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Here's our robot being suspended from the first rung and reaching for the second. After the second rung the robot transitions to the outside of the third rung for the final climb. Speed is the biggest issue currently as the lead screw mechanism we're using is only climbing at 50 inches per minute. As crazy as it seems we're also thinking about ditching the drive train and just climbing.
03-02-2013 19:32
inkspell4What are you using to hook onto the first rung?
03-02-2013 19:44
NOV8RIt's a steel spring loaded hook that pops out as the climbing shuttle pulls the robot up to the rung. Then the shuttle is free to move back the arm ready to reach for the next rung.
03-02-2013 20:15
Kevin Sevcik
My question is if you've tried this with bumpers. Bumpers might make that climb a lot more difficult.
03-02-2013 20:42
NOV8RYes, we've tried it with bumpers. That's one of the reasons the bot is only 15 x 24 inches.
03-02-2013 20:43
MattC9That's one small robot.
03-02-2013 22:22
PAR_WIG1350Video? PLEASE
03-02-2013 23:32
tickspe15It may be worth trying normal wheels instead of mech's before ditching the drive train all together
04-02-2013 09:52
NOV8RAfter thinking a lot about the drivetrain we've decided to keep it. An essential element of the design is CG manipulation. The majority of the mass is low in the robot base (4 CIMs, 4 Banebot p-80s etc). The arm is coupled to the base via a CIM/256:1 P=80 gearbox. Changing the relative orientation of the arm to the base while hanging is what controls the arms orientation to the tower. Said more simply kicking that heavy base back and forth controls where the arm goes.
This picture was meant to be a 'clue' not a 'how to'. That said, we'd be glad to answer any questions and share details with anybody trying to make a similar concept work. This has and continues to be an evolutionary process from the crazy idea we had right after kickoff. Our design criteria are something that's unique, simple and elegant. That has lead to a lot of sleepless nights but after all this is FIRST!
If you want to see all this in action we'll be at the Colorado scrimmage a week from Saturday.
04-02-2013 10:25
toastnbaconThis is cool! I'm kind of relived you kept the drive train, although part of me really wanted to see a sucessul robot without one. Good luck, and let us know how you do!
04-02-2013 11:27
nesheraA robot that climbs reliably for 30 points every match is not a bad alliance partner at all; can you pre-load colored discs, and dump them in the hopper at the top of the pyramid at the end of the climb?
This strategy may not make you the #1 seed, but will outscore lots of other teams that fail in/don't have autonomous, can only do a ten point climb, and end up only scoring five or six three-point discs in tele-op. And it could do so reliably, every single match.
This may outperform a robot that tries to do everything, and ends up doing nothing well.
04-02-2013 11:38
CalTran|
A robot that climbs reliably for 30 points every match is not a bad alliance partner at all; can you pre-load colored discs, and dump them in the hopper at the top of the pyramid at the end of the climb?.
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04-02-2013 11:45
neshera|
Colored discs start behind the corresponding alliance wall. You could design a robot that could be loaded by another robot for a dump but it'd be difficult for consistency between qualifications of a robot that can fit your needs.
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04-02-2013 12:06
NOV8RWe initially thought about colored disk in the top goal but quickly ruled them out for the following reasons. First, the base of the robot only gets above the second rung. Second, you'd have to go to the feeder station to get them. Third, you have to have a way to transport and place them. An the list goes on and on. Translation, it's not worth the extra 20 points. In fact in figuring out match tactics within our strategy, there are going to be situations where a 20 point climb will be all that is needed. As many of you have pointed out, one of the most important aspects of this year's game is reliability. Why would you want to make the robot less reliable by trying for 20 more points? We want to do one thing well. We're not greedy.
04-02-2013 12:23
CalTran|
We initially thought about colored disk in the top goal but quickly ruled them out for the following reasons. First, the base of the robot only gets above the second rung. Second, you'd have to go to the feeder station to get them. Third, you have to have a way to transport and place them. An the list goes on and on. Translation, it's not worth the extra 20 points. In fact in figuring out match tactics within our strategy, there are going to be situations where a 20 point climb will be all that is needed. As many of you have pointed out, one of the most important aspects of this year's game is reliability. Why would you want to make the robot less reliable by trying for 20 more points? We want to do one thing well. We're not greedy.
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04-02-2013 15:31
NOV8RCalTran, Your points are well taken. Perhaps the biggest reason of all against doing it is : If you can reliably show you can score 30 points every match, as soon as you leave the safety of the pyramid your dead. Every robot on the opposing alliance is going to be focused on making sure you don't get back to the pyramid. Keeping you from climbing is the same as them scoring 30 points.
04-02-2013 20:23
cmrnpizzo14|
CalTran, Your points are well taken. Perhaps the biggest reason of all against doing it is : If you can reliably show you can score 30 points every match, as soon as you leave the safety of the pyramid your dead. Every robot on the opposing alliance is going to be focused on making sure you don't get back to the pyramid. Keeping you from climbing is the same as them scoring 30 points.
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05-02-2013 08:55
Brandon Zalinsky
I think your mecanums might be on backwards- the rollers form a 0 instead of an X.
05-02-2013 09:24
45Auto|
Originally Posted by nov8r
If you can reliably show you can score 30 points every match, as soon as you leave the safety of the pyramid your dead. Every robot on the opposing alliance is going to be focused on making sure you don't get back to the pyramid. Keeping you from climbing is the same as them scoring 30 points.
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05-02-2013 10:53
NOV8RGood eye Brandon, Right now the drive train is not hooked up and is only dead weight to make CG manipulation work. If you're keeping up with the discussion the question is do we even need to make it work. The robot rules say you have to have a 'mobility' system. They don't say it has to be functional. As it stands now our match strategy is to position the robot at the start of the match inside the pyramid with the arm touching the first rung. Then in autonomous the robot will climb to the first rung and hang. When teleop begins it will climb to the second rung, transition to the outside and finish the match hanging in level 3. The sticky wicket right now continues to be climbing speed. During the 2 minutes of teleop it's dicey completing the L3 climb, hence starting in autonomous. We're looking at other climbing motor/gearbox combos to make the climb faster. The current climb mechanism is a 36 inch 1/2 inch 0.25 lead screw run by an AM-0915 gearmotor. That spins the lead screw at close to 200 rpm climbing at 50 inches per minute. We're looking at using a BAG motor/Vex Pro gearbox setup.
05-02-2013 11:03
Alpha Beta|
The robot rules say you have to have a 'mobility' system. They don't say it has to be functional.
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R01 Each registered FRC team may enter only one (1) ROBOT into the 2013 FRC. The ROBOT must be built by the FRC Team to perform specific tasks when competing in ULTIMATE ASCENT. The ROBOT must include all of the basic systems required to be an active participant in the game – power, communications, control, mobility, and actuation. The ROBOT implementation must obviously follow a design approach intended to play ULTIMATE ASCENT (e.g. a box of unassembled parts placed on the FIELD, or a ROBOT designed to play a different game would not satisfy this definition). |
05-02-2013 11:16
NOV8RGood question Aaron. I guess I was stuck thinking of mobility in the horizontal plane. We're playing with 'how much' weight we need to make the CG manipulation work. Less weight also translates to faster climb. We are going to have wheels of some sort even though they may be static. I can see us now trying to convince an inspector where the bumper zone is if we didn't have them.
05-02-2013 14:21
Brandon Zalinsky
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Good eye Brandon, Right now the drive train is not hooked up and is only dead weight to make CG manipulation work. If you're keeping up with the discussion the question is do we even need to make it work. The robot rules say you have to have a 'mobility' system.
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05-02-2013 15:25
NOV8RHi Brandon, The robot is 24 x 15 inches (78 inch perimeter). It's the smallest robot we could make and get all the required components in. All the components (cRio, power dist board, battery, digital sidecar, h bridge etc) are all inside. Needless to say it's a little cramped. I'll take some pictures of the inside of it in the next few days and post them. Getting everything inside was very similar to the pictures of people trying to cram too much stuff in a small suitcase. The only thing we didn't have to do was sit on it to close the lid.