Team 254 Presents: Skyfire

[Jay Meldrum]

Originally Posted by Travis Hoffman

Now develop this kind of manual driver skill and then add a layer of automatic aiming control on top of it, with the ability to quickly bypass the system during any malfunctions? Then you are truly deadly.

100% agree with this statement

Originally Posted by Chickenonastick

254 isn't just good at building their robot. They're also good at taking pictures of it.

Totally thought it was a rendering as well. Crazy.

[Tom Bottiglieri]

I can give a bit more insight into how our software process works.

For the most part, we try to find mechanical solutions to everything. Once we get our robot to the point where extra mechanics and driver practice starts to result in diminishing returns, we start adding automation on top. We try not to do anything in software that the driver can't do on their own, in case of failures. It would be terrible for our camera to come unplugged during finals and be a sitting duck because of it. Sure, the software will make it faster, but that's just gravy once you have a properly trained operation crew.

We do have auto aim on our robot. We use it in autonomous and the driver has a button to activate it in teleop. To tell you the truth though, he hasn't really needed to use it. Between intuition, practice, and a live feed from the camera back to the DS, auto aim doesn't save enough time to justify the risk of practicing with it. We plan on improving this part of the code as time goes on and maybe our strategy will change, but for now it makes sense to give more practice cycles to the drivers than the programmers.

[Travis Covington]

Originally Posted by Gray Adams

This can't be their competition bot (yet anyway), but that plastic looks too perfect to have been used for practice.

A few quick fixes were made in Photoshop to make some of the weird looking things appear correct, but this is what it looks like inside the bag for the most part. I did some color corrections and some minor touch ups, but this picture is 95% as-photographed. The practice bot is beat up and abused in comparison.

[vikesrock777]

No surprises, the Poofs have a beautiful looking robot. I have one question for you (and any other teams that have a hopper.) Is there any worry of incurring a G22 by balls falling into the hopper when you already have three? Is there some mechanism I'm not seeing that prevents this?

[TheMadCADer]

Originally Posted by Gregor01

Bet you their ball manipulator appendage doubles as a bridge manipulator and possibly something to pull other bots up the bridge, similar to 1114's, as seen in this video (http://youtu.be/-QTX__5JzN) at 4:14

It appears that your video link is broken...

[Akash Rastogi]

Is all the tubing on that bot 1/16" wall? How light is this guy?

Beautiful machine yet again.

[ejSabathia]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

Is all the tubing on that bot 1/16" wall? How light is this guy?

Beautiful machine yet again.

With all the planned updates SKYFIRE is going to be a heavy weight.

EDIT: The drive chassis is mostly 1/8" wall and the super structure is almost exclusively 1/16" wall

[TD78]

Originally Posted by p0iZeN-254

With all the planned updates SKYFIRE is going to be a heavy weight.

EDIT: The drive chassis is mostly 1/8" wall and the super structure is almost exclusively 1/16" wall

It looks like most of the upper structure is all 2"x1" tubing...I've only found that in 1/8" wall. Did you guys find that type of extrusion in 1/16" wall?

[Cory]

Originally Posted by RollinTDollin

It looks like most of the upper structure is all 2"x1" tubing...I've only found that in 1/8" wall. Did you guys find that type of extrusion in 1/16" wall?

Yes. It is very common and can be found at almost any metal supplier (at least around here). Online places like McMaster often do not have it.

[Mk.32]

Originally Posted by RollinTDollin

It looks like most of the upper structure is all 2"x1" tubing...I've only found that in 1/8" wall. Did you guys find that type of extrusion in 1/16" wall?

Cory beat me to it.

And absolutely awesome robot you guys. Inspiring as always, I can only dream that my team one day will be able to produce a machine of such elegance but that is why we do this. Cannot wait to see it on the webcast.

[TD78]

Interesting. Thanks. The supplier I go through only has 1/8" wall...I'll have to do some hunting.

p.s. great bot guys. very clean and looks like it will be killer as always. i'll be by in st. louis to check it out.

[Tristan Lall]

Originally Posted by Cory

Yes. It is very common and can be found at almost any metal supplier (at least around here). Online places like McMaster often do not have it.

Is it 6061 or 6063? (Online Metals and many others have it it in 6063-T5 or -T52, which aren't especially strong compared to 6061-T6 or similar.)

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Tristan Lall

Is it 6061 or 6063? (Online Metals and many others have it it in 6063-T5 or -T52, which aren't especially strong compared to 6061-T6 or similar.)

6061.

[sdcantrell56]

Finding 1/16" wall 2x1 extrusion in Georgia is nigh impossible. It seems all you Cali teams grab it all up out there.

[Peck]

Originally Posted by sdcantrell56

Finding 1/16" wall 2x1 extrusion in Georgia is nigh impossible. It seems all you Cali teams grab it all up out there.

If u have any engineering companies for soponsors, ask them if they use it and if they do, how they get it. companies often learn about side channels that can be used.