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Unread 02-12-2004, 22:49
Angrist Angrist is offline
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AKA: Garrett Lee
#0422 (MechTechs)
Team Role: Driver
 
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Re: How much do you design before kickoff?

On my team, some things are close to set in stone before kickoff. This is because unless they drastically change the game on us (i.e. driving on the ceiling), we know how to make things that work. Examples:

Drivetrain. We use two Atwoods/CIMs to drive our robot. We've done so since 2002. Since we have almost always come in overweight (last year was an exception since we finally got a digital scale and massed the entire thing in Inventor, so we came in at 129.7), we can't afford the weight of twin motors per side or transmissions (in particular we can't afford the pneumatic pressure needed to operate them). So, one CIM to a wheel, and a skid as third point of contact. The gearbox, a gear/sprocket combination, is near perfect for our use and all that we will probably need to do to it is change the ratios for the new game.

Autonomous. Generally, our programmers are pushed for time as it is and trying to figure out how to use infrared sensors would not be much fun. We don't much care for following lines because the light sensors can get shifted around, and if you lose track of the line, you're going to wander about aimlessly, doing more damage than help. Because of this, we usually go on dead reckoning. We usually attach discs of 1/16" sheet aluminum to the wheels. With black stripes painted on the discs and a light sensor shining on the disc, we can count revolutions and correct on the way.

Frame. Since we use a 3-point drive, the shape of our robot is usually in the shape of a wedge. This allows us to get in places where other robots can't, getting goals out of corners and forcing our way around other robots. Since we're usually overweight, we normally use 3/4" x 1 1/2" x 1/8" thick or 1 1/2" by 1 1/2" by 1/8" thick tubular aluminum . I think this is right; I haven't looked at it since last year.

None of this is completely set in stone, however. Last year we had a big debate over whether or not to go for twin triwheels in the front. We went with the three-points-of-contact when we decided to hang from the side. It turned out that with the three-points system, we could actually get up on the platform. I won't go into specifics, but it involved pulling a wheelie and pushing us up with our pneumatic arm. We actually had infrared sensor spots marked and some drilled before we realized that we couldn't afford any extraneous weight high up on the robot.

What usually helps is to create basic designs for what you think will be used - then lock them away in a drawer and pull them out after you've decided what you want to do and how. Figure out if any of them will help and if so, great. If not, figure out what will. It seems to do OK for us.
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