The rules effectively prohibit robots from touching the rims, but there’s nothing physically prohibiting a robot from breaking the rules. Imagine a 150-pound robot tipping over onto the end of one of the hoops.
well we finally ordered 3 of them.
After searching site after site, they were either sold out or an outrageous price with shipping.
It was a whopping $243.xx!:mad:
What rule is this? The fender is there to protect the rims, but there is no rule barring contact with the fender, or even climbing on top of it. Granted, it would be difficult to do, given its height, and probably not worthwhile.
Can anyone share how many springs are in each hoop? Every hoop I can remember playing on has had 2 but I wanted to make sure before I ordered springs.
Edit: Never mind. Found it in the drawings. Only one spring per hoop.
The hoops’ dimensions are the same as other regulation size basketball hoops. We just picked up a few from our local sporting equipment store, didn’t have to pay for shipping, and got them right away.
After I ordered my Huffy hoops, the receipt said Huffy Spalding. So, by my logic they must be the same hoop.
I visited several likely stores in our small town (50k+ people), and came up with nothing. There are no basketball hoops in town. There are a few backboards with hoops, but that’s a lot of extra money for something we don’t need.
I guess it’s time to order something online…
http://www.competitiveedgeproducts.com/detail.aspx?ID=305
Buy 4, pay $41.28 each. Free shipping to continental US. Includes net.
To anyone who has actually gotten ahold of one of baskets in question: would using a standard regulation basketball net give substantially performance results?
Walmart has them back in stock. I ordered 4 and will be shipped to store. They are quoting arrival after the 20th.
Its a tough question to answer. FIRST has spent time to specify not only a different spring for the hoop, but a different net as well. I recall reading somewhere in the drawings that the additions would be fine for practice, but the real field would be using the substitutions theyve implemented. A regulation size basketball hoop is a regulation size basketball hoop. Functionally it SHOULD be the same, but theres really no guarantees unless you got them side by side.
It seems that changing out the springs and netting on whatever hoop you get would be worthwhile simply to make sure you are designing to what the field will offer.
-Brando
Thanks for the Walmart tip! Ordered 3 today. Would be nice if at least one was in the KOP.
Edit. Most home use nets are very cheap. I have a hunch that the nets provided are closer to an NBA model where it’s a heavier nylon cord. Unfortunately our midwest kickoff was the team field, Not the FIRST field.
Sorry to spam this thread.
for those who haven’t seen the game specific drawings, the notes below are on drawing GE-12013.
"Notes:
- Remove stock net. It will not be used for competitions. It if fine for practice, but the
length may not be compatible for the rest of the field components. - Remove stock spring from the backboard and replace with the specified spring from
McMaster. Once again, the stock spring is probably good enough for practice, but the
McMaster spring has more give to it. "
As for practice reason, we talked to our schools basketball coach and got some old rims that were laying around. Although not the “actual” rim, they are regulation and meet the same dimensions so for practice reasons will work. Biggest benefit, did not cost us a thing.
We’ve been slowly bringing them in from people who have hoops at home and never use them. It’s 4 nuts to undo and you have your hoop, and then plywood makes a fine backboard.
While trying to make your field parts as close to official parts is nice, it really isn’t necessary for something like hoops. An 18" hoop is an 18" hoop. If seems to me that if whatever you’re working on is so absolutely reliant on a certain spring stiffness in the hoops (hoops that you’re never even going to touch), then you’reg going to have trouble no matter what.
Just take a look at the difference between the low cost ramp, and the official ramp. It sure is nice to have that built to spec perfect field, but it really isn’t necessary.
G10 as modified by team update on 1/10.
Robots may not push or react against the top of the Fender.
The soft springs in the official competition hoops are likely to make the basketballs bounce less when they hit the rim. I suspect it will be easier for them to go in.
Same for us in Honolulu… Shipping was $37.00 for each rim!
::ouch::
In my mind, it either goes in without bending the hoop at all or it’s pure luck and we can’t change our design to compensate for it. What’s the point?
Anyway, wouldn’t the springs only kick in if the ball hit the top of the rim, in which case you missed anyway?