pic: FRC973 offseason teaser #4
 

Re: pic: FRC973 offseason teaser #4
 

I'm getting sick of all these teasers...:) :)

But seriously, I can't wait for the finished product. You better upload a .stp file of it when you are done.

Re: pic: FRC973 offseason teaser #4
 

I'll be curious to hear the final robot weight and how fast it can go with this ridiculously light manipulator hardware to go along with a lightweight WCD.

Was 973 underweight before the offseason modifications?

Re: pic: FRC973 offseason teaser #4
 

Our Comp bot was at least 10 pounds under at champs, but it's also being left completely unmodified and will be competing in the fall as it was at champs. All these teasers are for something new ;)

Re: pic: FRC973 offseason teaser #4
 

Has it been painted somehow? It looks more like ABS (like out of a 3d printer) than aluminum (which might not be a bad way to go...)

44" is very long....

Re: pic: FRC973 offseason teaser #4
 

I apologize for the bad picture, it was hard to get something that long in my poor lighting, with my poor camera. That's just plain 6061 Al after it comes off the waterjet machine. Sometimes the blowback after the cut has been made through will slightly cloud the surface of the part.

We plan to get a black hard anodize with a possible teflon impregnation in it. Neither is really necessary per the math for these parts, but we're getting them anodized anyway (as in, plain color black, so my as well get hard).

Re: pic: FRC973 offseason teaser #4
 

I can't get over how much engineering must have gone into this in order to use all of this cool stuff in a competition robot. You guys are apparently really taking advantage of this off season to push yourselves.

I'm increasingly doubting any chance of us outworking you. :)

Re: pic: FRC973 offseason teaser #4
 

obviously a new minibot deploy, tiny gear on the motor shaft next to a rubber wheel for the pole climb. Can be awful far away :P

(this is sarcasm)

Re: pic: FRC973 offseason teaser #4
 

No engineers, but a lot of engineering ;) A few students and I probably spent a solid few months on it after getting back from champs.

This thoroughly is the most designed system we've ever done, and so far it's really showing with the results we've had in shop. We've tried more new things than we ever have before, and have pushed weightcutting to the extreme. We've also really, really, really started utilizing watercutting in ways far beyond what we did before.

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

Re: pic: FRC973 offseason teaser #4
 

depending on how many of these there are, maybe a double lift? one is in the up position while the other is in the down position? with all the weight savings you might have enough to do that.

Re: pic: FRC973 offseason teaser #4
 

First thing I thought: They are putting sails on the robot.

Then I realized the material was just the backdrop ;>

Re: pic: FRC973 offseason teaser #4
 

wait, how do we even know if this robot is going to play logomotion?

Re: pic: FRC973 offseason teaser #4
 

Well because we'll be seeing this at the Fall Classic and the MadTown Throwdown sir ;)

Looking forward to seeing it Adam.

-RC

Re: pic: FRC973 offseason teaser #4
 

Rack and pinion elevator? Can't wait to see what results! :)

Some random team had a rack/pinion mechanism built and working this year, only it used a beefy steel rack gear from McMaster (ouch). An early concept:




In the end, even after welding supports in for the mast, they couldn't stabilize the tower sufficiently to keep the system from twisting/binding in a few spots. Their forearm/claw attached to the elevator carrier proved too formidable for the system to handle. In the end, the night before ship, they removed the rack and pinion mast and changed to a four-bar system similar to what we used, adding a motorized wrist joint in the middle of the forearm pictured above. Quite a shock to see pics of one robot one day and then find something completely different the next! It was a good call - in the end, their arm functioned very well for them.

We have a waterjet sponsor, so I will be very interested in seeing how this application turns out for you!