No Pneumatics?

[w1n5t0n]

My Team (Haywire, 1569) generally refrains from using Pneumatics. This year wasn't any different and our robot is fantastic. I noticed this year that majority of teams used them. Anyone else not use them?

[Walter Deitzler]

3397 has not used them since our rookie year, 2010. We have just not seen the need for them since then.

[artdutra04]

Adding a pneumatic system to a robot now is no longer the weight penalty it once was, especially since the VIAIR compressor and plastic air tanks are a fraction of the weight of their predecessors.

They have some other nice aspects like having the ability to be stalled forever and to allow "after the buzzer" operation, both of which aided a lot of teams this year for their 10pt hanging mechanisms.

[mman1506]

Pneumatics also puts out the most power (speed/torque) for there weight

[Tow]

Actually our team has never used pbeumatics since it's rookie team, but is mayoritarily because we actually don't know how to use them well

[pmangels17]

For us, our transmissions use 3 different air cylinders. One for PTO (power take off), on for Hi-Lo Shifting, and one for our Pneumatic Brake. Some teams use servos to shift, but they are fidgetey. We are going to try a servo powered brake, results to come eventually. Many teams have had success with window motors for shifting multiple gearboxes at onc, but we prefer pneumatics, and with the size constraint it makes life easier. Pistons are also more accurate on many two-position mechanisms, whereas the same mechanism with a motor would require a gearbox and limit switches/potentiometers/encoders.

Pneumatics are pretty simple, as long as you don't try to put a 1/4" hose into a 6mm fitting

[cjl2625]

We've had problems with pneumatics in the past, so now we pretty much just stay away from it altogether.

[CENTURION]

Originally Posted by cjl2625

We've had problems with pneumatics in the past, so now we pretty much just stay away from it altogether.

I've heard sayings to this effect before in my own team. We had a pneumatic system in our 2010 robot that had leaks and other sorts of issues, and that lead many students to swear to never use pneumatics again. One even said that we should make it an official team rule: No Pneumatics.

But those students graduated, and the newer students this year threw a pneumatic system in the robot. And it works just fine

I guess what I'm saying (And I really do mean it in the nicest way possible) is;

It's probably not the pneumatic's fault.

[mman1506]

The only pneumatics part we really have had a problem with is the old festo KOP solenoids. The SMC ones work great.

[Jacob.B]

The HOT team doesn't use pnuematics and haven't for a while. This year they have Vex Ball shifters that they can't shift, YET!

[Andrew Schreiber]

Wait... you can build a rowboat without pneumatics? Ooops.

We didn't use pneumatics last year or this year. No major situations where we said "darn, we wish we had pneumatics for this". That being said, we may use them in our robot redesign for some Ultimate Ascent offseasons for shifting, feeding, and climbing.

[Billfred]

2815 has used pneumatics two years out of five, 2010 (shifting) and 2013 (shifting and frisbee firing).

2815 has missed Championship two years out of five, 2010 and 2013.

Correlation vs. causation aside, it is something that gives me a little pause before immediately jumping to them.