pic: Air Suspension

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Eric,
Pneumatic vacuum using cylinders was allowed in 2007 after some discussion, in 2004 it was not. The only legal vacuum devices prior to 2007 were venturis which create vacuum but not by mechanical force. However, even these were not legal in most years.

From 2004 Robot Pneumatic section rules <R54> revised...

• A device that creates a vacuum is not considered to be a pneumatic device, and is allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, venturi-type vacuum generators and off-the-shelf vacuum devices (as long a they are powered by one of the Kit motors).

Some teams used vacuum pumps that were COTS items, removed the motors and replaced them with KOP motors. The FP was the motor of choice that year.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

Eric,
Pneumatic vacuum using cylinders was allowed in 2007 after some discussion, in 2004 it was not. The only legal vacuum devices prior to 2007 were venturis which create vacuum but not by mechanical force. However, even these were not legal in most years.

From 2004 Robot Pneumatic section rules <R54> revised...

• A device that creates a vacuum is not considered to be a pneumatic device, and is allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, venturi-type vacuum generators and off-the-shelf vacuum devices (as long a they are powered by one of the Kit motors).

Some teams used vacuum pumps that were COTS items, removed the motors and replaced them with KOP motors. The FP was the motor of choice that year.

Then two teams were using illegal mechanisms in 2004; a pair of West Coast teams used a setup similar to 386's 2007 one to try to create suction on the 2X ball.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Eric,
That is a possibility particularly if this was a week one or two event. I did not look into which Q&A prompted which Team Update, I merely quoted the final robot rules revision.
I do remember at least one team, buying a cheap vacuum cleaner and replacing the motor with an FP. It worked fairly well as I remember.

[Brandon Holley]

Originally Posted by EricH

Then two teams were using illegal mechanisms in 2004; a pair of West Coast teams used a setup similar to 386's 2007 one to try to create suction on the 2X ball.

Not to mention Baxter's bot that year....that was a thing of beauty.

[joeweber]

Installed the air suspension. It does work but requires too much work to make it usefull. Keeping the correct pressure and all the systems needed is no justifiable.

[Elgin Clock]

It's not just your bumper zone you can throw out of whack with a design like that, it's your whole profile!
We had a drop down wheel this year that raised the front of our robot up ever so slightly, & when we measured it, the bot was out of profile with the wheel in the down position. We had to cut our frame depth (front to back) a bit so that when it leaned back it was still in profile.
Just one more thing to consider.