Tips from a veteran Robot Inspector

[Wayne Doenges]

Now that we are getting near robot completion it is now time to do some self inspection of said robot.

1) Go through the Robot Inspection checklist.
2) Be sure Main Breaker is where anyone can reach/see it. If your robot starts to smoke, during a match, wouldn’t it be nice if someone can quickly shut down your robot without having to hunt for the OFF switch?
3) One wire per Wago slot.
4) Confirm proper wire gauge, per application, per breaker.
5) Sharp corners. Remove them. I don’t like seeing blood, especially my own
6) Place air pressure gauges where they can be seen clearly.
7) Confirm any appendage cannot go further than 14 inches.
8) Bumpers. Use ¾ inch thick by 5 inches tall plywood, 8 inch minimum length. I have seen teams use ½ inch thick plywood and have to rebuild all their bumpers at a regional before they were allowed to play. Don’t be that team.
9) Bumper Zone is 2 inches to 10 inches.
10) Battery securely contained in robot. I have seen too many robots, during a match, dragging their battery.

At the regionals:
1) Don't wait till the last minute to have your robot inspected. You will avoid the rush from the other teams who waited till the last minute.
2) Don't get mad at the inspectors if they ask you to make some changes. They are only trying to help you have a great regional experiance.

[engunneer]

Originally Posted by Wayne Doenges

8) Bumpers. Use ¾ inch thick by 5 inches tall plywood, 8 inch minimum length. I have seen teams use ½ inch thick plywood and have to rebuild all their bumpers at a regional before they were allowed to play. Don’t be that team.

I took a look at what my students had cut so far for the bumpers and caught this exact problem yesterday. Thanks for the reminder list!

[eddie12390]

Originally Posted by Wayne Doenges

10) Battery securely contained in robot. I have seen too many robots, during a match, dragging their battery.

I second this. Last year we made the mistake of not securing our battery before an Elimination match and it was thrown from the robot about 20 seconds in.

[Taylor]

Originally Posted by Wayne Doenges

Now that we are getting near robot completion it is now time to do some self inspection of said robot.
--snip--
At the regionals:
1) Don't wait till the last minute to have your robot inspected. You will avoid the rush from the other teams who waited till the last minute.
2) Don't get mad at the inspectors if they ask you to make some changes. They are only trying to help you have a great regional experience.

If your robot isn't complete on Thursday, you can still get a partial inspection. For a big part of the day, there are usually a few inspectors standing around, looking for something to do. Grab one, have him/her look over your robot, cross some things off the checklist, perhaps the inspector can give you insight on simple ways to improve your design or make it compliant. Then, when you're complete and ready to go, you can finish the inspection and be ready to play.

We do this regularly; it gives us a chance to have a fun, relaxed interaction with the inspectors. They've given us lots of tips - both design and strategy.

Inspectors, referees, field crew, administration - they're all good people, and they've all been in your position before. Take the time to make good relationships with them. It'll pay in spades.

[Kevin Sevcik]

Originally Posted by Wayne Doenges

10) Battery securely contained in robot. I have seen too many robots, during a match, dragging their battery.

Thirded with emphasis. Also, anything that's elastic doesn't count as secure. We lost the '07 Great Lakes Regional for 1114 because I assumed another mentor purchased a proper battery strap and it turned out to be elastic. After technical difficulties in Semi 1, we went out in Semi 2 without a bumper that covered our battery. All that was holding the battery in was this elastic strap. Someone hit us hard enough to rocket our battery out of the robot and there goes what should have been an epic trophy for my team.

[Karibou]

Originally Posted by Wayne Doenges

2) Be sure Main Breaker is where anyone can reach/see it. If your robot starts to smoke, during a match, wouldn’t it be nice if someone can quickly shut down your robot without having to hunt for the OFF switch?

Quoted for truth. That little breaker gets exponentially harder to find when you're trying to turn the robot off quickly while still being conscious of the safety issue at hand. Print off the nice, red-and-white striped sticker from FIRST and put it on before the competition, and everyone will be happy.

[Nirvash]

Originally Posted by Karibou

Print off the nice, red-and-white striped sticker from FIRST and put it on before the competition, and everyone will be happy.

Do you have a link to this? I don't remember seeing it on FIRST's site.

[wireties]

What about protecting the shooter wheels? Our gears are relatively inaccessible but one could stick their hands into the wheel. Any comments or suggestions?

TIA

[engunneer]

Clearly marking it as a dangerous area (caution tape or Yellow/Black stripes) is better than nothing if some sort of physical guard is not possible because of other constraints.

[nitneylion452]

Originally Posted by wireties

What about protecting the shooter wheels? Our gears are relatively inaccessible but one could stick their hands into the wheel. Andy comments or suggestions?

TIA

IT would be tough to prevent people from putting their hands in the wheel without actually hindering the ball's path out of the shooter. I would do with enguneer's recommendation and put some caution tape or warning sign near the shooter. Like what you see on a lawn mower reminding you that blades moving at however many RPM can be hazardous to the well being of your fingers.

[wireties]

We are assembling our shooter - it sits on a what looks like a 17" dia gear. In some places this gear gets close to the plate under it. If one got a finger under it or near the gear (on a AndyMark gear motor) that drives the turntable, it could hurt you. So my question is - will a robot inspector likely make us cover this area for safety reasons?

[nitneylion452]

Originally Posted by wireties

We are assembling our shooter - it sits on a what looks like a 17" dia gear. In some places this gear gets close to the plate under it. If one got a finger under it or near the gear (on a AndyMark gear motor) that drives the turntable, it could hurt you. So my question is - will a robot inspector likely make us cover this area for safety reasons?

For that I would definitely cover it with some sort of shield. I thought you were initially referring to the wheels of your shooter. For the safety of your team and the event volunteers, I would protect the area.

Al,

As far as the wheels, which I thought is what he was talking about, it would be difficult to protect them without blocking the ball. I would completely agree, however, that any other area that could be considered unsafe should be covered by something to prevent caught fingers. I'm working field reset this year for the first time and I certainly don't want to be hurt in any way that isn't due to a lack of attention on my part.

[wireties]

Originally Posted by nitneylion452

For that I would definitely cover it with some sort of shield. I thought you were initially referring to the wheels of your shooter. For the safety of your team and the event volunteers, I would protect the area.

I was - these were two distinct questions. Thanks for the advice on both!

[nitneylion452]

Originally Posted by wireties

I was - these were two distinct questions. Thanks for the advice on both!

Good. So I'm not going insane...yet

[wireties]

Our bot pulls balls in on all 4 sides so we have small-ish bumper segments on the corners. Right now the numbers appear in order but with a gap on each side. Does that sound legal? Or would the complete number appearing across the corner work? The Q&As relevant to R35 are kinda vague. If you inspected our bot, what would you say?

TIA