[RRLedford]

Originally Posted by Marc S.

The problem with the fist or punch style of throwing a ball is that it requires a lot of stored energy. If done improperly the mechanism could rip apart the internal structure of the robot.

All that stored energy has to go somewhere, and if you "dry-fire" the mechanism then the robot takes it all. Most novice teams would not be able to produce a robot that could withstand this type of abuse, which is probably one of the reasons the Ri3D teams are using other methods.

A little bit if framing triangulation is all it takes to handle the recoil from a ram reaching the end of its travel after smacking the ball. Having some form of elastic ram travel stop is also helpful.

-Dick Ledford