As I mentioned in the recent Day 9 148 Build Blog Post, this year’s field has an obstacle that can be deceptively tricky.
THE RAMP CORNER!
As everyone is designing their drivetrains, I hope you take the time to check whether you have sufficient clearance.
While the game theme is 2-dimensional, the playingfield is not.
As with most ramps, the corner provides the worst-case for drivetrain clearance.
Take it from the Robowranglers - you don’t want to end a match (or event) with your robot stuck.
As part of the 2015 Build Blitz, I wrote a whitepaper describing the keys to designing a drivetrain to handle bumps. It was written for 2015, and a lot of it does NOT apply now, but there is still some good stuff in there. Give it a read.
You can always tell your driver “don’t drive up the corner”… but that has never worked out for me. You’re probably luckier than I am.
Hopefully this gentle reminder didn’t matter to you, because you’re already on top of it. As always… Good luck with your season!
-JVN