gyros

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Posted by JT at 03/19/2001 6:11 PM EST


Student on team #524, Alpha Omega, from South High School and Nasa JPL.



has anyone been able to use the gyros to help balance the bridge. From what I have seen many teams have tried but failed

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Posted by Andy Baker at 03/19/2001 11:35 PM EST


Engineer on team #45, TechnoKats, from Kokomo High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.


In Reply to: gyros
Posted by JT on 03/19/2001 6:11 PM EST:



We (team 45) does the gyro thing... and we do it pretty well.

The trick is not only the software, but also traction (metal treads in our case) and power (2 drill motors and 2 fisher-prices).

We will be calibrating to the Motorola Midwest bridge this weekend, and then at Nationals.

I will try to get some video posted before Nationals.

Andy B.

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Posted by Mike Soukup at 03/20/2001 12:15 AM EST


Engineer on team #111, Wildstang, from Rolling Meadows & Wheeling and Motorola.


In Reply to: TechnoKats - Team 45 does the gyro thingy
Posted by Andy Baker on 03/19/2001 11:35 PM EST:




I agree, 45 has an excellent auto balance.

Hey Andy, you say that you have to calibrate to the bridge at each competition. Have you thought about what you'll do at Nationals? You'll play most of your matches on the division field, and maybe some on the main field, plus (hopefully) the elims which are on the main field. So if you calibrate your auto balance to the divisional bridge, how well will you adapt to the main stage bridge?

Mike

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Posted by Andy Baker at 03/20/2001 1:00 AM EST


Engineer on team #45, TechnoKats, from Kokomo High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.


In Reply to: about that calibrating
Posted by Mike Soukup on 03/20/2001 12:15 AM EST:



:
: I agree, 45 has an excellent auto balance.

Mike, thanks.

When we built our bridge, we greased it to make it the "worst case scenario". Then we wend to Grand Rapids and had to make a slight change, only changing the variable in one direction.

Then, we came home, and it still worked out our loose bridge.

Needless to say, there is a window of what works. I don't think that the bridges will be any more different than the two we have played on (home and W. Mich.). I suppose that if the bridges tighten up before the qual. matches, they will loosen as the comp. goes.

At least I hope so... if we do have to make a change... it doesn't take too long. Also, our driver is pretty good a balancing manually, so we should be OK. Also, with all of the wedge bots out there... and ramp bots, we may not even get to autobalance in the finals... I just hope that we get to see.

Andy B.

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Posted by Ken Leung at 03/20/2001 5:17 AM EST


Student on team #192, Gunn Robotics Team, from Henry M. Gunn Senior High School.


In Reply to: TechnoKats - Team 45 does the gyro thingy
Posted by Andy Baker on 03/19/2001 11:35 PM EST:



I think a lot of teams ought to pay attention to what Andy just said here...

"The trick is not only the software, but also traction (metal treads in our case) and power (2 drill motors and 2 fisher-prices)."

Usually the programmers are tempted in creating all these fancy programming trying to automate the function of the robot as much as possible.

However, many teams are still trusting the drivers to control the robot because they are able to take in the situation on the playing field, and perform a perfect movement from on the joysticks with their hands, and the joysticks send a clear signal to the robot and order it to perform certain tasks the drivers desire. While all those happened in a few seconds, a lot have been done and goals are met.

Control system is a really complicated subject within Mechanical Engineering... It takes precise mechanical system, as well as high-end electronics control to achieve high quality result...

Usually in the FIRST competition, because there are not enough sensors (electronics) to precisely measure the movement of the drive train, or the lack of quicker respond time from the gyro, or because of any imperfection in any drive train, automation in balancing the bridge is extremely hard...

So think twice before you design your robot. You want to take your time and figure out how exactly the robot should be controlled. Think about how much automation you want, and how much the drivers can handle. Then, design you components around those control requirements. Make sure it is easy for the drivers to use. Or else it is going to be really hard for the drivers to do anything with the robot.

They always say, a robot is only as good as the drivers are. Well, I think this saying should expand a bit more: A robot is only as good as it is controlled.

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Posted by JT at 03/21/2001 12:31 AM EST


Student on team #524, Alpha Omega, from South High School and Nasa JPL.


In Reply to: TechnoKats - Team 45 does the gyro thingy
Posted by Andy Baker on 03/19/2001 11:35 PM EST:



would it be at all posible to see the code you used? My team was thinking about usin the gyro but ran out of time. I want to experiment with it during our dead time.

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Posted by Patrick Dingle at 03/22/2001 8:35 AM EST


Coach on team #639, Red B^2, from Ithaca High School and Cornell University.


In Reply to: gyros
Posted by JT on 03/19/2001 6:11 PM EST:



Our team is interested in understanding how to set up the gyro, possibly for our robot next year... Does anyone know of any good documentation out there?

Patrick

: has anyone been able to use the gyros to help balance the bridge. From what I have seen many teams have tried but failed