First Robot

[GaryVoshol]

And put your team number on the cart, so Ed knows who to yell at (er, speak to gently) to get it into the proper parking spot.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by GaryVoshol

And put your team number on the cart, so Ed knows who to yell at (er, speak to gently) to get it into the proper parking spot.

Ask the Florida teams, I no longer yell at them to get their carts.
Now I just hide them.

[sanddrag]

It is possible the robot may be geared in such a way, and the wheels and tread have sufficient characteristics that you may not need a cart at all. If you do need a cart, I would most definitely recommend free-wheeling (human powered) over motorized. Fewer problems, easily variable speed and maneuvering, less weight.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Remember that whatever you build will need to be shipped. The combined wisdom of the above posters taken together would imply something that is light, human powered, collapses for travel (or easily fits in the robot crate) and can do double duty as a work platform and a transport for pit tools and accessories.

[Andy Baker]

This is what I suggest using as a robot cart (or something similar):



Andy B.

[RoboMom]

And make sure it fits through a normal size doorway because, trust me, you will be on the other side of that doorway at some point, late for a presentation.
I have fond memories of gentle inquiries about the size of a spanking new customized cart and was reassured they had that taken care of.
Oops. Not quite. They were off by ....

[Chris is me]

As someone who had to push around a robot cart for four events last year, a few things:

1. Big wheels (pneumatic tires or rubber) make going over gaps and wiring sections on the floor much easier. 3 inches of ground clearance in the middle is perfect, less requires some work.

2. A solid handle is significantly better than a rope handle.

3. 2 fixed, 2 omni / swivel casters works well for maneuverability; four casters is a little harder to control with just one person.

4. Storage for stuff like the driver station is nice, not required but your drivers will thank you if they have a spot to throw the controller. (Some robots have room on them for this kind of stuff).

5. Some events (cough 10,000 Lakes cough) have only 32 inches of clearance for your cart. Long way forward and no wider than your robot is the best solution, or at least a way you can shrink it.

[,4lex S.]

The cart Andy suggested is basically what my team has used the past few years. They are available from a ton of manufacturers, and are customizable to your own needs. Last year, we mounted a plywood deck for the robot to sit on. If you choose to do this, ensure it is strong enough to handle the robot (If it isn't, injuries will occur).

Also, you should consider your robot's center of gravity in whatever you build (we almost dumped our robot off the side of the cart a few times last year).

Flashy carts are usually a waste of money, I would much rather have a flashy robot .

[artdutra04]

Chris has some great points, but here's some additional information (shown in red) that 228 has learned from about a half dozen different iterations of homemade robot carts over the past twelve seasons. We've learned all nine points the hard way at one point or another.

Originally Posted by Chris is me

As someone who had to push around a robot cart for four events last year, a few things:

1. Big wheels (pneumatic tires or rubber) make going over gaps and wiring sections on the floor much easier. 3 inches of ground clearance in the middle is perfect, less requires some work.

2. A solid removable handle is significantly better than a rope handle.

Nothing is more annoying (or a potential safety hazard) than having a solid, non-removable handle. Having an easy to remove solid handle allows you to remove the handle to work on the robot and make it easier to lift the robot onto/off of the cart. This can be something as simple a bent or welded piece of aluminum tubing than can slide into a slot in the cart.

Originally Posted by Chris is me

3. 2 (at the end of the cart opposite of the fixed handle) and 2 omni / swivel casters (at the end with the handle) works well for maneuverability; four casters is a little harder to control with just one person.

When you put the casters at the end opposite the handle, you'll have a large rotational moment when trying to turn the cart. If you put the casters at the same end as the handle, it'll be much easier to rotate the cart.

Originally Posted by Chris is me

4. If you are going to build your own cart, while storage for stuff like the driver station is nice (not required), storage space for spare batteries and bottled water should be provided. but your drivers will thank you if they have a spot to throw the controller. (Some robots have room on them for this kind of stuff).

Having storage space for batteries will save you from running to the pits, and having storage space for ample bottled water will literally save you. We once had a member of our drive team collapse during the elimination rounds five or six years ago from dehydration. Since then we've taken aggressive measures to always have ample bottled water (or Nalgenes+drinking fountain) at all times.

Originally Posted by Chris is me

5. Some events (cough 10,000 Lakes cough) have only 32 inches of clearance for your cart. Long way forward and no wider than your robot is the best solution, or at least a way you can shrink it.

Standard doorways are between 30-32 inches wide, so this should be a universal standard.

6. Most FRC robots are a maximum of five feet tall. Remember this when building a cart. The maximum height of a robot on top of the cart should be less than the maximum clearance height of the lowest doorway you'll encounter.

7. Your robot will change every year, but when you finally build a cart, build it once. Therefore, design in an easy to change method for holding the robot every year. One good solution is to mount blocks on pieces of 80/20 (or other similar extrusion), to slide to new positions every year.

8. If you have a giant flat surface, put a lip on it. There will be times where you'll have loose hardware from a mechanism on the cart that's still being assembled as you rush back to the field. Having lips on the cart will prevent that loose hardware from getting hopelessly lost.

9. Make your cart lightweight. Don't make it motorized, don't put on surround speakers, don't have permanently attached toolboxes, etc. Make it carry the robot, carry spare batteries, and potentially carry the operator interface. Anything else should stay in the pits.


Here's a photo of the homemade (wood) cart 228 has been using since 2006, which incorporates all of the above features:



with handle removed:

[Ted Weisse]

Originally Posted by Andy Baker

This is what I suggest using as a robot cart (or something similar):



Andy B.

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