nonweight and usable

[greencactus3]

we need to cover up our electronics. NEED TO.
they are at a very accesible place on our robot. VERY accesible
accessible to balls and other robots.. and we are VERY close on weight.
and we still have a couple more subsystems we want to add. such as something to knock the 10pt ball off... to latch onto the mobile goal.... possibly even hang.(dont think we'll get to that yet....
but im thinking covering the electronics is our top priority.
right now, weight-wise, im thinking a net of some sort.... and hope it wont catch other robots... especially since we cant take home what we catch...
but plexiglass is too heavy...
what should we use?

another thing....on our plow.... we took off a lot of things that worked to push the balls without going over them... cuz we were overweight...
what is the lightest way to ensure we won't run over the balls, and will push the balls easily?
we do not want to run over any balls.. we are using 12in wheels...

[Phil_Lutz]

Try thinner plexiglass.
To stop running over balls add a bumber front and back.

Sorry 'bout the weight thing.....

Phil

[Greg Perkins]

ok here is a good way to solve problems... lexan...not plexi. cause plexi shatters.

to make your electronics under cover, take some 1/16" lexan and use that. if you are so desperate on weight that hardware would set you over, use zipties to secure the lexan to the bot(if it takes a hit, the ties will break and will not break your electronics). also, to prevent ball running overs, take some 1/4" lexan and use a heat gun to bend it then screw it to your chassis where the balls are likely to come into contact, the bent lexan will actually shoot a ball away when it is hit.

[Phil_Lutz]

Originally Posted by Greg Perkins

ok here is a good way to solve problems... lexan...not plexi. cause plexi shatters.

Nice Catch.
I always thought lexan was plexi. (learn something new everyday)
I stand corrected.

Thank you.

Phil

[henryBsick]

We also had exposed controls and a ball problem. We used swiss cheesed leaxn 1/16" to cover the conrols and screwed it into the frame with self tapping screws. We also used 1/16" lexan "teeth" to not run over balls. There are five across the front and they work great. They are roughly 1" wide and 4" long. They don't break either. They flex. We climb the 6" step-ups with them there and the bend up, then back down. The worst we have done to one so far was turn akwardly into the 6" step and bent one, the solution to that is either rebend it, or make a couple extras. I think we attached them with pop rivets too, or self tapping screws, not sure. Hope it works out with the wieght problem.

[greencactus3]

thanks everyone, we'll prolly use lexan then.. if i can find any..

Originally Posted by Greg Perkins

also, to prevent ball running overs, take some 1/4" lexan and use a heat gun to bend it then screw it to your chassis where the balls are likely to come into contact, the bent lexan will actually shoot a ball away when it is hit.

really? the balls are quite grippy. and what if its not bent?

[SarahB]

Originally Posted by greencactus3

thanks everyone, we'll prolly use lexan then.. if i can find any..

Lexan isn't very hard to find, although you'll probably have better luck looking for polycarbonate(the generic name). McMaster-Carr has it available in various thicknesses and sheet sizes. Part number 8574K63 is a 24" by 48" sheet of 1/16" thick Lexan, that should be enough for your purposes. Alternatively, you could find it in any size and thickness by looking under Raw Materials -> Plastics -> Polycarbonate.

If you don't have the money, try asking some nearby teams if they have any extra they could give you. I know lots of teams have extra hanging around and I'm sure they'd love to help out.

[Greg Perkins]

Originally Posted by greencactus3

thanks everyone, we'll prolly use lexan then.. if i can find any..


really? the balls are quite grippy. and what if its not bent?

since you guys are rookies, i dont know if you will remember in 2002, we used soccer balls. on our bot we installed curved lexan strips on the front and back where our bot had an opening area... when the balls hit it the bounced off. you must make sure that they are close enough to the ground so they too dont run on top of the balls. the 1/4 lexan will be as springy as a spring, so they will just shoot off of it.

lexan is the easiest way to solve your weight issues...but if you have the money, get sheets of carbon fibre. def. a way to go if its a serious weight issue .




ps. carbon fibre sheets are about $80 for a 3x3 sheet..