2024 Robonauts Resources Release (Pit Writeup, Handbook & More)

[rstockton429]

The Robonauts had a busy 2023 and have prepared a handful of resources to release.

Team Handbook

The Robonauts Team Handbook documents all of the team’s Core Values, team operations, processes and expectations of both students and mentors on our team. The handbook has been almost 10 years in the making and we are sharing it with the community to serve as a reference for other teams trying to document the same things for their team.

The handbook is a living document and the most up-to-date version can be found here.

Pit Writeup

For 2023 we built a new pit after trialing Husky 72" toolboxes last season. While most teams do and should build their “Super Pit” using road cases we went down the route of building a welded aluminum frame around the Husky toolboxes due to our strong desire to make a pit that represents The Robonauts Brand…aka White and Gold.

A writeup with details on the pit can be found here:
Robonauts Pit Writeup Final Release.pdf (7.3 MB)

The CAD can be found on GrabCAD or on our website under the off-season projects section.

A photo album of the pit can be found here.

2023 Technical Binder

We also put together a Technical Binder for the 2023 robot, Echo. It can be found here:
2023 Echo Technical Binder-Release.pdf (5.4 MB)
or under the 2023 section of the Robots page on our website.

Mentor Conference Talk

I was invited to participate in the FIRST Mentor Conference back in August at the Google Headquarters. I gave two presentations, One Match at a Time: How the Robonauts Execute at Events and Sheet Metal: From Concept to the Cosmos. Unfortunately the recording of the sheet metal presentation was corrupted but One Match at a Time can be found on our Youtube Channel. Thanks to Spectrum 3847 for recording the presentation.

One Match at a Time: How the Robonauts Execute at Events - FIRST Mentor Conference 2023

PACbots

We have had drivetrains we have used for driver practice and prototypes named after PAC-MAN ghosts since 2009. A new generation of WCD PACbots were built for the 2016 season. This year we built 4 swerve PACbots named Sue, Blinky, Clyde, and Inky. 2 of these robots use SDS Mk4 modules and the other 2 use SDS Mk4i modules. We also designed these robots to mount our GeaRunner driver training mechanisms and also designed an elevator to mount to them that can be used for prototyping in pick & place games.

The CAD for the 2023 PACbot with the GeaRunner can be found on GrabCAD as can the PACbot with the elevator.

The CAD can also be found, along with the CAD of the Gen 1 and Gen 2 PACbots on our website under Off Season Projects.

Drivers Station

For the 2023 season we built 2 new drivers stations. The goal was to build two identical, robust drivers stations that were compact enough that the driver did not need to turn sideways to carry it through a standard door frame. We wanted two of these so one could be used by the drivers while practicing while the other is being used by the auton crew or having new controls layouts set up on it. This also allows us compete at two events concurrently like we did this season at IRI and TRI.

The CAD can be found on GrabCAD or under the off season projects section of our website.

2023 Custom Electronics

On the 2023 robot we had custom circuit boards and we intend to use similar ones on the 2024 robot assuming the rules allow it.

Intelligent Power Distribution Unit

The 2023 robot had a power distribution unit for low current devices that we could use to switch off and on devices such as the CANcoders, Limelight, or Pigeon during troubleshooting.

Some of the features include:

• 4 Switchable Channels using roboRIO DIO Ports
• Short-Circuit Protection
• Over-Current Protection
• Over-Temperature Protection
• Soft-Start for Current Inrush

CAN Node

We also used a CAN node to implement Star Topology.

Features include:

• 10 Channels
• One Channel per Device
• Optional On-Board Termination

We also developed a RIO hat with Molex connectors for all of the connections on the RoboRIO but we did not use it in 2023.

The files can be found under the 2023 section of the robots tab on our website.

Belt Walls

Many of the teams who visited our facility during our open house asked for the files to our belt organization wall. Well we finally found where they were and uploaded both the HTD and GT2 versions to our website and to GrabCAD.

We are excited for kickoff tomorrow and wish all teams good luck in FIRST Crescendo!

[s-neff]

@rstockton429

the HTD and GT2 versions

Is the HTD at 5mm pitch and GT2 at 3mm pitch?
Edit: I cant read yes it is

[Matthew1727]

Someone tell me this was an accident

[bcon]

If you look on the website, it does say that yes.

[Zatack7]

Does anyone have a good picture of the drill wall? I’d like to admire it from closer than the background of the everybot video. Thanks!

[jedgar6]

[rstockton429]

We built this in late December to help support our even larger team this year. We haven’t finished the posts for hanging more specialty tools like rivet guns, Dremels, M12 3" Cuttoff tools, etc but its 90% complete.

While this looks like an extreme amount of tools keep in mind we do have 81 students and 15+ mentors. No matter how many tools we have the whole wall is always empty by the middle of a meeting, especially during prototyping when we often use drills as motors on prototypes.

The walls are double thick 3/4" Baltic birch plywood. The tabletop is a butcher block from Home Depot and the little protrusions from it were waterjet from cutoffs of butcher block from the tops we used on our pit toolboxes.

The whole thing is mounted to a custom pallet so we can move it around as needed and is also skinned with the same laminate flooring that we had in our old build space at NASA-JSC B9, mostly for nostalgia.

The posts that the tools hang on are long wood screws that go through clear vinyl tubing to make the posts a bit compliant and help tightly hold the tools.

There are 28 DeWalt chargers and 15 Milwaukee M12 chargers.

Here are a few photos of it being built.

[Zatack7]

W o w.
What’s in the gray chest? Drill bits?
Do you have a list of all of the tools there? I’m just curious what’s there, esp in the places I can’t see.
Thanks for sharing!

[rstockton429]

The gray chest is a Huot master drill index that has all Fractional, Letter, and Number drills up to 1/2" diameter.

I’ll list the tools I know of off the top of my head with some details on each.

DeWalt Tools

DeWalt XR Drill and Driver Combo- This is our preferred set as it has an all metal drill chuck. It’s hard to buy the drill just on its own nowadys at Home Depot.

Dewalt XR HammerDrill- Really only bought by accident thinking it was a regular XR drill. The hammer drill feature is not desired for FRC use but useful for drilling through brick walls at the facility.

DeWalt XR Compact Drill- Started getting these last year, they are nice and compact. You can tell they are built a little cheaper than the standard XR but overall pretty nice. We don’t have a ton of them since they aren’t compatible with the DeWalt tool hangers we have in our pit.

DeWalt 12V Drill- The only 12V tool we use. We have a couple of these because their chuck can close down on smaller drill bits than any of the 20V drills. Useful for drilling tap holes for 2-56 bolts. Our avionics crew also uses them to twist wires. We used to turn them into 12V power guns for powering brushed motors.

DeWalt Atomic Impact- Also started trying some out last year. They are super compact and quite a bit lighter than the XR Impact.

DeWalt XR Sander- We use these a lot. They are way more convenient to use than an air powered sander, especially in the pit. We used them a lot last year beveling the edge of the dustpan on our intake.

DeWalt Right Angle Drill- Not as compact as the M12 right angle drill but a lot more powerful. Mostly used for prototyping as even it is still too big to fit into tight spaces on the robot. For right angle drilling on the robot I prefer this.

DeWalt XR Multitool- Mostly for woodworking or hacking up some prototypes. We do have one in the pit with an aluminum cutting blade for solving problems quickly at an event.

DeWalt XR Reciprocating Saw- Almost only used by the parents when building the field. We do have one in our pit but have never used it.

DeWalt Jigsaw- Great for prototypes and building the field. Is probably the most comfortable way to cut something for students new to using tools.

DeWalt XR Bandsaw- We have one of these on a Swag Offroad stand in our pit and it is the number 1 tool we loan out to teams at events. It’s awesome and I recommend getting one of these over a cheap tabletop bandsaw. It runs slower than many wood cutting bandsaws and with the right blade will cut steel with ease.

DeWalt XR Router- Used for woodworking projects around the facility such as the drill shelf. I use it to put rounds on everything, its a very satisfying tool to use.

DeWalt XR Planar- Again exclusively for woodworking projects.

DeWalt Flexvolt Circular Saw- Easy way for parents and students to rip plywood when building the field or a prototype. We carry one in the pit for cutting bumper wood to length when helping other teams build bumpers.

DeWalt 3/8" Ratchet- Trying this out after it was given to us. Is likely way overkill for FRC robots and will likely end up breaking bolts but we will see.

DeWalt 20V Fan-We have a couple of these. When the AC goes out in the facility they have proven invaluable.

DeWalt Flexvolt Compressor- Used in our pit since plug-in compressors aren’t allowed at events generally. We only have a couple air tools we use in the pit, air guns, air cleco pliers, and sometimes air rivet guns.

DeWalt Spotlight- Our facility can be dark in places as it’s an old gym. We are working on improving the lighting but these come in handy every now and then.

DeWalt Tripod Light- We have a couple of these that are great for providing the parents light when they build the field elements outside. We also travel with one for the inevitable late night tire changes when we get a flat on our box truck.

DeWalt 20V Wet/Dry Vacuum-Awesome tool, we rarely use plug in vacuums anymore. The easier it is to clean up messes the easier it is to keep the facility clean, these have helped a lot with that. No more having to drag an extension cord halfway across our gym.

Milwaukee Tools

M12 1/4" Driver- The tool we never have enough of. We call them “Millies” and we install almost every bolt on the robots with these tools with ball end hex drivers. In general we set the torque of the tool to the same number of the bolt size we are installing. Torque of 4 for a 4-40 bolt, torque of 10 for a 10-32 and generally never break anything. At $99 for the tool with a charger and 2 batteries they are one of the best value tools out there.

M12 1/4" Impact- We are trying one out. It is a lot more controllable than the DeWalt impacts, especially for smaller students but still has plenty of power to drive long woodscrews into hardwood.

M12 Rivet Gun- Absolutely awesome tool that we use to put in thousands of rivets each year. In our experience they jam far less than even the most expensive air riveters. DeWalt came out with a rivet gun last year but we haven’t tested it yet.

M12 Rotary Tool- We have given away all of our Dremel branded rotary tools to other teams and now only use these so we don’t have to have another battery ecosystem. They work well.

M12 Stapler-We carry one of these in the pit. We use it to build the dozens of sets of bumpers we help build at events each year.

M12 3" Cutoff Tool- Good at making more aggressive cuts than the rotary tool without snapping the disc. Also comes with a circular saw style guide that allows you to easily use it like a circular saw to cut sheet metal.

M12 Installation Driver- Honestly seemed a lot more useful when we bought it than it ended up being. The offset driver attachment is cool for driving a bottom roller on a prototype that is right on the ground. But as a tool it hasn’t proven to be that useful.

M12 Inflator- Not specifically for FIRST but a ton of our VEX teams use these to charge their pneumatics. We have a couple for that reason and they are great at filling up tires.

M12 Right Angle Drill- The smallest right angle drill other than the attachment I posted earlier. We have one of these in our pit.

M12 Right Angle Driver- We have one of these in the pit. It’s been pretty useful for installing wood screws/sheet metal screws into the back of bumpers while they are still on the robot.

M12 Hackzall- Never the tool I want to have to use but we have one in the pit just in case. Occasionally used to help a team cut down their frame that is way out of size to help them pass inspection.

M12 3/8" Ratchet-Much less likely to break bolts than the DeWalt version. Only have one of them as the 1/4" drivers are far more practical most of the time.

M12 Fan- We usually have a couple of these in our pit/truck. Some events it gets pretty hot in the pit or in the stands and keeping people cool helps them perform better.

M12 Nibbler-New tool for this year. We have it in our pit and will likely use it to cut up some sheet metal. We have used nibbler drill attachments since we discovered them in 2017 and I’m excited to see how this one performs.

M12 Blower-We use it to cool motors similar to how Formula 1 teams put blowers onto their cars to cool them in-between sessions. We don’t use them as much in the brushless motor era but they are occasionally still useful. At the facility we use them to “sweep” they aren’t so powerful that they blow debris everywhere but they are great at blowing out the areas under tables that are hard to reach with a broom.

M12 Wet/Dry Vacuum-We have one of these that we used in the pit for part of last season. I wouldn’t recommend it, it’s just not powerful enough for most messes working on FRC robots produces.

M12 Compact Vacuum-We also had one of these in the pit the last 2 seasons and I also can’t really recommend it. The skinny attachment on it makes it great for sucking debris out of tight spaces on the robot but as with the other vacuum this one just isn’t that powerful.

M12 3/8" Band File- A pretty sweet tool at removing material at a rapid pace. People have been modifying the 3" cutoff tool into a band file for a few years now but Milwaukee came out with this one last year and it has worked pretty well.

I think I covered everything…

[Zatack7]

POV: you’re the FBI agent monitoring my laptop’s webcam while I read that post

Thank you for writing that all up—it seems like a very nice ecosystem.

[AllenGregoryIV]

The 118 setup is amazing. I’m a fan of the choice to go DeWalt 20/60v and Milwaukee M12. It may seem to weird to have different brand tools but those two systems give you a ton of a options. It’s the platforms we run as well, albeit a lot lower qty.

[Ben_Martin]

@rstockton429

M12 Nibbler -New tool for this year. We have it in our pit and will likely use it to cut up some sheet metal. We have used nibbler drill attachments since we discovered them in 2017 and I’m excited to see how this one performs.

This tool is great, we used one extensively for cutting interior and exterior steel panels when we were constructing our building.

[partial]

CAN in star topology seems very interesting for added reliability. Could expand on your setup with the CAN node and any pros and cons you’ve encountered so far? Very nice work.

[Vinh_pham]

In 2023, the team ran both star and daisy chain topology. The base was wired in daisy chain since the system wasn’t mechanically redundant, and we wanted to minimize the node lengths with the higher baud rates in CAN-FD. The rest of the sub-systems utilized a star topology since we didn’t want a bus problem on the intake to propagate to the arm or end effector bus.

Having the CAN node allows us to still utilize the Molex SL connectors and gives us a easy place to terminate. We also try to keep the node lengths as short as possible and terminated at the end of the longest node (the end effector). So far we haven’t really encountered any cons other than having to run more wires and more space for the PCB itself.

Here is a thread with other opinions.

[Zatack7]

I can’t find a picture newer than 2018, so I thought I’d ask here—do y’all have a picture of the banner wall?

[Ankur-Raghavan]

here’s one from their open house last year

[rstockton429]

And here are the 12 banners that are missing in that photo that we have added in the last 2 seasons.

[Zatack7]

Very cool, thank you for sharing!
please iron the 2024 banners

[waialua359]

Very nice that you folks put them up already!
Ours are in my bag folded in little squares.

[victorruwu]

Is the upper section of your SuperPit designed to be easily removed for transportation?