Ramp or No Ramp

[psycho7]

Originally Posted by Rick TYler

Brakes? We ain't got no brakes! We don't got to use no stinkin' brakes! What is the back wall of the platform for, anyway?

right...brakes, I have to say it's a good idea, thanks for it. and btw, I agree high CG bots will lose at the ramp, but I think the ramp will play a big part just not as big as lil'lavery made it out to be.

[greencactus3]

depending on your design it may be easier to have drop down caster so someone else can push you up that ramp. im positive a couple teams will be able to accomplish that

[Madison]

I've merged two threads about the same subject (and with the same title!) to make the world a better place.

[Eric Scheuing]

It seems like it wouldn't be too difficult if you have a good drivetrain.

[Ian Curtis]

Originally Posted by psycho7

right...brakes, I have to say it's a good idea, thanks for it. and btw, I agree high CG bots will lose at the ramp, but I think the ramp will play a big part just not as big as lil'lavery made it out to be.

The ramp make a big difference in the qualifiers becuase team's won't be scoring as much and it'll make a big difference in the eliminations because scores will be so similar.

And on the subject of brakes... Is it legal for robot's to become temporarily airborne? It is a very freaky experience watching an AM transmission in fast speed making it's way towards your alliance station, with a jump between you and it.

[Mike Norton]

getting on the ramp? We plan on putting other robots on on ramp then getting up.


You do not need your teammates on the ramp, you could put the other team on your ramp

yes a 25 pts swing could help. just think the other team can't get 25 pts when they are on your ramp

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by psycho7

right...brakes, I have to say it's a good idea, thanks for it. and btw, I agree high CG bots will lose at the ramp, but I think the ramp will play a big part just not as big as lil'lavery made it out to be.

Recalls the 2003 and 2004 game discussions...

[Brandon Holley]

Originally Posted by Mike Norton

getting on the ramp? We plan on putting other robots on on ramp then getting up.


You do not need your teammates on the ramp, you could put the other team on your ramp

yes a 25 pts swing could help. just think the other team can't get 25 pts when they are on your ramp

I also believe that the opposing alliances robots count for your score as well, so you very well could be causing a 30 pt+ swing for your team!

I still believe if your team cannot keep up with a couple of good shooters, that by the end of the match, 25 pts (assuming ALL three can get up) may not make up the difference. Close matches will come down to ramp...not necessarily getting up it, but keeping others off it, or even as stated above, pushing your opponents up on yours.

[Wayne Doenges]

One thing to consider about pushing fellow robots up the ramp. If two robots are close to their max. height they will be pushing with the top part of there bot and not the bottom bumpers when going up the 30 degree ramp.
Pushing may not be an option for tall robots, traction or no.
Also, with a little speed, the 7" wheelchair wheels will climb the ramp.

[ChuckDickerson]

Originally Posted by Wayne Doenges

Also, with a little speed, the 7" wheelchair wheels will climb the ramp.

I am going under the assumption that most of the robots WILL be capable of climbing the ramp. Whether they do or not will depend on the particular game. With just the stuff that comes in the KoP, a piece of plywood and some wire every team should be able to build a basic kitbot that can climb the ramp. Therefore, even if your team has no budget, no machine shop, no materials, and you can't handle balls, pick them up off the field, or shoot them you should be able to build a bot that can at least score 5 points for your alliance. As far as I am concerned if you can't climb on the ramp you are throwing away free points.

[robochick1319]

We're definitely going for the ramp this year. But from the robots I've seen so far, the ramp will be something of a struggle. (a big one)

[Wayne Doenges]

Last Saturday we did a couple of ramp climbs at our full weight.
We have real diamond plate on our ramp. Not just bare plywood.
Our robot had no problem churning up the ramp at low speed. No tip over. We even did a angled assent. Our bot just corrected itself and went up the ramp.

[Richsgt]

The ramp will be interesting, we can make it fairly easily. But found a slight flaw(in our design...now fixed) with part of the frame hitting a bump in the diamond plate at full speed and causing a fast stop, definitely made the driver station jump a few inches. Also i agree with previous that the 5pts at the end quite well may determine more than a few matches.

[kaszeta]

Originally Posted by Arefin Bari

... question is how much difference is it going to make with the diamond plate and the top of the platform?

Based upon my experiences hanging out in the practice area in 2004 (FIRST Frenzy, with the stairs leading up to the middle), a lot. A saw no end of robots that could reliably climb wood stairs, but failed miserably on the diamond plate.

Diamond plate is fairly slick if your traction doesn't grip the diamonds.

[Donut]

Our robot cannot do the ramp. We built the robot without caring about the ramp, and tested to see if we could. Our chains hang too low and hit the corners of the ramp as we go up, plus our robot is too tall and falls over on the incline (at least at a stand still).

We believe the ramp will be unimportant to us though. If there are not 2 robots already on your platform, it is worth 5 points. Two balls shot in the center at the end is worth more than this. If there are 2 already on yours, you need to now make up 15 points, but this can be done by shooting in 5 balls, OR by shooting in a few balls and pushing one of your opponents at the end so they cannot get on the ramp. Taking away 5 or 15 points from your opponents is the same as scoring it for you, plus you get whatever you shoot in beforehand.