How to lose 6 pounds in 8 hours

[Kelly]

Two years in a row our team has made the mistake of weighing our robot with the scale on carpet, which makes the weight seem significantly lower than it really is, until it finally occurs to us that our robot looks way heavier than the scales says and discover the problem. By this time it's usually hours before ship and we're scrapping major components.

[Billfred]

Last season with 1293, we started Palmetto about four pounds overweight. We went to two pounds underweight in one day with a few changes.

Anybody familiar with 1293 is familiar with the team's love for 1/8" aluminum. The hopper that year used a lot of it, so we initially cut large holes in it and filled those holes with garden mesh riveted in place (and painted, natch). When that didn't cut it, we took a slugbuster (a hydraulic device for putting round holes in things, in this case with a little hand pump) to it. Ultimately, we had the hopper remade in a Fix-It Window using thin-gauge stainless steel, which we then re-swiss-cheesed. The end result was plenty durable (even for blocking shots--sorry, 1676), but far lighter.

Similarly, we could've fabricated a lot of things differently with 1618's robot this year. Paper is a terribly underrated material--we're using it for our graphics, with a few extra numbers printed up as spares. On the arm, the numbers are backed by a piece of cardboard. Sure, it might not be particularly heavy-duty--but it'll hold, and replacements are cheap and plentiful. Similarly, we picked pegboard over metal for our electronics and pneumatics panels--they're cheap, easy to mount to, and light as beans. If we needed to drop weight (which we don't--ten pounds under FTW!), we can get it cut with nearly anything.

Oh, and don't count out the kit wheels either--they're nice and light, and are roughtopped with relative ease.

And, if worst comes to worst, never be afraid to ask around for advice. Odds are that someone at the event will have some tool or part that will knock a pound or two off.

[wingnut1705]

On the shipping date 10min before the FEDEX guy came we weight our robot and found that we were 10lbs overweight. As it turned out the scale that we used was very shoddy and we were actually 5lbs under. As an example of the shoddiness of the scale, I could change my own weight 25lbs up or down.

We found our team weight to be exactly out team number: 114 pounds. It was entirely accidental, and pretty awesome.

[Jeff Rodriguez]

The most important lesson is that every team should buy a scale. They come in handy more than you can imagine. No need to cut 6 pounds at competition, you can weigh everything as it goes on the robot and weigh the robot at different points.

Buy a scale.

[robotguru1717]

We were 1 pound over weight and so we took the chains off that ran to the front two wheels of our 6-wheel drive robot. #35 chain is heavy and taking it out can save u if u need it. then u can take out holes and bring the chain back onto the robot.

-Martin

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by Billfred

When that didn't cut it, we took a slugbuster (a hydraulic device for putting round holes in things, in this case with a little hand pump) to it.

We lust after that hydraulic slugbuster, it is SOOO Cool! One of our parents this year donated a set of greenlee punches, so we're halfway there...

This year, we had to remove two of the four clippard tanks to save nearly 2 pounds. Oh, and about 2 pounds of excess armor (we let the bumpers do the work).

At one point, we were seriously considering drilling out the center of fasteners.
=========
On a more serious side, there is a process by which a team can triage what is essential and what can go. List and prioritize all of your tasks. Start with your least important quality (ours was 'score on the middle rack') and remove that feature. Keep removing the least important feature until you make weight.

This, of course, only after all non-essential parts are removed, and holes are placed in anything that doesn't need the structural strength. For example, in 2005 we saves 1/2 pound per wheel by drilling holes in the (heavy rubber) treads.

Don

[Adamskiy]

We were actually underweight this year, not sure by how much, and didn't even specifically design it that way. Two years ago I remember us the weekend before shipping drilling holes in all of our sprockets. We seriously must have drilled out nearly half of the weight of each sprocket....and it was done in a symmetrical pattern, so they actually looked pretty cool afterwards

[dtape]

Originally Posted by wingnut1705

On the shipping date 10min before the FEDEX guy came we weight our robot and found that we were 10lbs overweight. As it turned out the scale that we used was very shoddy and we were actually 5lbs under. As an example of the shoddiness of the scale, I could change my own weight 25lbs up or down.

can beat that.
a scale said that one of my teammates (who weighs about 150) weighed about -4 pounds with his back pack on. (and yes, the scale was calibrated and on tile)

[Joohoo]

yeah GRR had two robots, one ~10lbs under and the other one ~1-2 lbs over our weight class. besides swiss cheesing The programing team had to have more 0's than 1's in the code

on a more serious note:

drill holes in places like under the rc and speed controllers if it really comes down to it. Do not punch any holes in a part of the frame that bears any weight or is a support.

If possible replace any lexan/polycarbonate with a thinner sheet. if you can replace 1/8 with 1/16 it still should hold up fine.

If you guys have a camera on board and aren't using it take all wires, hardware, "perches" off for us that claimed about 1.5 lbs.

Also, if you have a compressor or pneumatics check to see if you can get away with having four tanks instead of having the compressor on board(~5-6 lbs). If you just can't part with your compressor then consider taking a tank off(~1lbs).

[Nawaid Ladak]

adjust your arm so your robot's starting posision is shorter than 48 inches.

therefore, your not breaking the rules.

[Pirate_Nelly354]

Our robot's name last year was Swiss Cheese.
=]
A well deserved name
That robot was a monster!
To lose a lot of weight we drilled holes practically everywhere.
Total number of holes: 1299

[Otaku]

-Cheese the Bot
-Take off excess chain (large serpentine designs where a short, simple system will do = no good)
-Calculate the weight before

-Search CD for the other "weight loss" thread that's something like 20 pages long... lots of good information there.

[Frinkahedron]

Use aluminum bolts instead of steel ones

All those little nuts and bolts can add up to a pound or two.

(612 actually came in a pound under at both VCU and Chesapeake this year)

[1359th Scalawag]

You wouldn't believe it, this years robot for us came in about 2 to 3 pounds overweight. We eventually drilled holes in the ramp and came in around .2 pounds overweight. We actually had to remove the pink bolt that we place on the robot for one of our mentors. How in the world did we make it so precisely that to lower the weight we had to remove a bolt?!

After that it was about 119.9lbs. Strange year for us.