Worried about weight ?

[Tristan Lall]

Originally Posted by Dave Campbell

Yes, a bit. 129 before powder coat....119.9 after weight loss day.

Over the limit and you powder-coated it anyway? That stuff isn't exactly light, because of how thick it goes on.

[tindleroot]

Well, we are overweight during build season most years (except for last year), during week 4 the total weight of all our components was over 160! But, after revisions and weight loss we are just under 120 which is good considering the number of mechanisms we have

[Bonzabonz]

What is the best way to weigh the robot? Last year we used a small bathroom scale with a piece of plywood (for the robot to sit on), but we had a lot of trouble reading the scale since it was all the way underneath the plywood and robot. Are there any better ways of doing this, or do you just have to live with a hard to read display?

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by Bonzabonz

What is the best way to weigh the robot? Last year we used a small bathroom scale with a piece of plywood (for the robot to sit on), but we had a lot of trouble reading the scale since it was all the way underneath the plywood and robot. Are there any better ways of doing this, or do you just have to live with a hard to read display?

There are two good methods I've used. The first requires you to get a scale with a display on a cord - this way you can see the display even when the entire robot is under the scale. Of course, that means you have to buy a new scale.

Perhaps easier, get two scales. You can then balance the robot between them, and have the display sticking out over the side. It's worked for us for a number of years!

[MrJohnston]

Weighing the robot:
Two years ago, we bought a veterinary scale - it's large enough that we can set the entire robot on top of it and get a very accurate weight. It was well worth the investment.

Our Robot Weight: We cam in at just under 90lbs. the other day and likely added about 10 lbs. yesterday. The robot at this point is entirely constructed aside from a few smallish pieces of aluminium that need to be positioned to help guide totes and recycling containers to their ideal location inside the robot.... And, we might just add one more manipulator, which we'll keep under 20 lbs.

We do cut it close every year, and this year doesn't feel any different than normal.

[c.shu]

We weighed our robot today with nearly everything on it and came out to 110 lbs. But that was with the 14 lb battery in it.

[Whippet]

This year, we're looking at about 65 pounds again. We'll probably add ballast for stability.

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by Bonzabonz

What is the best way to weigh the robot? Last year we used a small bathroom scale with a piece of plywood (for the robot to sit on), but we had a lot of trouble reading the scale since it was all the way underneath the plywood and robot. Are there any better ways of doing this, or do you just have to live with a hard to read display?

We have an electronic "shipping" scale with sufficient capacity, but as we're also interested in finding our center of gravity, we purchased four fish weighing scales last year, and made four stands modified from those metal hooks used to deep-fry turkeys. Last year we went mecanum (totally underestimating the importance of defense), and wanted to balance the weight on each wheel. This year, we've got an H-drive, and we've built it so that we can move the strafe wheel forward or backwards in 1" increments, using the holes in the side rails of the KOP drive chassis. As we now plan to carry up to four totes at a time, then stack two more totes and and RC atop that, we'll probably try to optimize the strafe wheel location for carrying three totes. Knowing the weight at each corner will not only give us total weight, but also COG.

[XenObliv]

Always worried, weight and time are two of the biggest factors.

[David Brinza]

Yeah, I'm worried about weight.

Doctor says I should lose at least 50 pounds.

[Bochek]

At last check 125 on a scale that reads 2lbs high.

Diet plan involves swapping cims for mini cims.

[mrnoble]

I think the last year we were overweight was 2008, and we won't forget that lesson. We are closer to 60# than to 120# now, with everything but a few sensors and cables attached.

[Chris Endres]

not worried at all...

[The_ShamWOW88]

We're always at the limit so it's a worry but nothing we haven't dealt with. We're currently sitting at about 105 pounds, gives us a little bit to play with in case anything small needs to be added or it at least gives a little play to add some additional weight as a ballast.

[kjohnson]

This is the first time we've been concerned about weight in years. In the past we've used Lexan sheets to display our sponsors and cover electronics from damage but this season we've had to print stickers and apply sponsor logos directly to the frame. We even cut our 3' ethernet cable in half to save an ounce. Currently weighing in around 124, some basic refinements should get us down to 120..