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

[CENTURION]

Good point on the battery, but already taken care of

For some reason I didn't think to put in a photo of the underside, D'oh!

The cradle is open on the bottom, and I put in symmetrical cutouts so you can access the battery compartment clip, and charging port (We use the rechargeable batteries, so it can actually be charged in place), no matter which way you put the NXT in.

Oh, and I added some cutouts for weight.



I wasn't aware of the USB connector issues, thanks for the heads up on that!

I'll see if I can work something into this enclosure for that support.

LEDs might be possible, but that top panel is only 1/8" thick as it is.

[DanielH]

One thing that our team has done when mounting the NXT and SAMANTHA is to shock mount them. I believe that this helps keep disconnects from happening. Our shock mount is basically horizontal surgical tubing going between two tetrix beams, and then mounted to that surgical tubing is the NXT.

[CENTURION]

Yeah, I've been thinking about building in some sort of rubber shock-absorption, we'll see.

My team actually didn't run into any issues with disconnecting cables. How often does that happen?

[FTC-5648]

First off, this idea is amazing! Our team has had continuous problems mounting the NXT. We constantly get asked what the best mounting practice is and we never have a good, solid answer. This design would be extremely helpful! I was wondering if you had a 3D model file that you would be willing to share, so that teams could print their own cradle.

Congrats on the amazing design and good luck this season!

[CENTURION]

Sure! I've attached the two parts as STEP files, let me know if you'd prefer a different format.

Keep in mind that these parts were designed for machining, not 3D printing, so there may be things that require tweaking, I don't know much about designing for 3D printing, so I don't know for sure.

I made all the holes to the tap-drill size for #6 screws, so once it's printed, running a screw into them should self-thread them.

You should be able to edit the sketch for the team number on it to your own pretty easily (I hope). If not, let me know!

Also keep in mind that I haven't actually made this thing, so I'm not %100 sure that it will actually work, but I'm pretty confident.

[FTC-5648]

Thank you for the file! We had a SolidWorks pro create the case for 3D printing. Thank you so much for posting the information about the case and I will be sure to post pictures of the completed object.
Our team would like to credit yours with the idea and design, what team name and number can we put in our engineering notebook?

Best Regards,
Todd N. Farschon II
FTC Team 5648
Tek Twisters 2.0

[CENTURION]

Awesome, I can't wait to see the finished part! And please let me know if there are any issues you run into, or new design considerations. We'll have to be designing a new one of these for the EV3, and I'd like to integrate those things.

We'll hopefully be getting a printer soon too, so I'll have to crank one out as well.

We are Team 6806: Ratchet Robotics. Thanks!