pic: FTC 72: Typhoon

[robodude03]

loading photo ...

[Nato]

This machine was amazing to see in action, that six wheel WCD covered the field in no time at all. Elevator was really quick as well.

Great machine from the 72/399 crew! Reminded our team of a certain 2011 World Champion robot as well...

[rsisk]

Gotta say it was the best looking robot at the Palm Springs tournament.

Getting those rings on/off of the field elements was TOUGH and a lot of teams were struggling with it.

[Jeremy Germita]

Originally Posted by rsisk

Getting those rings on/off of the field elements was TOUGH and a lot of teams were struggling with it.

Honestly, this was probably the toughest part of the game thus far for us. The difficulty of dispensing(no floor load for us ) has prompted a redesign of the end effector, the "bucket".

For anyone interested, we finished as finalists at our first event as a member of the #1 alliance.
We hope to come back strong at our home event at Antelope Valley and qualify for LA Championships in March!

Expect a reveal video in the next few days...

[Wayne TenBrink]

Originally Posted by jeremypg399

Honestly, this was probably the toughest part of the game thus far for us. The difficulty of dispensing(no floor load for us ) has prompted a redesign of the end effector, the "bucket".

Floor loading is rare. Why?? We did it and it worked out great for us. We clear the dispenser in auton, and never have to go back there again.

[Andrew Remmers]

I would have just stuck the rest of the motors on the drive train.

[Jeremy Germita]

Reveal video is done!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNvsfTjoIrQ

[Coach Norm]

Great Design, does it have a drop center for the center wheel? If so, how much?

[smcmahon]

Based on the photo here, I only see one output from the bottom of the NXT brick. Assuming this goes to the motor/servo controller chain, is it the case that this robot has NO sensors on it?

[Andrew Remmers]

Originally Posted by smcmahon

Based on the photo here, I only see one output from the bottom of the NXT brick. Assuming this goes to the motor/servo controller chain, is it the case that this robot has NO sensors on it?

It looks like there are encoders on the drive at the very least.

[Mk.32]

Originally Posted by Andrew Remmers

It looks like there are encoders on the drive at the very least.

One on the lift as well.

[Jeremy Germita]

The center wheel is dropped 3/16". It's such a big drop because I anticipated the robot would be heavy and sink into the foam floor quite a bit, turning a 6WD drop center into a planar 6WD.

At the time of the photo, there were no sensors mounted to the robot aside from the encoders on the drive and lift.
Since our last competition, we've been testing and implementing closed loop driving, turning, and IR sensing capabilities.
As of today, we have distance driving software precise to less than 1/4" and turning software accurate down to +-1 degree. I plan to try to incorporate them into teleop to aid in holding position(think PID Brake!) while scoring or driving.

We're also trying to implement some anti-death sensors(top and bottom limit switches) for the lift to help more accurately and safely close the positioning loop. These will be interfaced to the NXT via the HiTechnic Prototyping board.
The HTPB protoboard will have an LED driver to control that LED strip to signal drivers of various robot events.