team 219 lift video/semi reveal

[flamefixed]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...83199508&hl=en

the last stage, or few feet of movement, is not at full power. this was one of the first test runs and i wanted to baby it near the top. also, the baby-ing was done above the height needed to hurdle. the lift extends to 40 inches above the top of the rack.

this is driven by two cims feeding into our fabricated gearbox shown here

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/30369

more pics of the bot:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/30371
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/30370

more pics on the way

lift: we are sporting an 8020 stock lift angled back slightly to keep the weight over the robot to help prevent tipping.
this lift uses 8020 nylon bearings and t slots and custon made delrin sliders.
it has cascade style belting, one belt for the left, one for the right, side of the lift with an easy tensioning method of loosening a slider with an allen wrench and using a quickgrip to snug up the belt. as stated in the other thread, two cims power our lift up AND down in about two seconds. two cims were used because there are 4 sections to the lift. this helped maximize overlap (i believe 30-40% overlap) on each section, making the lift extremely stable. also, the top of the lift can dislodge the trackball.

grabber: the ball grabber is a forklift with the end tines bent up and in to secure the ball. the forks are driven by a window motor so as to fold up for starting configuration, added safety during the match, and to fold down onto the trackball to grab it. the forks are spring-hinged at a 45* angle so when we either drive the lift down, or actuate the forks, the tines spread around the ball until it reaches the bottom and close. the force down by the ball is pushing on the hinge in the way it does not want to open, therefore securely holding it. the tines also rest on a shoulder so when we have the trackball, the tines flex slightly, causing more friction on the shoulder and preventing any spread. this ability to come down from the top of the ball makes it much easier to trap and contain rolling and bouncing trackballs.

kicker: mounted at the top of the lift is an arm attached to another window motor. this arm swings out and, with a freely spinning wheel, rolls the ball off our forklift and over the rack very effectively.

any questions or comments are welcome and ill try my best to answer them as accurately and quickly as possible!

[Lucretius]

Looks nice! We've been having a lot of trouble with our tower, which is powered by two Fisher-Price motors at the moment. How many CIMs you using, total?

[Bomberofdoom]

Seems like the ball might tend to fall off if another robot "accidently" "bumps" into yours. Is this the final version or did you add something to compensate for that?

[flamefixed]

2 CIMS on the lift, 2 for the drive.

the ball is surprisingly stable because of the forks ability to flex. driving it, shaking it, and hitting it with another robot, and some kids foot, did not affect it. also some precision touching and i was able to start bouncing the ball back and forth between each fork. practice, practice, practice.

more video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S5Bqsrn9b0

[flamefixed]

as the nj regional draws closer...
bump