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Unread 05-05-2015, 08:19
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GeeTwo GeeTwo is offline
Technical Director
AKA: Gus Michel II
FRC #3946 (Tiger Robotics)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Rookie Year: 2013
Location: Slidell, LA
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Re: What was your teams worst expierence during competition?

T.R.S.
Our Ultimate Ascent robot (our second year) put nearly every frisbee it launched into the high goal. After about three rounds, we ranked in the top eight at Bayou, but dropped to #20, and didn't get picked because of TRS: Twitchy Robot Syndrome. The control system was not designed into the layout, and we had a combined controls/programming department that was definitely more focused on programming. The result was a bunch of loose, crossed, and unlabeled connections. We also forgot to close the pneumatic exhaust vent a couple of times. Finally, in our last qualifying match, the piston that lifted frisbees into the roller wheels jammed hard. The prototype piece had never been properly rebuilt. It was over a year before we revived that robot as a demo piece, and we had to completely rebuild the trigger/lifter. And oh, yes, we went mecanum that year and couldn't play a very good defense when we couldn't shoot due to a lack of air or a spinning wheel, or the feeder not feeding. The climber had to be completely redesigned at least three times to fit around the shooter, and it almost worked the one time we tried; about one more second of turn on that threaded rod would have done it.
The next year we split controls and programming, and managed to recruit an actual pneumatics guy (who is also a former IBEW member) onto our mentor squad. He was able to teach the kids stuff about wiring and plumbing that the rest of us mentors might possibly have eventually figured out. No more TRS.
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