Quote:
Originally Posted by DonRotolo
I saw team 75's minobot with a KoP microswitch limit switch, where they bent the lever into a "C" or 'hook' shape so when it is pressed down, it 'latches' under the body of the switch and keeps the switch "off". Since it's a SPDT switch, they use the NO contact to short out the motors as described above.
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I did the same thing with a simple momentary switch when designing the minibot my team used. The latch worked perfectly, but we had to be careful in ensuring that the switch consistently contacted the top plate - it didn't during one practice run, which ended with a burnt out motor.
Our minibot usually stayed at the top after it had finished its run because it did not weigh enough to backdrive the motors, which ended up being okay. Unfortunately, the minibot's momentum occasionally caused it to fall off the pole once it hit the top plate, and twice it hit the ground hard at the end of a match. We needed to repair it both times. As long as your minibot has a reliable method of attaching to the pole and it does not "free fall" after it hits the top, it should survive a trip back down. You should certainly test it to make sure, though.