[FTC]: [FTC] Looking for input on mounting NXTs

[CENTURION]

Hiya everybody!

So in the most recent season, my team and I ran into a bit of trouble with mounting the NXT to the robot. We did use the supplied Tetrix-to-lego adapter pieces, and it did work, but we concluded that this is not a very good mounting solution.

The two biggest issues I can see are:

The spacing of the bolt pattern on Tetrix rails doesn't seem to mate too well with the spacing of lego parts.

Lego attaching pins (Don't remember the actual name for them) don't hold too tightly, we had to zip-tie part of it down.

So I figured; why mess around with all these lego pieces at all?

I had some down time and started messing around in Solidworks, and this is what I've come up with:

(Sorry for the large images )







Essentially There's a cradle around the NXT, that has cutouts to allow access to the connectors on the ends, the battery compartment, battery compartment clip, and charging port. And it has tapped holes in the same pattern as Tetrix extrusion. The cradle is large enough in width to fit right between two Tetrix rails at proper spacing.

Then there's a lid that bolts down over the cradle, holding the NXT in place.

My question for you, CD, is this: Is this a useful design?

We're a rookie team, so we have some knowledge of how this enclosure would be implemented in future robots, but we don't have the experiences some of you have. Do you generally mount your NXTs from the side like this, or is it more from the bottom?

Oh, and yes, I've heard that the Ev3 will be put into FTC use for the 2014-15 season, so a new enclosure will need to be designed for that brick, but that's another matter, this design could still be used for the 2013-14 season.

So, your thoughts?