[FTC]: Picking up balls

[wilsonmw04]

My team looked at several designs and prototyped 4 of them. A few examples:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wilsonmw04/6269327145/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wilsonmw04/6269323299/

And here is what my team feels is the best way to collect balls:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wilsonmw04/6269329547/

[h3x]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

My team looked at several designs and prototyped 4 of them. A few examples:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wilsonmw04/6269327145/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wilsonmw04/6269323299/

And here is what my team feels is the best way to collect balls:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wilsonmw04/6269329547/

Nice, great post. How do you plan on lifting the balls up? Maybe you could stack a few of those on top of each other, then put a sheet behind them.

[Andrew Remmers]

Kinda like this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoQMytvmFz4

I know its a different game, but its the same concept.

Enjoy the video

- Andrew

[h3x]

Originally Posted by Joyride_67_1902

Kinda like this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoQMytvmFz4

I know its a different game, but its the same concept.

Enjoy the video

- Andrew

Thanks, nice concept. What kind of issues did you run into? Do you think this will work for the smaller and heavier racquetballs?

[Andrew Remmers]

Originally Posted by h3x

Thanks, nice concept. What kind of issues did you run into? Do you think this will work for the smaller and heavier racquetballs?

We didn't have to many issues with this one, we actually made it bigger for the final one and it worked a lot better. We are doing something a bit different this season

- Andrew

[alphadog0309]

we currently have a system that works pretty well for us check out our video of it working here
(don't mind the music... we were bored and couldn't think of anything else)

but if you do want to see some more detail of it look at our CAD renders on our facebook page here (hopefully that works for you...)

we basically went through our previous designs from hot shot and looked at what worked and what more often than not didnt work. we determined that picking balls up by pushing them from the back required too large of a radius and required us getting too low to the ground which led to us getting jammed up so we focused on finding a new method which didnt require us to have to get so low and thus our current design...

im sure you will find a mechanism that works for you!

[wilsonmw04]

For all those thinking about large intakes, please take a look at rule SG-15...
We had to redo our entire intake to be in compliance.

[PhilBot]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

For all those thinking about large intakes, please take a look at rule SG-15...
We had to redo our entire intake to be in compliance.

Yes, and if you need a bit of a laugh, read the Offical Q&A's regarding inspections, which will check to ensure that you can't hold more than 15 Balls.

There are some realllllly whiney questions

Phil.

[wilsonmw04]

This is what we made a few weeks ago.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wilsonmw04/6384924289/
It works quite well, but is completely illegal.

[Andrew Remmers]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

This is what we made a few weeks ago.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wilsonmw04/6384924289/
It works quite well, but is completely illegal.

Not sure why its "completely illegal" in fact it doesn't look like it would ever hold 15 balls anyway.

- Andrew

[wilsonmw04]

It fits 21, therefore illegal. We got it fixed though!

[h3x]

These are all good ideas for picking up many balls.

Does anyone have any very simple ideas for how to pick up just one ball at a time, or much less? We were thinking a smaller conveyor belt, but there has to be a simpler way. From what I've seen, claws or shovels are too complicated or take up too many resources.