26-01-2007 21:46

Stuart

Re: pic: All folded up

love the diamond plate.

26-01-2007 21:48

DanDon

Re: pic: All folded up

That diamond plate must make for one EXPENSIVE robot.

26-01-2007 21:52

lukevanoort

Re: pic: All folded up

9 feet long? Wow, thats huge! What are you planning on to power the unfolding?

26-01-2007 22:03

NOV8R

Re: pic: All folded up

The 64:1 banebot gearmotors ( one on each ramp) driving lead screws drive each ramp over center where they fall to the carpet. The big ramps fall is cushioned by a "pool noodle" and the small ramp by dense foam. Works great but you don't want to be in the way when they deploy.

26-01-2007 22:09

DonRotolo

Re: pic: All folded up

Watch out for crosswinds!

Very nice. How much does it weigh??

Don

26-01-2007 22:31

NOV8R

Re: pic: All folded up

75 LB minus the electronics

26-01-2007 22:34

JulieB

Re: pic: All folded up

Its cute.
so yall going 6' and 100Lbs

are yall planing on having a arm??

26-01-2007 22:35

DanDon

Re: pic: All folded up

Are you going to add some filler weight to bring it up somewhere near the limit for whatever class you're in? (What class is that, by the way?)

26-01-2007 22:49

NOV8R

Re: pic: All folded up

Yes, we're going to be in the 6 ft 100LB category. We'll make sure it weighs very close to the max weight. With bumpers and the battery our weight will be 128 LB. We're going to play defense during the first part of the match. Can you imagine trying to see around a 72 inch by 38 inch piece of diamond plate between you and the rack? If we don't move at all from our starting position in the home zone and just deploy our ramps at the start of the match we've blocked the other alliance from getting to a lot of their tubes. With about 20 square feet of 12 inch high parking space we have plenty of easily accessible space for two robots.

26-01-2007 23:48

Ryan Dognaux

Re: pic: All folded up

What kind of hinges are you guys using to attach the diamond plate ramp? I see two there, they seem rather small too.

26-01-2007 23:54

NOV8R

Re: pic: All folded up

Hi Ryan, Both ramps are attached with two commercial grade 1 1/2 x 3 inch steel hinges ( about the only steel on the whole bot). The heaviest ramp is only 20 LB. To test the hinges and ramps we've had 200 plus pound boys stand on them with no problems.

27-01-2007 00:03

Po-ser

Re: pic: All folded up

Very nice. What made you choose diamond plate? (Just curious about your thought process as you went about making the ramps.)

27-01-2007 00:13

NOV8R

Re: pic: All folded up

Our team has always used diamond plate and it has kind of become our hallmark.

27-01-2007 00:22

waialua359

Re: pic: All folded up

diamond plates are great.
thats what we are using also. 1/16" diamond plates are relatively light since they are stamped and provide some traction for robots to climb.
However, it costs a lot!

27-01-2007 01:15

=Martin=Taylor=

Re: pic: All folded up

OMG!

You've prompted me to envision a terrifying new breed of robots

Blockers

What if a team decides not to bother with ramps or rings? But decides just to create a massive wall that prevents the other alliance from scoring?
It sounds silly, but this could work, it would change the entire way the game is played...

27-01-2007 01:44

NOV8R

Re: pic: All folded up

With the advent of a 6 ft high robot new strategies and tactics are possible. We are a blocker and we don't have to make contact to do it. If we simply drive into the other alliances home zone and park in front of their drivers we've obstructed their view of the field. They have to be over 6 1/2 ft tall to see over our bot. It will also be almost impossible for any team's arm to reach over us if we are between them and the rack. If we deploy our ramps in our home zone at the begining of the match without even moving we'll deny the other alliance from getting to most of their tubes leaning against the wall in our home zone. There is a lot of diiferent kinds of defense we can play with this robot.

27-01-2007 02:55

dtengineering

Re: pic: All folded up

Last year the "block the view" tactic (parking in front of a driver station) was specifically vetoed by the GDC in the Q&A.

That was last year... haven't seen anything about it this year, however G35 would suggest that while you may DEPLOY your ramp in your end zone during the main part of the match, that you would also receive a penalty EVERY time an opposing robot contacted you outside your bumper zone.

I'm not the final word on strategy, by any means, but FIRST does attempt to keep the game moving and dynamic. You may want to ask Q&A before basing a strategy upon static obstruction.

I like the ramp, though. Whether or not the obstructive strategies are allowed, I am sure you will be a very valuable alliance partner.

Jason

27-01-2007 12:55

JamesBrown

Re: pic: All folded up

How tippy is the bot, it seems like alot of the weight is very close to one side of the robot. Typically if you get tipped while you are playing defense and the other team is trying to score the other team doesn't get penalized. Is this going to be a problem for you?

-James

27-01-2007 16:01

NOV8R

Re: pic: All folded up

Hi James, That big ramp weighs less than 18 LB. The total robot will weigh 128lb in the match. Trnslation....It's not tippy at all unless there is a strong crosswind.

27-01-2007 19:54

Rich Ross

Re: pic: All folded up

I guess those huge muffin fans will come in handy then

All humor aside, looks like an interesting robot to play with. Lots of strategy possibilities, many of which have already been discussed.

Just to play devil's advocate though, lets say you park in your home zone, and are ready to drop your ramp, and a robot parks so that you'd have to smash them before you could lower your ramp. i'd do it in a second. Sure, i get 30 pts in penalties, but to shut down a 60 pt threat, its worth it.

Just something to consider (and i'm confident that you have already thought about it)
-Rich

27-01-2007 20:14

Barry Bonzack

Re: pic: All folded up

I'm betting in most qualifying matches 60 points should be enough to win the match if it doesn't take a full minute to get the other two robots up the platform. Watch out for the other alliance to put two robots on defense against your alliance members, they could possibly prevent your partners from returning to their home zone.

When do you plan to deploy the ramp? I am betting you don't have an arm to score (correct me if I'm wrong), will you deploy first thing in the match, or play defense for the first 30 seconds/ minute / 1.5 minutes of the game?

The obstructing strategy is ill advised. Even if there is no solid rule against that, good judgment says thats against the spirit of FIRST.

Thanks for showing the full scope on your robot and answering questions about it instead of vague "what could this be" pictures!

27-01-2007 22:54

NOV8R

Re: pic: All folded up

Hi Barry, Our strategy from the begining has been to play defense from the start and then deploy ramps for bonus points during the end game. There are many ways to be defensive with our design all the way from deploying the ramps in our home zone at the start of the match to keeping opposing alliance bots from reaching the rack. Test we did early on showed us that our bot anywhere between the opposing alliance drivers and the rack make it very difficult for them to place tubes. This years' 6 ft tall bots have expanded the defense play book. Using what the rules allow is not contra to gracious professionalism. There is a big difference between being agressive and being defensive. Our goal is to play excellent defense.

28-01-2007 21:04

Uberbots

Re: pic: All folded up

and excellent defense you will have to play...
robots like this are just one more reason for me to get the camera working... if you block our view, the robot will still know where it is.

28-01-2007 21:08

rohit

Re: pic: All folded up

That looks great! I would upload a pic of our ramp.. but I want it to be a surprise.