Ramps

[Sperkowsky]

Originally Posted by Sean Raia

I don't believe so.
I'd love to see some sort of "anchor" used in addition to the ramp, tethered to the robot and the ramp, which allows the tether pivot to be centered in a more convenient location.

Don't know if that's truly beneficial, but it seems it would be. I'm pretty sure Alfred does this in addition to his main feature.

I would go crazy with that but our robot is dangerously close to the weight limit

[Sperkowsky]

Originally Posted by BeardyMentor

Yes, this. Just because a fishing line is legal, does not mean you should use it. I would suggest some thing stiff enough and thick enough that it can be driven over without getting caught in rollers on mecanum or omni wheels and is unlikely to be caught by belts or chains. Oh and clearly visible against the carpet. Nothing makes you unpopular like disabling alliance partners by getting your tether stuck in their drive train

Do you have any recommendations for cheap light cable or wire. My first thought is red 16 or 14 gauge wire. But being I'm no mechanical expert I'm not sure if that's optimal.

[BeardyMentor]

I would have to do some testing but, I would guess vinyl coated 1/8" cable should work pretty well. Stiff enough to not be easy to tangle up in drive trains small enough to be almost unnoticed by wheels of most types, and available in a variety of bright colors to contrast against both blue and red. If you have a robot from previous years around, go grab some cable from the Orange colored big box store and drive over it a bunch.

[MrRoboSteve]

Something like this would probably stay put.

[bEdhEd]

I have an idea for a "ramp," but it won't be a robot part.
We'll have to test this on our practice field to see if it works well for our design.

[wesbass23]

So where does 1114's ramp fall in the rules of ramps and tethered robot parts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzeSsgWorFI


At first I thought they just replaced their 3rd alliance member with a ramp.

[Sperkowsky]

Originally Posted by wesbass23

So where does 1114's ramp fall in the rules of ramps and tethered robot parts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzeSsgWorFI


At first I thought they just replaced there 3 alliance member with a ramp.

wait is that tethered?

[wesbass23]

Originally Posted by Sperkowsky

wait is that tethered?

It does not appear to be. Could be small enough to not be seen by the camera though. The ramp is completely passive however, the human player tips it down with the noodle.

[rich2202]

Originally Posted by wesbass23

So where does 1114's ramp fall in the rules of ramps and tethered robot parts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzeSsgWorFI


At first I thought they just replaced there 3 alliance member with a ramp.

I only saw 2 robots on that side. Could the ramp be a 3rd robot?

[Sperkowsky]

Originally Posted by rich2202

I only saw 2 robots on that side. Could the ramp be a 3rd robot?

Its not a bad Idea to have a ramp on hand and have teams put their number plates on it if there are any issues getting their robot to the match Maybe even bringing a printer to the competition

[The other Gabe]

Originally Posted by Sperkowsky

Hello so we have all seen the various ramps teams have come up with to deal with the tote chute. I have been designing one for my team and Ive come up with a few designs.

1. Passive design made with wood and polycarbonate.

2.non passive design with a window motor that raises and lowers the angle of the ramp in order to compensate for more then one tote at a time.

The non passive one is obviously better but would require a tether. My question is would the passive one require a tether too or would it just have to fit in transport configuration. Also does the ramp count towards total weight of the robot.

IF it does count towards the weight I would probably make a fully bent poly design.

Being part of the robot, the ramp must follow all robot rules and fit into transport configuration.
I would suggest a passive design; if your robot is able to function without the ramp's help, a tether takes up too much field space... if you're going for a FRC 148-esque design, then the tether might make sense

[GaryVoshol]

Does a ramp have the minimum features to qualify as a ROBOT?

[JohnFogarty]

Originally Posted by GaryVoshol

Does a ramp have the minimum features to qualify as a ROBOT?

Think of it more as a part of the robot and not as a robot itself.

[Doug Frisk]

Originally Posted by AdamStockton

This is what the Q and A "defines" a tether as:

That seems to indicate that if it's not carrying power or signal it's not a tether.

I think we need to come up with a new term for a robot tied to a ramp with a string rather than using tether.

[JohnFogarty]

If you want to be really specific the word tether in the English language has absolutely no reference to a attachment wire that provides power to another object. Both tether and leash are defined as cables used to limit a domesticated animal's range of movement. It's not exactly confusing to use the word tether to describe methods of attachment ether powered or not interchangeably.

Funny enough. We use a COTS retractable dog leash as our tether for our ramp. $10 from a local pet store.