pic: PSA: Watch your metal shavings

[David Brinza]

I wouldn't be surprised if when we get to Atlanta, Team 4 discovers at least one of our Victors has a toasted FET.

When we powered on our robot at the start of our second semi-final match at the GTR, a cloud of "magic smoke" appeared. Prior to going onto the field for match #2, we had used our timeout to repair battle damage. In the first match, the sheet aluminum "scoop" for our ball collector had snagged on the edge of the ramp, folded under the robot and ripped a portion of the lexan sheet on which our electronic components are mounted. The sheet aluminum was removed and, in order to re-attach the lexan board with zip-ties, some holes were drilled some sheet aluminum above the board. In the heat of battle, the electronics were not covered nor blown out with compressed air before going back onto the field. I suspect a bit of aluminum may have found its way into a Victor and caused a short - poof!

Our #4 alliance (229, 217 and 4) managed to beat the #1 alliance (1114, 1503, 865) in the first semi-final match. In the second and third matches, our drive system was clearly hobbled. Teams 1114 and 1503 were an awesome scoring pair and if you give them a few seconds, they can rack up a big score. We couldn't harass either of the two triplets effectively, so they rattled the chains over heads with a deluge of balls.