measuring from bolt to bolt

[MrForbes]

The robot has to fit inside a box that is only 28" x 38" x 60" inside. Yes, you need to fix it.

We design our robots to be only 26" x 36" but they usually grow as we add parts.

Also we had problems last year with the top of the robot being as wide as the bottom, and the robot would not pass inspection, because the "sizing box" was not square. The base of the box, that the robot sits on, was not perpendicular to the upright parts that are used to check the size at the top. So, I suggest making the top of the robot even smaller, perhaps 24" x 34", if possible. It seems to be better to be conservative, than to have to try to explain to the volunteer inspectors that the test equipment is faulty!

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by squirrel

Also we had problems last year with the top of the robot being as wide as the bottom, and the robot would not pass inspection, because the "sizing box" was not square.

Sure it wasn't the robot that was out of kilter? I've seen plenty like that before. But you could be right. Those sizing boxes probably take some abuse getting them to and from events, and could have been warped out of shape. I am surprised that no one would accept that the box was off, if you could demonstrate it to them conclusively. (Corner diagonal measurements)

[MrForbes]

The problem was that when we put the robot in the box one way, one side of the top of the robot leaned out past the side of the box. When we turned it 180 degrees, the OTHER side of the top of the robot leaned out past the same side of the box. Tape measure revealed the top of the robot was less than 28" wide.

[Robert Cawthon]

Having been a robot inspector in the past, I found that the temperature of the venue changes the size of the box. When we started, one cold morning, the box was just a little bit small (more for the vertical measurement than the horizontal measurement) but as it warmed up, it grew. Something to keep in mind. Also, since the boxes are made at one temperature, and used (probably) in another, it is best to make it smaller so you will not run into these issues.

[mathking]

We try to design for 27 x 37 as well. We learned the hard when we designed it to be 27.5 x 37.7 three years ago and we were grinding down bolt heads the day before ship in order to make the robot fit the starting dimensions. We also try to make the top a little less than 60 inches high, because there are lots of times when you fiddle with the mounting of the drive train and you REALLY don't want to have to hack off something vital at the last minute in order to make your robot short enough.