pic: 295 chassis 1/19/09

[spc295]

Originally Posted by Zultraranger

So who constructed your chassis, Motorola?

our design team drew it up and one of our sponsors Harris and Bruno Intl. fabricated the drawings.

[jgannon]

Originally Posted by waialua359

That may be true, however, after reading Dave's response to Cory, I would interpret it as such. [...] It doesnt hurt to ask the GDC. If they say its OK, it will help alleviate possible questions that other teams may have about similar setups.

You've uncovered a bit of a problem in the communication stream. Dave's posts may provide insight into the (twisted) mind of one part of the GDC, but officially they don't count for anything, and relying on them is foolhardy at best. On the other hand, history tells me I'm safe betting a box of Krispy Kremes that posting this picture to the Q&A with the question "will this satisfy <R08-M>?" won't get a reply any more insightful than "we can't comment on specific designs without a full investigation, so we leave it up to the lead inspector at your event".

I definitely encourage the team to try asking, but when you say:

Originally Posted by waialua359

its not a matter of opinion

...what we've seen so far indicates to me that, in fact, that's what it's going to come down to.

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by jgannon

Glenn, I think you're grossly oversimplifying the Q&A response you're alluding to.

There's miles of difference between "one particular implementation of 1/8-inch plate on standoffs may not be allowed" and "nothing made of 1/8-inch aluminum will be allowed".

I don't think it's fair of you to criticize Glenn for being overly cautious in his interpretation of the GDC and Dave's words. With the bumpers rules and clarifications so far this year, I think it'd be wise to stand by "Never bitten, twice shy" (had to modify it a bit for us).

[jgannon]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

I don't think it's fair of you to criticize Glenn for being overly cautious in his interpretation of the GDC and Dave's words.

It certainly wasn't my intention to criticize Glenn, and I would apologize to him if that's how I came off. Being particularly cautious seems to be the ticket to success this season. My point is that there hasn't been any official word that "1/8-inch rails won't be allowed", and spreading it as fact has the potential to cause heartache to other teams.

[Zultraranger]

Originally Posted by spc295

our design team drew it up and one of our sponsors Harris and Bruno Intl. fabricated the drawings.

when you say draw, do you mean a rough sketch?

[sdcantrell56]

I'm sure they mean draw as in design in CAD. We do the same thing and we design the entire robot in CAD and then export our drawings for our sponsors to fabricate the parts using their CNC machines

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Zultraranger

when you say draw, do you mean a rough sketch?

If the drawings were fabricated, it means that they were most likely full-on machining drawings.

If you turn this thread into a "mentor/sponsor-built vs. student built", then be warned: bad things happen.

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by Zultraranger

when you say draw, do you mean a rough sketch?

They probably drew it in a CAD program and gave the files to the sponsors to fabricate.

What does your comment about Motorola mean? Are you referring to 111?

[waialua359]

Dont worry guys, its all good!
Part of my comment was to encourage team(s) to post more questions for clarification.
Everytime, we think we made a good enough accomodation to meet the rules, another post comes out that makes us question our frame idea.

This is why we haven't committed to a final design yet and instead have been working on our "Z-axis mechanism."

**Remember what happened last season with all of these inspectors not knowing game and robot rules. The questions, headaches, and different interpretations is sure to make headlines again this season.**

[spc295]

Originally Posted by Zultraranger

when you say draw, do you mean a rough sketch?

not a rough sketch a mechanicle drawing on autocad. they did nothing but give us a little machine time.

[Zultraranger]

Originally Posted by EricH

If the drawings were fabricated, it means that they were most likely full-on machining drawings.

If you turn this thread into a "mentor/sponsor-built vs. student built", then be warned: bad things happen.

Eric, what if I am turning this into a sponsor-built vs. student built argument, I laugh at your empty threats.

[sdcantrell56]

Honestly if you want to discuss student versus sponsor manufactured robots and the inner workings of individual teams post it in another thread already talking about it. This isn't the place to do it. Plus every team is different and as such you cannot determine what is the right way to set up another team.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Zultraranger

Eric, what if I am turning this into a sponsor-built vs. student built argument, I laugh at your empty threats.

1) Every thread on that topic has been closed or moderated to date.
2) At least half the long-time veterans can give a lot of negative reputation--and they may or may not choose to use it.
3) It's off-topic. If you want to have that debate (again), please start a new thread. That way the rest of us can constructively critique a frame instead of debating with those who want to.

On to the frame: are you only going with a 2WD, or will there be chain runs (or magic) to other wheels?

[Zultraranger]

Originally Posted by EricH

1) Every thread on that topic has been closed or moderated to date.
2) At least half the long-time veterans can give a lot of negative reputation--and they may or may not choose to use it.
3) It's off-topic. If you want to have that debate (again), please start a new thread. That way the rest of us can constructively critique a frame instead of debating with those who want to.

On to the frame: are you only going with a 2WD, or will there be chain runs (or magic) to other wheels?

Your checklist is cute.
Alright, to the PMs we go!

[spc295]

Originally Posted by EricH

1) Every thread on that topic has been closed or moderated to date.
2) At least half the long-time veterans can give a lot of negative reputation--and they may or may not choose to use it.
3) It's off-topic. If you want to have that debate (again), please start a new thread. That way the rest of us can constructively critique a frame instead of debating with those who want to.

On to the frame: are you only going with a 2WD, or will there be chain runs (or magic) to other wheels?

the drivetrain is 4WD the back wheels are direct driven with chains running up to the front. It should be a pretty awesome machine, once we have the scoring mechinisms fabricated and attached. to be honest we are still prototyping some things.