Building a Base in less than 4 days?

[Raul]

There is a note in the FIRST website that says they are providing kit parts that wil allow any team to build a robot base in less than 4 days. Anyone know what this may be?

Here is the note from the FIRST website (http://www.usfirst.org/robotics/eventletter.htm):

"There are additional exciting changes to the kit of parts, which will offer greatly simplified robot construction for all teams. We have worked to provide components that will allow for the rapid construction of a working robot base with a target of all teams building the base in less than four days. "

[jrukes]

Hey Raul,

I think they are creating more parts, like the SPI wheel kit and drill axle adapter, to help teams get up and running sooner. Possible ideas could be a new gearbox that eliminates part or all of the drill motor assembly. Combine a bolt-on gearbox with a Bosch extrusion kit and most teams could be up and running in a few hours.

My impression is that the kit will be focused on helping the teams get over the initial hurdle of building a running chassis. Its usefullness to the veteran teams may be limited, just like the wheel kit and drill axle adapters have been.

Another way they might help teams is by using the new Isaac16 robot controller. The modem is inside the controller box so there are less components to wire.

Of course, none of this would be any match for the amazing designs that Wildstang presents every year. Is there life after perfecting the "swerve"?

-Jason
Team 109

[Dan 550]

It's possible to do it. We made our base in six hours with a total of eight people using 30x30 extrusion, our own special fasteners, and angle aluminum. We mounted a dual drill drive on that, and put the controller and battery on in lexan housings. Six hours, and I guarantee you that it was the sturdiest bot on the East Coast. Simple.

[Jeff Waegelin]

Heh. We finished our base 72 hours before ship... We have a picture of our bare robot frame and a sign saying "72 Hours to Ship." It's pretty comical. We actually had more done, we just had it all taken apart to paint our steel and bolt on the transmissions (they took about 5 weeks to build). We can say, though, that we didn't have a base until the final weekend.

[Dan 550]

Well, if it makes you feel better, we re-made our wheels and had to take the entire robot apart to put the right ones on the day of ship. We literally screwed the crate together as the FedEx truck pulled up. Good times.

[evulish]

The new computer is going to have an internal radio? That'll be nice. I think we lost a match in Md State Fair because the cable came undone. That would have been a nice feature for this past year...since every time we want to move the robot in a truck, the only thing that won't fit under our teanou (sp.) covers is the freaking radio

And I think our drivers actually had _practice time_ this past year. Chuck was actually sorta done! (Done meaning drivable )

[Dan 550]

Internal radio, I like it! No more trying to make a 4-inch serial cable! Happy days!

Long as we're cutting off wires, why not add Java and Bluetooth. That way I can control my robot with the joystick on my SonyEricsson T68i phone. Heh. That would be spiffy.

~spiffy~


*I'm grooving to Splendora : You're Standing On My Neck. Groovy.

[P.J. Baker]

Here is a link to a picture of the 2001 Bobcat Base. By far the simplest we have made. Wheels are actually bolted into the 80/20 extrusion with shoulder bolts. If F.I.R.S.T. were to include some motor mounts and lengths of Bosch, ITEM, or 80/20 Extrusion, most teams would have no problem assembling a base from kit parts in less than 4 days.

As far as the electronics are concerned. Only a few components are really needed to get things moving with the default program. Maybe the kit will include some sort of bread board for basic components. Even if it doesn't, the necessary stuff can be temporarily mounted to the frame to get started.

P.J.

2001 Bobcat Base

[Dave Flowerday]

The new computer is going to have an internal radio? That'll be nice.

Nope. The Isaac16 controller does have an internal radio, but it seems that it's only going to be used by the EDUrobotics kits. There was a note in the EDU kit that the Operator Interface will be the same for both EDU and the Robotics Competition and that a new one will not be provided in January. It said that the matching robot controller for use in the Competition will be provided with the kit of parts. There was a little diagram included that showed three pictures: The OI, the Isaac16, and the regular RC. There were two arrows from the OI, one to the Isaac16 and one to the regular RC.

Besides, I don't think anyone here would want the Isaac16 for use in the real competition, as it has way less inputs and outputs.

[Nate Smith]

Originally posted by evulish
The new computer is going to have an internal radio? That'll be nice.

From talking with people from IFI last year, I do know they were looking at an alternate radio system, which would allow it to be integrated into the RC of the full size controller...however, I don't know what the timetable is for its release, and if we will even see it this year...

[Dave Flowerday]

From talking with people from IFI last year, I do know they were looking at an alternate radio system, which would allow it to be integrated into the RC of the full size controller...

I got to see one of the new radios at the Midwest regional. Pretty cool. The IFI person also suggested that the new RC will be programmed using Visual Basic or VBScript. I'm curious to see how this would translate into a microcontroller. I guess they'd have to have some sort of compiler or something. I can certainly say that I'd be a bit disappointed if they switched to something based on VB...

[evulish]

Uhg. VB had better not be in the next controller. That is bound to be one of the worst languages ever...rated right down there with HTML

Do it all in assembly! HAHAHA! (You could at least say you can make your robot push, jump, and move )

[Clark Gilbert]

My guess is they might provide a kit that comes w/ a scaled down version of what's listed in the pic or word doc

Use these as examples, i'm not sure if the deals are good anymore.

Word Doc