Robot Cart Questions from a rookie team

[Sean Schuff]

Our team has a cart made from unistrut aluminum. It has swivel casters in the back and fixed casters in the front which makes maneuvinering it very easy for one person. We've also got a flip-up table/workbench with a plot of the gamefield on it. The plot is covered with polycarb so we can color on it with dry erase markers and do field-side strategy if we choose. There is also a spot that holds four foldable camp chairs - sometimes the wait in the queing line can get loooooong! In addition it has three drawers for storing:
- a simple set of hand tools for those field side fixes
- critical spare parts in case a problem is discovered in the pre-match check
- a can of freeze spray to keep the motors from getting too unruly
- a flashlight (sometimes the queing area at a venue is dark)
- a game manual and ALL updates - for those quick checks of the rules
- a few other miscellaneous items like zip ties, electrical tape, etc.

One modification we are making this year is to replace our solid rubber wheels with pneumatic wheels. We had a heartbreaking match at nationals last year where our arm was stuck in one position. When we did the troubleshooting back in the pits we found that a wire had come loose in our operator control box. It turns out that the ride between the pits and the field is rough and the solid rubber wheels did not provide enough cushion to protect our controls.

Make sure your cart is versatile enough to accomodate changing robot designs from year to year yet has the functionality you need for field-side maintenance.

Happy cart building!

Sean