Team 254 Presents: Dropshot Technical Binder 2016

[gc_coxen]

I may be mistaken but it doesn't look like there are CAMs on your bearing blocks to tension the chain. Did you tension chain or just find an optimal position that was permanent?

[Cory]

Originally Posted by gc_coxen

I may be mistaken but it doesn't look like there are CAMs on your bearing blocks to tension the chain. Did you tension chain or just find an optimal position that was permanent?

This is the same as last year. We did fixed center to center distance that was the nominal chain pitch plus some fudge factor (I think .015" ish added to each run, but I don't remember for sure off the top of my head).

[Monochron]

Originally Posted by Cory

This is the same as last year. We did fixed center to center distance that was the nominal chain pitch plus some fudge factor (I think .015" ish added to each run, but I don't remember for sure off the top of my head).

I know this has been discussed a lot but can you explain why this works? How does accurately getting the fixed center to center distance remove the need for tensioning? Is there less stretch? Or what about loose chain normally does require tensioning?

[Starke]

Thanks to the Cheesy Poofs for continuing to inspire our students.

Would you be willing to explain the relationship between 254 and 971? Looking at 971's reveal video this year, it looks a lot like 254's place in previous reveal videos, while Dropshot premiered in a different field.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Sperkowsky

At champs I was doing field reset on Newton and talked to Travis a bit about it. He mentioned that they have a better set up at their school and mostly work there now. I believe he also said they missed giving students the opportunity of working at a NASA facility which is an interesting point I never thought of.

So... yea that's what I have figured out from me digging around. Ill delete this post once someone actually from 254 gives a better response.

We have been lucky that our school is committing a lot of resources to their STEM programs, including FRC. This has given the team more resources on campus. We still have a strong partnership with NASA, as we always have.

971 has been an official "house team" for the last few years. I don't know if the robotics.nasa.gov link is current but it lists 842 for NURC, not FRC. 842 has never used the NASA lab.

254 has had a long running relationship with 971. We helped with a design review for them in 2007/2008 and have been close since then, often bouncing design or strategy ideas off each other, sharing prototype results, etc. In 2015 we collaborated on the design and manufacturing of our can grabbers for championships, which was a lot of fun.