If there’s already a topic about this, somebody please point me to it…if not, lemme know here. 
I had to leave during the kickoff to go to work, so I don’t know if Dean or Woody mentioned this…
When another bot is hanging on the bar, and you’re under them on the ramp, and for some reason they fall…then a 130lb robot is going to smash down on you, right? :ahh:
I wasn’t sure if Dean or Woody said anything, I didn’t have much of a chance to see a whole lot of info about the bar.
Thanks! 
they haven’t said anything, but all that can be hoped for is that you don’t end up with one BIG mess of robot accidents from hanging bots falling onto bots on the platform
i guess weel have to get out the zip ties, Zach
Come to think of it, our 2003 robot is currently held together by zip ties - its front wheel fell off. :eek:
I really hope that we don’t end up on the bottom of a bot pileup. This is definitely a great case for making your bot durable. What I’d be most worried about would be any manipulations (arms, etc.) on top of the robot.
I guess we’ll see later on…
Well that was/is why the bar was/is adjustable. On the other hand, any mock up a team can make wont be…
And duck tape
EDIT: Nope, the bar is adjustable so that at the end, when the bots are hanging, the people can safely lower the bots… right?
That was my understanding - they lower the bar to make it easy to clear the field (remove robots from the bar).
Wasn’t there something in the video about preparing for impact?
Make her sturdy, boys 'n girls!
I have a feeling there will be a lot of bot accidents…all it takes is one hit from above, and one or more elctronic components will be damaged :\ We got hit a lot last year (if yall remember the huge Swamp Thing robot that took up the entire ramp), and so we mounted a system of shocks for on our electronic component boards–we’re going to need something much more advanced this year :\
I wonder if Dean meant for this to be something we’d have to work around…the threat of being crushed like this, to make it more of a challenge–or was it something he just didn’t think of?? :ahh:
Im kinda’ curious what it will be like in march, i mean last year we though when someone fell forward on the ramp it was bad, if someone’s bot is flattened, that will royally suck. Also, if you have a hook or winch(or whatever) holding you up on the bar, what happens once the power is cut at the end of the match? BAM, best put some industrial shocks on the chassis this year 
I could be wrong, but won’t the new little yellow backup battery have any part in continuing to allow your robot to hold onto the bar without it releasing when the power is cut at the end?
It’ll be very easy for bots to fall too…if there are two robots with hooks, and the two hooks so much as slide into eachother, chances are one or both robots will become unhooked and fall 
Imagine the carnage as two robots smash into two other robots as well as each other from several feet in the air…I’m bringing my camera
From what I remember in '00 there was some issues, but not much. I’m not worried about many robots falling off the bar.
< j/k > The key word this year…starts with an “R”…and ends with an “obust”… </ j/k >
Good luck, folks!
Do you really think that a 130lb robot can do any possible damage to another 130lb robot??? hmmm… lets think about this one really really hard…
Maybe not serious “smashing the bot to pieces” damage, but its certainly possible for robots to get caught on eachother, or to break a piece off.
If you aren’t being sarcastic, then yes, definately 
It doesn’t matter how strong the top of your robot is…the sheer impact from the other bot falling on you from several feet in the air is enough to destroy you, at least on the inside :\
Unless they add some rule where you can’t lift more than a certain height off the ground, which I dubt they will
No, the backup is to prevent the controller from reseting if the robot draws too much current. It will in no way supply power to any other part of the robot. Any device liek you describe would have to be latched before the match ended or lock as soon as it lost power. When a robot is disable like they are before and after a match, there is no output signals from the controller.
i havent found the yello batery inb the kit, Is it even in there?
They showed it on the video, I haven’t seen the kit yet though
After reading and rereading the kit list, I read the build rules, and I think the intent is to use the EduBot Battery. I wish they would have said this specifically. However, I also believe it states you can use any 7.2v battery.
Edit: I checked, rule R39 confirms this.
A falling robot? Now really, I wouldn’t advise anyone to build a robot that falls from the bar. Afterall, it is 9’ up from the platform, or thereabouts. That is definately so high up, that you will WAY exceed the expressly stated limit of Vmax=10ft/sec
Originally Posted by Bcahn836
Do you really think that a 130lb robot can do any possible damage to another 130lb robot??? hmmm… lets think about this one really really hard…
cringes at the thought of unshielded electronics, and memories past of bending aluminum under forces much less than this