Pit Structure Ideas.

[Sperkowsky]

Originally Posted by RonnyV

This is an interesting fact, for us; weight, size and flexibility are major concerns for our pit.

We're an international team and the pit is a difficult thing for us. Since we can't load a trailer full with parts, machines & truss structures, everything has to fit in 1 box & when we're overweight we pay lots of money.

Since last year we designed and built a complete flightcase together with Faes Cases. It's multifunctional since it can go from 1 flightcase into 3 sub parts. Forming our robot cart (Included with tool drawers), programming table/worktable in the pit and a huge table for judging stuff. (Pictures attached)

For this season we're looking into a pit structure which is light weight, fits in our flightcase and has the look & feeling of our team and robot. We're currently looking into a square carbon fibre structure. Currently working on the project together with Refitech. They're visiting us wednesday to discuss the final plans. (Pictures attached)


And making the walls out of a vinyl kinda thingy. We kinda like to keep the sides open to have some interaction with our neighbours

Looks great any ideas on price. Excited to see the pit and compete with you guys at nyc. Again if you need batteries or anything else we can help you out.

[RonnyV]

Originally Posted by Sperkowsky

Looks great any ideas on price. Excited to see the pit and compete with you guys at nyc. Again if you need batteries or anything else we can help you out.

Well, price.... that's a different thing. If we want to buy this tubing for 'normal' price it will probably be around 4 times your estimated budget :/

But Refitech is helping us in designing and we get it for a nice discount most likely. And the weight from carbon vs. aluminum will make it worth the investment after 4 shipments. (Or seasons, I don't recall correctly)

Excited to meet you all in NYC as well! We're coming in at the 10th in the morning. Probably staying untill wednesday morning, then we're leaving to Troy. I'll let you know if we need anything, thanks!!

[dcarr]

If anyone has questions on 3309's truss, let me know and I can provide more detail on our exact setup.

It's made of 8" square truss, in a 10x10x10 configuration. We hang a number of RGB LED fixtures from the truss to illuminate the inside and provide work lighting, all controlled over DMX. We also have custom 3309 gobos in moving heads that we bring to some events. When the pit is empty, as shown in this photo, we leave the 'mood' lighting on, but when the pit is occupied, it gets incredibly bright.

We transport the truss with most of the lighting installed, with quick disconnects at each truss junction. Total setup takes 20 minutes or less.

Aside from a professional look, having a truss provides other benefits - a great way to hang extra lighting to make working in the pit safer and easier, and a solid structure to hang monitors, banners, etc from.

[Mr V]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

I could never understand why in an already-dark arena, there's always a couple teams who elect to put a shade canopy over their pit area.

I agree but it probably has to do with how many trips I've made around the sun. There was a time when working in the dark didn't affect me that much but nowadays give me lots and lots of light.

[Boe]

During the 2013 offseason we completely rebuilt our pit and are quite happy with the results.


We built the trussing ourselves out of 1x1x.0625 and .125 aluminum tubing for about $600 dollars. This was with a sponsor welding most of it and some students doing the rest. The trussing is all 6x6 except for the front right which is 18x18 to accommodate the built in shelving and monitors. It takes about 30 minutes to set up the pit if someone is there who has done it before. For the sign we used an online vendor and got it for about 100 dollars. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

[Knufire]

In terms of functionality, I'd take a look at team 973s pit setup. They built their entire bit (toolboxes, storage, batteries, etc.) all onto two giant rolling workshop tables. It might not look quite as good as the truss but you can set up your pit simply by rolling them out from the trailer, and get working on your robot that much sooner.

[Sperkowsky]

Originally Posted by Knufire

In terms of functionality, I'd take a look at team 973s pit setup. They built their entire bit (toolboxes, storage, batteries, etc.) all onto two giant rolling workshop tables. It might not look quite as good as the truss but you can set up your pit simply by rolling them out from the trailer, and get working on your robot that much sooner.

Looks great, but it definitely is not in our manufacturing capability realm.

[Sperkowsky]

Originally Posted by blackbirdsingin

Here you go. And yes, that's me wearing a bandana and posing awkwardly for the camera. Don't judge me.

There are a few other pictures of it on our Flickr, but I don't use Yahoo, so I can't download them. Here's the link. They're near the bottom of the first page.

We are thinking this is probably our best bet. Its cheap enough that we can spend some money getting full sized vinyl panels on the side, maybe some cool lighting, ect.

With the truss it would be just truss with 2 10 by 4 banners attached to it and would be stretching our budget far. Could you get me a material list?

And, does anyone know where can we can get printed mesh for the front? Because on 1884's pit I loved it.

[MattRain]

Originally Posted by dcarr

If anyone has questions on 3309's truss, let me know and I can provide more detail on our exact setup.

It's made of 8" square truss, in a 10x10x10 configuration. We hang a number of RGB LED fixtures from the truss to illuminate the inside and provide work lighting, all controlled over DMX. We also have custom 3309 gobos in moving heads that we bring to some events. When the pit is empty, as shown in this photo, we leave the 'mood' lighting on, but when the pit is occupied, it gets incredibly bright.

We transport the truss with most of the lighting installed, with quick disconnects at each truss junction. Total setup takes 20 minutes or less.

Aside from a professional look, having a truss provides other benefits - a great way to hang extra lighting to make working in the pit safer and easier, and a solid structure to hang monitors, banners, etc from.

Where did you guys get your truss and lighting?

[Ryan_Todd]

Once upon a time, 862 used to run a full canopy of painted PVC with fabric panels (attachment 1). We eventually decided that this was a bad idea for several reasons:

• Tacky / unprofessional
• Not very durable
  (mostly the paint, but also the fabric panels due to their construction)
• Unsafe
  (blocks too much light)
• Intolerant of variable pit dimensions
• More trouble than it's worth

We then spent a few years trying out other combinations in varying degrees of minimalism, before we finally got our Marketing team in solid enough shape to put together a comprehensive pit redesign. Today, we run an L-shaped pit (attachment 2):

• Banner, storage shelving, & work bench on back wall
• Floor tiles
  (nonslip surface, high contrast for locating dropped items, and looks awesome to boot!)
• Shelves, battery cart, & support structure (for year-specific displays) on left wall
• Front edge of left wall provides mount for TV display & bins for buttons, etc
• All rolling shelves are made of wood
  (we have panels that slide across the front, locking the shelves closed for transport)
• All superstructure is made from Bosch EcoShape aluminum tubing
  (way lighter than traditional T-slot extrusion, but just as versatile!)

[*Rachelle*]

It sounds like your team might be looking at building a little taller, but I figured I'd share 3787's pit. It's quite easy to set up and compacts into a small trailer.

The back pegboard is now green and has hooks for commonly used tools.

The walls are wrapped black tarps with wood supports on the top and bottom to keep them from sagging and anything slipping under the wall from the other side. They adjust fairly easily to adapt to different pit sizes.

The desks at the front (we call them the reception desks) separate into the two sides, front, and three shelves each (The top one you see in the picture and two metal racks you don't see)

I'd be happy to answer any questions if you have them!

[Sperkowsky]

Originally Posted by *Rachelle*

It sounds like your team might be looking at building a little taller, but I figured I'd share 3787's pit. It's quite easy to set up and compacts into a small trailer.

The back pegboard is now green and has hooks for commonly used tools.

The walls are wrapped black tarps with wood supports on the top and bottom to keep them from sagging and anything slipping under the wall from the other side. They adjust fairly easily to adapt to different pit sizes.

The desks at the front (we call them the reception desks) separate into the two sides, front, and three shelves each (The top one you see in the picture and two metal racks you don't see)

I'd be happy to answer any questions if you have them!

Looks like a very functional pit. I like the little reception area thing in the front it's a very different approach then most pits.

Thanks for sharing.

[KeeganP]

We redesigned our pit this year with the main goals being ease of transport and ease of use, with aesthetics being a close third. We're very happy with the end result, especially when it cost us less than $200 easily. Can be setup to fit within 8x8, 9x8, 9x9, 10x9, or 10x10. Setup time is roughly 10 minutes, and it can be easily modified. I've attached a picture of the setup.

Corners/Connectors: http://tarps.com/chrome2.htm
Pipe (Conduit): http://www.lowes.com/pd_72715-1792-1...=1&Ntt=conduit
Make sure you get the same size pipe as you do connectors so they fit together...

The idea is that the splice connector allows you to build different length poles that connect together to create a total 8', 9', or 10' span, to accommodate every pit size you may encounter. We used (cheap) shower curtain rings (and zipties) to hang banners and awards. Overall we were very happy with this simple and cheap solution that will certainly last for years to come.

[GreyingJay]

I appreciate all these ideas - 2706 is brand new this year and I will be heading up a pit design. I like what KeeganP's team has done, that looks very similar to what I have been envisioning.

As a new team we are going through the usual struggle to find sponsors so for us, cost and easy manufacture are priorities, so we are looking at COTS parts for the superstructure and nothing fancy like trusses. I was going to go with PVC pipe but many threads here on CD suggest staying away from that. 1" EMT looks like a good material. I was going to purchase fittings suitable for those outdoor garage canopy shelters.

As for the rest of the pit itself, I was going to propose a COTS rolling toolbox, a battery charging station built out of plywood, and some kind of backboard/parts shelf made from a plywood box on wheels.

Experience from my previous team tells me that the foam "puzzle piece" flooring is a good idea for comfort and to cushion dropped tools and parts.

[JB987]

Originally Posted by KeeganP

We redesigned our pit this year with the main goals being ease of transport and ease of use, with aesthetics being a close third. We're very happy with the end result, especially when it cost us less than $200 easily. Can be setup to fit within 8x8, 9x8, 9x9, 10x9, or 10x10. Setup time is roughly 10 minutes, and it can be easily modified. I've attached a picture of the setup.

Corners/Connectors: http://tarps.com/chrome2.htm
Pipe (Conduit): http://www.lowes.com/pd_72715-1792-1...=1&Ntt=conduit
Make sure you get the same size pipe as you do connectors so they fit together...

The idea is that the splice connector allows you to build different length poles that connect together to create a total 8', 9', or 10' span, to accommodate every pit size you may encounter. We used (cheap) shower curtain rings (and zipties) to hang banners and awards. Overall we were very happy with this simple and cheap solution that will certainly last for years to come.

Nice alternative to many of the other pits out there. Is the 1" conduit you reference from Lowes actually 1 3/16" OD that the Tarps.com website says is needed?