pic: Hopper design

[Packmon's_girl]

I have one idea to prevent them from getting out, have something above the balls so that if they were knocked, they would hit the top bar, and go back onto the system.

[krADLEY]

This is true.. Thanks for your imput

[Donut]

We're trying a similar design for our ball holder (the ball trough will wrap around the outside of our robot though, not in a center spiral). We plan on stretching some kind of bungie cords or stretchy tubing over the top to keep them in (that way the top can be moved to remove balls at the end of the match, since you must be able to do this without power).

[Rick TYler]

Is that a prototype or a production piece? Don't forget the role of fabric as a ball guide. It's light, cheap and can be installed with wire ties. Nice design -- very similar to one of our seeming endless number of prototypes. (Our "storage room" is nearly full of plywood-and-baling-wire prototypes.)

[krADLEY]

At this point, its a prototype. Our team has decided on just about every design except the hopper and pickup mechanisms. Both essential to the game. This hopper can be made into any relative shape(for space reasons) as long as gravity can power it.

[Tytus Gerrish]

WOW! a Helical hopper MADE OF PVC!!!!! that is the coolest Robot part i have seen this year, Kudos

[spamified88]

Originally Posted by Donut

We're trying a similar design for our ball holder (the ball trough will wrap around the outside of our robot though, not in a center spiral). We plan on stretching some kind of bungie cords or stretchy tubing over the top to keep them in (that way the top can be moved to remove balls at the end of the match, since you must be able to do this without power).

why not use the rubber surgical tubing in the kit?

[Chriszuma]

i don't understand how you would get the balls up into that contraption... does it rotate?

[groves]

Originally Posted by Chriszuma

i don't understand how you would get the balls up into that contraption... does it rotate?

I'm pretty sure it goes down the contraption.

[Chriszuma]

Originally Posted by groves

I'm pretty sure it goes down the contraption.

Yeah, I got that, but how would they be loaded into it? If it's just a 10-initial-ball-holder, then it's highly inefficient.

[keagara]

oooooooooooo i like

[Lil' Lavery]

Coolest looking hopper posted yet (possibly aside of 217's suspected hopper, but they havnt officially said what their "wheel of doom" is). Simple, efficient, and awesome.

edit: wow, 800th post already!?!