Kart Ideas!

[Chubtoad]

Hey Guys!
we want to build a new cart for our robot,
We are of course low on ideas being nobody has been getting any sleep.
We are looking for ideas as in automation, self-propelled, non-self-propelled
sound system possibly
ease of loading
"Coolness"
but yet, not too much dough
so something reasonable!
IDEAS PLEASE

[Alfred Thompson]

If I were you I would use this a a warm up for next year. That's what we are doing.

[Andy A.]

My advice for building carts:

1: If your going to power it, make sure that the gear ratios are very low, you need a lot of torque to move something that heavy and even more to turn it.

2: Make sure it's not to wide! Most 'bots just squeeze through doors as it is, if your cart is more then a few inches wider your going to have problems. Same applys for height, the 'bot might be as tall as 5 feet, consider that and the hight of door ways.

3. Be able to disasemble it. This is a bigger deal then you might think. The cart is useless if it's stuck at home because no one had a truck to throw it in. Figure on getting it in station wagon.

4: this runs against #2, but you need some ground clearence. Getting over extension cords and up ramps is a real hassle otherwise, and may not be possible period. If your cart can't get you from your pit and back quickly, whats the point?

5. Keep twirling lights and blasting sound systems to a minium please! The pits are confusing already, all that extra distraction is pointless and only gives people headaches.

6. Tools! have some place on the cart to put commenly used tools, batterys, zipties etc. for quick on deck fixes. This will save you a lot of time and hair.

7. Have some way to secure your 'bot! even if it's just some kind of chuck for the wheels... I've seen a lot of 'bots (ours included) roll right off thier cart when going over a small ramp. Easy to do.

8. Be sure you have good access to the whole 'bot. Doesn't have to be 360 degree, but you should be able to reach the drive train, electronics etc. easily and quickly. If you want, put some kind of lift or jack on the cart to lift the 'bot up a few feet. This is easier then it sounds and will be very usefull.

9. If its powered, have some plan for when power dies. It happens. Things like being able to quickly lift the drive wheels up or disconnect the motors will let you push it even with out power.

10. If you want to keep your 'bot control board on the cart, make sure it is securely latched on. We nocked ours off more the once before getting big beefy latchs. Luckily, we didn't kill anything that we couldn't fix.

Above all, make the thing functional. Focus on getting it to the point were you can quickly load it, make tight turns and run over things with confidence. After that making it pretty is always cool. But no rotating lights. Just no.

-Andy A.

[DaBruteForceGuy]

We are also goin to use the kart as a practise for the next season. We are a rookie team so we aren't going to go crazy with stuff like lifts, tracks, ramps, turn table...

5. Keep twirling lights and blasting sound systems to a minium please! The pits are confusing already, all that extra distraction is pointless and only gives people headaches.

Ok, i agree about the lights, though not the sound. Please, don't feel restricted about the sound! If there is one thing that our team is going to have on our cart it is going to be a KICKEN SOUND-SYSTEM!!!!!!!1

[Ian W.]

wow, i never ever thought i'd say this...

for once, i agree with you steve (ok, ok, let's keep the gasping and 'OMG!' down to a low roar). the only thing is, if another team asks you to turn it down, comply. if they ask you to turn it up (think NYC), well, we all know what to do.

[Andrew Rudolph]

One thing you need to make sure also is that u are capeable of moving it EASILY!!! I know a few teams made really neat carts but couldnt move them. The Pneumatic tires with bearings liek the ones sold at Norther Tool Supply are awesome for makeing a cart. A lift system is a great idea too, u can buy carts with hydraulic lifts in them, but whats the fun in that?! Also make it stable, lots of carts have the uncanny ability to tip over. Another thing is make sure it can take some bumbs because the flooring FIRST uses is very bumpy. Thats all i can think of for now...

[Collin Fultz]

make it multi-functional. that's what we did with our cart this year. we put folding table legs on the bottom of it, so that when we were in the pits we could pic up the cart, put the legs down and work right there. when we were done, we put the legs down and rolled out, my homeys! then when we were done...the legs folded in and the wheels came off and the handle used to push came off and it stuck in the crate. simplify...but multiply.

[srawls]

Also make it stable, lots of carts have the uncanny ability to tip over.

Yes!!! listen to this man. this year our cart was very back heavy, and the wheels were too far in the front. when there was a robot in there, everything was fine, but when we moved it without the robot it tipped over A LOT, at the most inopportune times. we had a lot of drawers with tools in them, and they would fall out. it was VERY embarassing when i eagerly moved the cart while we were in the finals at the Philly regional, and it tipped over right infront of the scoring table. so, moral of the story, make sure your cart won't tip easily.

Stephen

[DaBruteForceGuy]

originally posted by Ian W.

for once, i agree with you steve

NOW THAT'S ONE FOR THE TABLOIDS!!!

[Jim Giacchi]

Make sure your fully aware of how large it will be and how much it will weigh. The one problem we ran into was that when we were done we had a %%%%%%% cart that weighed 480lbs and was an oversized shipping item. Luckily we managed to con..vince a parent who owned a shipping company to pay for it.

Moral: Keep as light as possible and think of shipping when designing and MAKE SURE you know how your going to get it to where you need it.

[Anthony S.]

Another tip is make it so it will fit inside the pit when you are not using it, our cart is kind of old and ragedy but it does the job, the handle folds flat so we can just slide it in the side when we're not using it, if you have a huge cart in your pit, you have less working room, but this also depends on what all you have in your pit.

[Mike Schroeder]

hey who needs a fancy-wancy cart, for about 7 years, we have used a dolly thats it !!!


4 casters and some wood

no sofisticated sound system so haaa!!!

that cart won the nationals for us it is our good luck charm

[Wolfe]

Ok. Someone on our team had a great idea. Our crate has a small area on the bottom with heating coils on the top and borttom. Before we go to a match, we trow in some buttered bread and cheese slices. Once we get there... grilled cheese sandwiches!! you can't top that!! There is even an automatic thing to slice pickles!!!

Now i know none of you can beat that. You can try. But you can't beat fresh grilled cheese sandwiches

[Ashley Weed]

Any good suggestions on how to add a tool area to your cart? I really like the idea Cybersonics have with the tool box underneath the bot area. I also like Buzz's idea, however, with the tools on the back, does that create an imbalance in weight?

[Andrew Rudolph]

Well the inbalance thing really only occurs if you are bringing alot of heay tools with you up on stage. having drawers under where the bot sits seems to work pretty well as long as they dont open when u turn. if you are puching it from behind maybe you can do what we did once where we made it taller in that back, then you dont have to worry abou the bot falling back, and u put little cabinets/drawers there.