Robot Carts

[emhw1994]

I was wondering where we could get a robot cart. I am kinda an amateur at this whole robotics thing so if someone could help me out that would be great!!!!!!!

[EricH]

Originally Posted by emhw1994

I was wondering where we could get a robot cart. I am kinda an amateur at this whole robotics thing so if someone could help me out that would be great!!!!!!!

Simple: Go to your local hardware store. Find a furniture dolly. When you get it back to your build area, add a handle.

Better: Garden supply store, get a cart. Bigger tires and a raised workbed. Better for going over those pesky cable covers.

Best: Custom cart that can go over said cable covers, with rails for the robot, toolboxes, etc.

I'd go with the garden-type cart, at least for now. You could modify it later.

[Brandon_L]

As far as I know your supposed to make your own, but I guess you could find something big enough somewhere...Try home depot or something but I recommend you build your own. There like 10x cooler

[Akash Rastogi]

Or if you guys want some help with materials for a cart just PM or IM me. We have a ton of 80/20 sitting around if you need it.

We're in Mount Olive.

Originally Posted by Brandon_L

As far as I know your supposed to make your own, but I guess you could find something big enough somewhere...Try home depot or something but I recommend you build your own. There like 10x cooler

Nope

[IndySam]

Do a search here on CD and you will see threads and pictures about carts.

Most teams build their own, they run from simple to hovercrafts with everything in between.

But this has always been my favorite:

[GeoffP]

we went to lowes and bought a garden cart. it has 8" pneumatic tires and a robust flat wire mesh surface and no sides and is robust enough to hold the robot and control board.
good luck

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Brandon_L

As far as I know your supposed to make your own, but I guess you could find something big enough somewhere...Try home depot or something but I recommend you build your own. There like 10x cooler

Nah, you don't have to make your own. It's ideal because you can customize it to suit your team's needs, but it's better as an offseason project.

I suggested a slightly modified garden cart. Here's the main modification I'd make: take a pair of short 2x4s and attach them to the bed of the cart so that the wheels of the robot are off of the cart. Now it's also a testing platform.

Or you could use a little red wagon...

[emhw1994]

Akash Rastogi- cool, how should i IM you?

[Brandon_L]

heheh...I just had an awesome image of a cart with pneumatic cylinders on the wheels....low rider robot

[/offtopic]

look in his user profile it has AIM and Yahoo contacts.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by emhw1994

Akash Rastogi- cool, how should i IM you?

IM me at lilstogi if you wish.

[Tom I]

I'd highly recomend pneumatic wheels. It makes going over bumps such as cables very easy, and your bot has less chance of keeling over. I'd also recomend rails to get the robot off its wheels... This makes testing easy, specially autonomous. A place to put an O/I also helps a ton! Everything else is just for show, (although flashy lights are pretty!!!)

[writchie]

While it's best to do this as an off season project, we find the cart to make a big difference in the pit. We built this one last build season and it's being motorized for this year.

The cart shown lets us work on the robot at convenient work height and then lower it to clear doors. We have a deep cycle battery and 3000W inverter for power tools and charging up to 3 batteries in the cart on the move.

[Andy L]

Our cart was thrown together one day when we were bored, ours is pretty much all 2x4s and plywood. Although when we go to Atlanta or other far away competitions we go with the simpler four 2x4s bolted together in a box and four casters, which works very well.

[R.C.]

We got our sponsor Valley Iron to donate 2k for our new 2009 cart. The main reason was because it was the freshman project. That's why they donated so much money. A pic of our can be found on cd just search frc1323 in the media section. The cart is almost done.

[spazdemon548]

If your looking for ideas, here's ours from last year...