Posted by Greg Mills.
Engineer on team #16, Baxter Bomb Squad, from Mountain Home and Baxter Healthcare.
Posted on 1/20/2000 12:09 PM MST
You veteran robot watcher will be surprised to find out that (at this moment anyway) the Bomb Squad machine does not use cables to lift! I can hardly believe it myself! But I’m wondering how the Huskie Brigade is going to get a four-bar mechanism on ‘Power Dog’.
Posted by Joe Johnson. [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Engineer on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.
Posted on 1/20/2000 1:08 PM MST
In Reply to: No cables? posted by Greg Mills on 1/20/2000 12:09 PM MST:
Greg,
I have watched in awe at the magic you guys have done with cable over the years.
For our part, we have always leaned toward chain & sprockets and gears gears gears…
Teams will not be surprised to see a lot of gears & chain & sprockets on CD V.
For myself, I am wondering what Lockheed Sanders/Nashua High will do with the new mat’l available. Their screw in a screw in a screw lift has me scatching my head every year and vowing to figure out how WE could do that next year. Ah well, I will have to pay more attention in 2000.
By the way, do you think CD V will be able to crab walk?
Ain’t telling!
Joe J.
Posted by Greg Mills.
Engineer on team #16, Baxter Bomb Squad, from Mountain Home and Baxter Healthcare.
Posted on 1/20/2000 1:46 PM MST
In Reply to: The Funicular Magicians Retired? posted by Joe Johnson on 1/20/2000 1:08 PM MST:
:
I will be sadly disappointed if Chief Delphi V cannot crab walk! It wouldn’t be the same to lock horns with you guys if it doesn’t. Although I am convinved that we will both have a few surprises for each other.
Greg
Posted by Joe Johnson. [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Engineer on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.
Posted on 1/20/2000 2:03 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: The Funicular Magicians Retired? posted by Greg Mills on 1/20/2000 1:46 PM MST:
Turning our drive wheels has been our signature feature for a few years now.
The question is, is it worth the effort?
It costs a lot (and I don’t mean real green backs).
Between the learning curve for the drivers and the learning curve for the programmer, it can easily swamp any gain made in machine performance. Beyond this, it is one more thing to have to follow up (and screw up) during the hectic build cycle.
But… …if you manage it, it sure looks cool 
Regardless of whether we have the Swerve in 2000, we will definitely have a few cool features on our machine.
If the painful wounds of Chicago 1999 were not still fresh in my memory, I might be tempted to say more. But, my complete and total humilation at our machine’s performance in Chicago prevent me from even thinking the words ‘jaws will drop’ without a shutter going through my whole being.
So…
All I will say is we are trying like anything to build the best machine we have ever built.
The machine will speak for itself.
Joe J.
Posted by Ken Patton. [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Engineer on team #65, The Huskie Brigade, from Pontiac Northern High School and GM Powertrain.
Posted on 1/20/2000 7:38 PM MST
In Reply to: Do you have the Nerve to Swerve? posted by Joe Johnson on 1/20/2000 2:03 PM MST:
Hey Joe-
I don’t think you’ll do it this year. One reason: it takes up too much floor space.
Just my swag…
Ken
Posted by Ken Patton. [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Engineer on team #65, The Huskie Brigade, from Pontiac Northern High School and GM Powertrain.
Posted on 1/20/2000 7:35 PM MST
In Reply to: No cables? posted by Greg Mills on 1/20/2000 12:09 PM MST:
We gave up on day 2 or so. No four bar this year. There’s an engineer from our '97 team (his famous quote one night in winter '97: ‘I always wanted to do a four bar linkage…’) who was somewhat disappointed to see it go. But hey, 30 inches is 30 inches…
We’re kind of proud that it was copied a few times in the last few years… but… this year… cables!
It sounds like you are (still) ahead of us, Greg!
Good luck (not that the Bomb Squad needs any, ever :)),
Ken