[CalTran]

Originally Posted by Alpha Beta

I don't know if this post inspired the approach, but Dr. Joe certainly got my attention with it back on January 26th.



By the way, well done 1678. Impressed yet again.

Originally Posted by EricLeifermann

While dropping the 1st ball helps in preventing another team from trying to steal or move the ball on the ball on the center line, it is not key to this auto.

The placement of that boulder on the center line is in a location that could hinder the other alliance from crossing a defense should they choose that, as the secret passage is directly in front and not a defense. So it comes down to do I stop them from scoring 10 points or do I score 10 points, also do I risk hitting them if we go for that ball at the same time?

Also awesome auto, though i don't think that bench grinder is a legal FRC robot.

Originally Posted by Nuttyman54

I don't think dropping the first ball is motivated by wanting to "steal" it from the opposing alliance. They're simply putting their starting ball in a place where they have significantly more leeway on the 2nd run without getting a penalty. Why risk trying to get within 2" of a spot after crossing defenses if you can be much more reliable doing it BEFORE you cross any defenses.

1678 looked at the problem, and found a way to solve it that should be significantly less risky. If they miss the 2nd ball on the way back, oh well, but at least they're much less likely to get a penalty while doing it. Pure genius, and major kudos.

P.S. How long until you can do 3? :-P

Originally Posted by JABot67

I still think the dropping of the first boulder is super key. If you shoot your starting boulder first, you run into a huge problem. How do you approach the midline with enough precision to grab that second boulder, but not get a penalty for crossing the midline in auto. That's a very tall order for a dead-reckoning or vision-tracking robot, which may not know where it is at all times.

Drop your starting boulder far away from the midline, and you don't have to be nearly as precise.

Originally Posted by Lightedd

Is there any reason you guys shoot the ball on the field first, and then use the ball you started with?

Quoted relevant points from this thread.