hanging Mechanisms
 

It is a two-stage extension arm. The bottom frame of the first extending stage was attached to a loop of #25 chain run around a drive sprocket and an idler sprocket fixed to the base frame of the arm.

The chain was driven up and down by two Fisher-Price motor/Bosch drill gearbox combos mated into a single drive assembly at the bottom of the base frame of the arm. Reportedly, *math* indicated that this system could lift the weight of our robot plus at least one more....

The second extending stage (the one with the hook on it) was driven by a Globe motor (*sniff* RIP) and another #25 chain setup. Both stages operated independently, so the arm extended very quickly.

It should be obvious, but the first stage did the lifting once the second stage extended fully, and the arm tilt driven by the van door motor (*sniff* RIP) smacked the hook into place, preferably without first being driven in the wrong direction by our copilot, an aggravating trait we did not fully flog out of him until the 2004 Canadian Regional. :rolleyes:

Magic was used to keep the robot hanging once we became 100% exasperated with the Bosch gearboxes' anti-backdrive pins.