WEEK 1

[ColdRail]

Originally Posted by pfreivald

We didn't add anywhere close to 200 pounds... I think we added 120 -- but we used the battery test as indicated on the field tour videos.

Here's hoping!

SciBorg Dave and I mentor together on team 4061. I helped with the bridge calcs and tipper design....Actually we added 140 lbs to our bridge which weighed 104 lbs unweighted. That got us in the range of the calculated bridge weight using statics calculations for a total bridge weight of 244 lbs based on parameters from the battery test video. Once our bridge was weighted we never got the battery test to work exactly like the video but got very close. We felt this was likely due to differences in our hinge mechanism and minor variations in our wood bridge construction compared to the competition bridge design. We designed for a 2X torque margin (mini-van door motor and gearing) to make up for any calculational uncertainties as well as wanting to ensure that we did not blow any fuses during a match due to the tipping motor pulling excessive current.

In our own testing, our tipping system works very well with power to spare (imagine a robot doing push-ups or a low-rider car with hydraulic suspension hopping up and down!). The real test will be our first ever competition in Cheney Washington April 5-7.