Quick release bumper design

[bmxer51]

This is like the 15th snowday for our school so I came up with a relatively simple bumper attachment design and thought I would share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phkYfAKK91A

Eagles - Team 2874

[gopatterson]

Originally Posted by bmxer51

This is like the 15th snowday for our school so I came up with a relatively simple bumper attachment design and thought I would share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phkYfAKK91A

Eagles - Team 2874

What is the bumper height

[bmxer51]

You can adjust how high the bumpers are by the position you mount the plywood to the attachable piece of metal. If you are wondering about the height for this years competition the bumpers must be between 1 and 7 inches off the floor. We have made ours to be 1.5 inches off the floor on the bottom and 6.5 inches off the floor on the top

As you probably know the bumpers are 5 inches high

[bmxer51]

Originally Posted by gopatterson

What is the bumper height

If we ever have school again i will take my video camera and make a video of our bumper system so you have a better idea of how it works as a whole

[RoboMaster]

Wow, very nifty idea. If you machine it just right, maybe grease the contact points, I can see this being extremely quick and easy. It is more complex than a simple bolt or pin, but it might make a team's robot all that more snazzy. You should find some kind of handle/grasping point you can put on top of it for simple grabbing.

One thing I thought of: if your bumper has two latches/quick releases, you'll need three hands or a helper: two to pull and hold up the latches and one to pull out/place the bumper. Could you make the quick releases latch up so that you don't have to hold them there? How about sawing a notch in the middle bolt, which you can hook on to a lip from that metal tubing.

[Vikesrock]

Originally Posted by RoboMaster

Could you make the quick releases latch up so that you don't have to hold them there? How about sawing a notch in the middle bolt, which you can hook on to a lip from that metal tubing.

Once you have the two side bolts clear of the holes, it looks like you could just twist it so they don't go back in and relatch it.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

BMX,
Looks nice. Could you give us a report once you have them in place on a driving robot and let us know how they fair in hits with the walls and other robots? I am interested to know if they will accidentally release the bumpers.

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

I am interested to know if they will accidentally release the bumpers.

And that's a RED CARD this year!

<G30> Any ROBOT used during a MATCH must be in compliance with all ROBOT Rules (as defined in Section 4 – The Robot). Violation: RED CARD

(BUMPER rules are found in Section 4)

[bmxer51]

We have finished building the quick release mechanisms. We have a total of 8 on our robot 2 per side. They work amazing, we are in the process of making a cable that will allow one person to pull up on and then just slide the bumpers in.

If you space the 2 quick release brackets the same distance from the front and the back of the robot the right and left sides will be interchangeable same with the front and the back.

We made the spring to be adjustable so they are plenty strong enough. We dont plan on them coming off but I will keep you all posted.

Today I will post an updated video of all 8 on the robot and how we intend for them to work.

[Bob Steele]

2 per side might violate the "support every 8" rule"

How are you supporting the robot to meet this rule.
It is a very nifty idea...

Remember also that your fastener can't extend out beyond the wood...

I hope you make this works
Our team has used rivets to fasten our bumpers for awhile now... pretty quick and very sure

good luck!

[dmitch]

Where do you go to school? I want to go there!

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Bob Steele

Our team has used rivets to fasten our bumpers for awhile now... pretty quick and very sure

I assume I'm misunderstanding this. It sounds like you're riveting your bumpers to your robot...and that can't be right. Among other things, it would take forever to remove them for inspection. Please help me understand what you're describing.

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

I assume I'm misunderstanding this. It sounds like you're riveting your bumpers to your robot...and that can't be right. Among other things, it would take forever to remove them for inspection. Please help me understand what you're describing.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=73127

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

I assume I'm misunderstanding this. It sounds like you're riveting your bumpers to your robot...and that can't be right. Among other things, it would take forever to remove them for inspection. Please help me understand what you're describing.

On the contrary - removing riveted bumpers wouldn't take that much time at all. All you have to do is drill them out.

I'm assuming aluminium rivets here - a bit easier to drill out than a steel rivet.

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by Bob Steele

2 per side might violate the "support every 8" rule"

The 8-inch support rule says that you cannot have any missing sections of frame greater than 8". It doesn't say your bumper has to be connected every 8".

Most teams using traditional bolts and wingnuts use 2 or 3 connectors per side.