What COTS parts would you like to see?

[OccamzRazor]

I second what Sperkowsky said about the metal versaplanetary adapter and gussets. If it was metal it could be a lot smaller.

I would also like to see the versaplanetary encoder housing be made out of the same metal as the gearboxes because we had two of the plastic ones create a failure where once the encoder cracked and failed the entire gearbox would fall to pieces in our robot. The bolts failed in double shear and we had three pieces of each bolt every time this happened on two different gearboxes. I will attach photos to show the failure. I think we already sent this to Vex but I will check on that. I think vibration was the cause of the failure and not overloading based on our applications.

I also strongly agree with what Marshall said and will add a little on to that. If the AndyMark kit came with bumper instructions and sheet metal hardware for next year I feel like some of the teams with fewer resources in NC would actually arrive to competition with bumpers and I would not have to help them build the bumpers before inspection! It would be nice to have something sort of like an "add plywood, noodle, and cloth kit" and you have a robot ready for inspection.

[roboruler]

Originally Posted by MechEng83

A breakout board for the Talon SRX that contains the index signal pin.

A breakout board for the Talon SRX that plugs right into the motor controller, rather than requiring those really thin cables.

Not hardware, but the ability to set brake/coast in a Talon SRX with code.

Multiple sizes of Talon SRX data cable, currently the only size is 12" which can be difficult to work with.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by MechEng83

Not hardware, but the ability to set brake/coast in a Talon SRX with code.

Uh, using CAN you can.

[ASD20]

Originally Posted by roboruler

Multiple sizes of Talon SRX data cable, currently the only size is 12" which can be difficult to work with.

+1

[MechEng83]

Originally Posted by roboruler

Multiple sizes of Talon SRX data cable, currently the only size is 12" which can be difficult to work with.

http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-2617.htm AndyMark sells a 6" version. I was also able to find 20cm version from random internet sources (search for 0.05" or 1.27mm 10 pin), but I agree, having multiple length options would be nice.

[hrench]

a CAN plug-in vision aiming module.

[messer5740]

Originally Posted by roboruler

That is very difficult for suppliers, it is almost a gamble, as they have to buy or fabricate parts in advance, and if they are not useful for a particular season then that is a huge burden on them. A way around it is to get certain suppliers like Andymark and Vex in the loop in terms of the season so they can plan ahead, but it is really not ideal at all.

What about the AndyMark tank treads? That must have been the best gamble they ever had for they only came out about a month prior to kickoff. I do feel that suppliers should be in the loop so they can prepare their inventory for the influx of purchasing specific parts.

[Kellen Hill]

Originally Posted by jwfoss

-4"x1.5" and 4"x2" Aluminum Wheels with 1/2" Hex Broach
-Anti-backdrive stage for VersaPlanetary
-Disc Brake set up with 1/2" Hex or "Standard" Sprocket Hole Pattern

For the anti-backdrive stage, you could even add in a switch to the stage, similar to a ratchet wrench, to engage, disengage, or flip the direction of the anti-backdrive.

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by roboruler

That is very difficult for suppliers, it is almost a gamble, as they have to buy or fabricate parts in advance, and if they are not useful for a particular season then that is a huge burden on them. A way around it is to get certain suppliers like Andymark and Vex in the loop in terms of the season so they can plan ahead, but it is really not ideal at all.

Originally Posted by messer5740

What about the AndyMark tank treads? That must have been the best gamble they ever had for they only came out about a month prior to kickoff. I do feel that suppliers should be in the loop so they can prepare their inventory for the influx of purchasing specific parts.

Three key distributors--AndyMark, VEX, and REV--were given a few high-level details about the game in September and October.

Originally Posted by Frank

They were given general information such as that the robots would be driving over obstacles, climbing, and throwing game objects. All distributors made their own decisions about stocking levels and what components they should stock. As an example, while we told distributors that robots would be climbing obstacles, we did not tell them what specific components we thought would be useful in addressing that challenge. Each made their own business decisions. In some individual cases distributors were given more detailed information out of necessity. For example, as AndyMark had agreed to make the game objects available to teams, they knew about, and stocked, boulders ahead of time. Specific details like this were on a 'need to know' basis, if they didn't need to know, they didn't get to know.

[ASD20]

Originally Posted by messer5740

What about the AndyMark tank treads? That must have been the best gamble they ever had for they only came out about a month prior to kickoff. I do feel that suppliers should be in the loop so they can prepare their inventory for the influx of purchasing specific parts.

This year AndyMark and a few other suppliers were told some details about the game and that is why they came out with Rhino Treads.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by ASD20

This year AndyMark and a few other suppliers were told some details about the game and that is why they came out with Rhino Treads.

[citation needed]

[Bkeeneykid]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

[citation needed]

Citation: http://www.firstinspires.org/robotic...g/distributors

It doesn't say that the Rhino drive was a direct result of finding out about the game, but it seems a perfect product for the game, so I'd imaging it is something similar.

[Nemo]

Rollers are a pain. It would be nice if there were a couple more COTS methods to transmit torque to a roller. The only one I know of is from Competition Robot Parts.

[Nemo]

A COTS 4 stage gearbox for a single CIM would be pretty handy for arms.

[mklinker]

I would like to see a ratcheting gear and pawl. It would be nice if the ratcheting gear had a 1/2 inch hex broached bore.

Option B would be a ratcheting gear with the standard FIRST bolt circle to attach to a hub.