Shooter question

[EOC]

Originally Posted by IceStorm

I noticed that your using a Quikrete tube on your lift mechanism. That is a really neat idea. What is the diameter on it and is there much slop around the ball because of it?

The diameter is labled "8 inches nominal". The ball will fall through the tube, but there is very little gap between the ball and the tube.

[jdh042397]

Were using two wheels attached together. A motor spins them and launches from the bottom, which gives more power and distance from the top in our tests.

[midway78224]

http://www.screamingchickens.org/videos.html

We are a rookie team too and this was our first prototype and it worked great for us. You might find if it was over kill once u see it but work well.

[dellagd]

or to have the same set up with a static or powered wheel at the top. any thoughts?

Well a powered wheel at the top would constitute a two wheel shooter which, in general, you WILL see much greater distance with. But, as you said, it is more complicated. The way I see it is that you should go one wheel and a sheet hood because we actually don't really need the large distances mentioned before! Aiming from more than half court would be quite the challenge, so do you really need a shooter that can go farther than that?

To note on the static wheel, do you mean free-spinning or fixed, e.g. non-spinning wheel? Having a static fixed wheel seems kind-of wasteful space and weight wise, also I'm not sure it would really even work! Just doesn't seem right...

For free-spinning, that's also a no go. I think you would get in a situation where the ball contacted the powered wheel, began to spin, and just twirled there spinning you're free spinning wheel with it!

+ on that one wheel with a hood, you also get some of that great, magical backspin

[blackrocks0]

Using 2 wheels and one lexan sheet as a compression point would be good, 2 wheels help give it stability and will be more consistent.