Carpet Solutions

[dcarr]

Like many teams, we don't have a permanent workspace or practice field. As such, we have to set up and take down our practice field during any work day that we need to use the robot. Our storage garage is around 100 yards from the small parking lot that we practice on, so it is quite a chore to carry these large, very heavy rolls of carpet back and forth (especially late at night when there aren't as many helping hands around, and everyone is tired). Not to mention, rolling a 54-foot long piece of carpet is quite a challenge to do correctly.

Does anyone have any innovative solutions for carpet storage/rolling/conveyance?

[CalTran]

Besides just slicing the carpet in half or quarters, and taping down the halves for extensive practice?

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by CalTran

Besides just slicing the carpet in half or quarters, and taping down the halves for extensive practice?

Currently we do half two halves (each 54x12). We could divide it into more, smaller pieces sure. But the wind tends to lift the edges of the carpet and the maintenance staff at our school often has to drive through this parking lot on their electric carts so we want to minimize it getting too messed up as the day goes on. What kind of tape would you use that would be strong enough yet easy enough to remove/reapply daily (and hopefully stick to cement?)

[Hallry]

How big is your garage? Is there anyway you could practice in there instead? It must be a pain having to use the parking lot with weather and all.

We're in a similar situation to you, but not as bad. We use our schools' cafeteria, and each day have to move/roll out our carpets (two quarter-size fields) and move/reassemble our field elements (which are each stored in adjacent rooms, about 15 yards away for the carpet and 50 yards away for the field elements), and then disassemble and restore them afterwards. When we get to use the gym, which we had to more often this year due to it's higher ceiling, the carpet is stored about 200 yards away (and up some stairs), and the field elements about 150 yards away. Luckily, on weekends, we can leave the field set up in cafeteria overnight, since our school is not in season for the week of ship date, we can leave it set up in the gym then. But here's the secret: CARTS. Obvious and simply answer, but having wheels makes it so much easier and quicker to move, with less carrying involved. I completely get what you mean about the hassle of putting it away in the end, there is ALWAYS less hand available since people leave, making it much harder to do. We have started requiring for people to stay later to help clean up everything now, so it's not the same 5 people stuck doing it everyday.

We find using two quarter-sized carpets satisfies all the practice we require. We usually build between a quarter to a half of the total field elements, and vary the positions of two carpets to create either the full length of the field (which was good for Rebound Rumble for traversing the barrier and bridge and for collecting balls), or the full width of the field (which was good for Logomotion to fit the full rack for tubes).

[CalTran]

I didn't know you practiced outside. That perhaps changes things. Our team also doesn't have a permanent practice field but we do have the space to set up a half field. As far as we've been a team, short of Overdrive, we've never really found the need to set up a full field. Usually the games are "simple" enough that you can get some solid practice in on just a half, or even quarter, field. The driving practice will be about the same because usually games don't warrant full field crossing.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by dcarr

Does anyone have any innovative solutions for carpet storage/rolling/conveyance?

I don't know if you've seen them, but SCRRF built two rather hefty dollies specifically for handling carpet rolls some time ago. Each one has 6 casters and was built with 2x4. They're about 3' long and 23" wide, with 2 long pieces on top and 3 crossbars underneath. 6 people can load carpet onto them, working one end at a time, and move the carpet to where it needs to go--I've seen a 6-7 person crew load carpet onto a pickup truck using just their combined strength and one of the dollies (after moving the other one out of the way).

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by Hallry

How big is your garage? Is there anyway you could practice in there instead? It must be a pain having to use the parking lot with weather and all.

I wish Our garage is just a standard two-car garage attached to a house adjacent to school property (the school owns all the homes along one edge of the school property to allow for future expansion).

Fortunately, with SoCal weather it's not too bad! It does get a little cold and wet (trying to practice balancing on a wet bridge last year was not fun) but I don't want to complain too much

Originally Posted by CalTran

I didn't know you practiced outside. That perhaps changes things. Our team also doesn't have a permanent practice field but we do have the space to set up a half field. As far as we've been a team, short of Overdrive, we've never really found the need to set up a full field. Usually the games are "simple" enough that you can get some solid practice in on just a half, or even quarter, field. The driving practice will be about the same because usually games don't warrant full field crossing.

More often than not we end up working with a half-field. Still plenty of annoyance to be had.

Originally Posted by EricH

I don't know if you've seen them, but SCRRF built two rather hefty dollies specifically for handling carpet rolls some time ago. Each one has 6 casters and was built with 2x4. They're about 3' long and 23" wide, with 2 long pieces on top and 3 crossbars underneath. 6 people can load carpet onto them, working one end at a time, and move the carpet to where it needs to go--I've seen a 6-7 person crew load carpet onto a pickup truck using just their combined strength and one of the dollies (after moving the other one out of the way).

I haven't seen them - but a few 3309 members helped set up at the Fall Classic and might have gotten a glimpse. Sounds like it might be exactly what we're looking for. Do you happen to have or know of any pictures?

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by Hallry

I completely get what you mean about the hassle of putting it away in the end, there is ALWAYS less hand available since people leave, making it much harder to do. We have started requiring for people to stay later to help clean up everything now, so it's not the same 5 people stuck doing it everyday.

Good point - we're actually planning to expand our use of VolunteerSpot to also encompass student/supervisor sign-ups to stay late on work nights to make sure it's not just a few programmers, drivers, and mentors stuck with a gigantic clean up job.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by dcarr

I haven't seen them - but a few 3309 members helped set up at the Fall Classic and might have gotten a glimpse. Sounds like it might be exactly what we're looking for. Do you happen to have or know of any pictures?

No pictures to my knowledge--or to the builder's. They do tend to come in really handy for other heavy items, too, or so I'm told (setup/teardown/cleaning crew at our home build site where the SCRRF field and carpet are stored tend to like to borrow them from time to time for moving heavy items).

[Hallry]

Originally Posted by dcarr

Good point - we're actually planning to expand our use of VolunteerSpot to also encompass student/supervisor sign-ups to stay late on work nights to make sure it's not just a few programmers, drivers, and mentors stuck with a gigantic clean up job.

Just a few programmers, drivers (who are also our programmers), and mentors...yep, sounds just like who's stuck doing it on our team too! . But yeah, definitely have others take turns staying late as well to help with break down.

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by Hallry

Just a few programmers, drivers (who are also our programmers), and mentors...yep, sounds just like who's stuck doing it on our team too! . But yeah, definitely have others take turns staying late as well to help with break down.

Wow...exactly the same here. Glad to know we not the only ones in the same boat. Here's to more pleasant late nights in 2013!

[Ekcrbe]

It could be a little tough to work out (and you probably won't have the opportunity until next year), but our shop teacher always works it out so he doesn't have a wood shop class in the 2nd trimester of the school year. So during build season, we push everything into the corners and leave our practice field, which is about 27'x27', set up full time. Just make sure no one outside of the team wanders in and messes with it. Even if it's not a shop, try asking your school for a vacant room during the build season.

[ttldomination]

I don't think we have carpet for a full field, but it's enough carpet so that we can set up the pieces we have, and the robot has enough space to stretch its 'legs'.

We use a couple of those rolly chairs they usually have in computer labs to roll out the carpet. It takes a couple of students a minute or two to get the carpet out from storage.

- Sunny G.