pic: FRC971 Spartan Robotics 2013 Reveal

[Nuttyman54]

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[GarrettF2395]

That is absolutely beautiful. Can't wait to see some video.

[AlecMataloni]

I absolutely love that drivetrain. Seeing your 3 piece drivetrain in person and in CAD has really left an impression on me as a designer. Your sheetmetal work is always world class and i'm really excited to see this machine perform. Good luck this year!

[androb4]

Impressive robot! I love the rhetoric in the robot spec. description. Surely a great presentation! Keep up the good work.

I would also like to see some video.

[Nuttyman54]

Originally Posted by androb4

Impressive robot! I love the rhetoric in the robot spec. description. Surely a great presentation! Keep up the good work.

I would also like to see some video.

Thanks for the compliments! Mike and Justin will be airing a preview clip on tonight's FRCTop25 show at 9pm EST, so tune in if you want to see it.

[twetherbee]

Looks like a great machine, Evan. Can't wait to see it in action. Good luck this weekend.

[JB987]

The LED array seems pointed at a right angle to the disk exit...am I missing something? Another great looking robot guys!

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by JB987

The LED array seems pointed at a right angle to the disk exit...am I missing something? Another great looking robot guys!

Fooled me too! Zoom in and you'll see a 90* bend.

[JB987]

Right you are, Adam! Interesting use of winch type elevator for variable shooting angle...

[Adam Freeman]

Looks great! Sort of has a tank like appearance to it.

One question, the arms on the intake were cut and welded side to side instead of butted together. Was that to allow the intake to be as wide as possible?

For anyone that has an intake sticking out infront of the robot, just have a plan to repair it quickly if it gets damaged.

Last year we ran through 3 districts, MSC, Championship qualification, and one round of eliminations matches before we met a collision that broke the weld joint on our arm. If not for a couple of planned plates ready to rivet on we would have been completely screwed.

The farther you go, the higher the stakes...and the more agressive the defense gets.

[Akash Rastogi]

I really admire your angle adjustment mechanism. Will definitely have to steal that concept for future use.

And I agree with Adam, the finish on your sheet makes it look like a tank!

Best of luck.

[Michael Corsetto]

Can't wait to see this bot in person tomorrow!

Congrats on finding the sponsors to get all these parts done! I know it wasn't easy, but this picture is a testament to all the hard work and dedication in the 971 organization.

See you guys tomorrow!

-Mike

[Nuttyman54]

Originally Posted by Adam Freeman

Looks great! Sort of has a tank like appearance to it.

One question, the arms on the intake were cut and welded side to side instead of butted together. Was that to allow the intake to be as wide as possible?

For anyone that has an intake sticking out infront of the robot, just have a plan to repair it quickly if it gets damaged.

Last year we ran through 3 districts, MSC, Championship qualification, and one round of eliminations matches before we met a collision that broke the weld joint on our arm. If not for a couple of planned plates ready to rivet on we would have been completely screwed.

The farther you go, the higher the stakes...and the more agressive the defense gets.

It does look like a tank. When I first saw the CAD of the full robot, it looked "wrong" to me because of a lack of any speed holes. We went into the bag at 102 lbs, although that didn't include the hanging mechanism.

The side welds are indeed to get the widest intake. It's primarily due to packaging constraints of the rotation joint and driving gearbox.

Sound advice on repair preparedness. I believe there is a plan, although it may not be as well thought out as having brackets ready to go. With the side welds we can bolt the arm back together in a pinch, but it could still pose a problem. We'll keep that in mind.

[kevincrispie]

We do have some spare parts for the intake. We have another welded assembly, 2 extra frisbee scoops, and several extras of parts in other sections of the intake.

We have been very fortunate to have strong manufacturing support this year. With so many parts to manufacture, it was difficult getting it all accounted for. We also purchased some sheetmetal tools (press break, notcher, and turret punch) which allowed us to do rapid prototyping and make many of our own sheetmetal parts in house.

[Nuttyman54]

For those of you who missed it (or just want to see it again), here's our sneak peek video that premiered on FRCTop25:

http://youtu.be/XEMfjeMsD28