pic: Ninja Munkees 2010

[EricH]

Originally Posted by PAR_WIG1350

I'd suggest using a more industrial scale, maybe even a fish scale.

Most fish scales don't have the capacity to do a full robot. When I did the weighing for 330, we really only used the fish scale for stuff that could hook on to it, or that was too awkward to do any other way.

When we did the full robot, we knew where a really good scale was to do the weighing.

Now here's an idea: If there are other teams close to you, go in with them on a scale of the type FIRST uses, or something similar, and make it available to all the teams in the area.

[Rion Atkinson]

Originally Posted by PAR_WIG1350

I'd suggest using a more industrial scale, maybe even a fish scale.

I would love to do that. And we are very near to the UPS central hub here in Oklahoma. (Down the block) So asking them from the use of their scales wouldn't be to hard. But my mentors didn't want to spend the time packing up the robot into a car, so we didn't even call them up and ask.

Originally Posted by EricH

Most fish scales don't have the capacity to do a full robot. When I did the weighing for 330, we really only used the fish scale for stuff that could hook on to it, or that was too awkward to do any other way.

When we did the full robot, we knew where a really good scale was to do the weighing.

Now here's an idea: If there are other teams close to you, go in with them on a scale of the type FIRST uses, or something similar, and make it available to all the teams in the area.

The problem with a fish scale (if we got one that could support the weight of a robot) we would have to create a mount and find some where to put it. Our ceiling is around 20 feet high, and it's a rather small room, which almost every square inch has been used. The only free space is the space where to work on the robot.

I like the idea of pitching in and buying a nice scale. But the problem with that is I only know of a few teams location. And with the Oklahoma Regional still being young, the teams hardly even speak to one another. So this would be rather difficult to do.

I'll look into the fish scale for next year though.

-Rion

[svenw]

another idea you could try is a vet clinic the usually have large and accurate scales. team 781 has a vet clinic just down the road, and they have kindly let us weigh the robot for a few years now.

[Rion Atkinson]

Originally Posted by svenw

another idea you could try is a vet clinic the usually have large and accurate scales. team 781 has a vet clinic just down the road, and they have kindly let us weigh the robot for a few years now.

That was another of our ideas. I'm glad to see I think like many others. (There is hope in my future! ) But again we ran into the problem of the mentors not wanting to put the robot into a car....

[Rion Atkinson]

I was just informed of this. The first row or so of pictures is the other 4-H team in Oklahoma. Page 2 only has a few of ours. Numbers 9, 10, 11, and 13 to be exact.

[thefro526]

On the topic of scales, On 816 we use this scale (Or one that looks exactly like it): http://interstatedeals.com/royal-exa...5w-p-1352.html.

To make it work for us we took a piece of 3/4" plywood and cut it down to about 38" by 28" and then added a small jig on the bottom so it fit over the scale. All you have to do is zero it out with the piece of plywood on top and you're good to weigh. It's worked really well for us so far. (Since 2007)

I'd estimate that you could replicate our setup for about $75 or so.