love the diamond plate.
That diamond plate must make for one EXPENSIVE robot. 
9 feet long? Wow, thats huge! What are you planning on to power the unfolding?
The 64:1 banebot gearmotors ( one on each ramp) driving lead screws drive each ramp over center where they fall to the carpet. The big ramps fall is cushioned by a “pool noodle” and the small ramp by dense foam. Works great but you don’t want to be in the way when they deploy.
Watch out for crosswinds! :ahh:
Very nice. How much does it weigh??
Don
75 LB minus the electronics
Its cute.
so yall going 6’ and 100Lbs
are yall planing on having a arm??
Are you going to add some filler weight to bring it up somewhere near the limit for whatever class you’re in? (What class is that, by the way?)
Yes, we’re going to be in the 6 ft 100LB category. We’ll make sure it weighs very close to the max weight. With bumpers and the battery our weight will be 128 LB. We’re going to play defense during the first part of the match. Can you imagine trying to see around a 72 inch by 38 inch piece of diamond plate between you and the rack? If we don’t move at all from our starting position in the home zone and just deploy our ramps at the start of the match we’ve blocked the other alliance from getting to a lot of their tubes. With about 20 square feet of 12 inch high parking space we have plenty of easily accessible space for two robots.
What kind of hinges are you guys using to attach the diamond plate ramp? I see two there, they seem rather small too.
Hi Ryan, Both ramps are attached with two commercial grade 1 1/2 x 3 inch steel hinges ( about the only steel on the whole bot). The heaviest ramp is only 20 LB. To test the hinges and ramps we’ve had 200 plus pound boys stand on them with no problems.
Very nice. What made you choose diamond plate? (Just curious about your thought process as you went about making the ramps.)
Our team has always used diamond plate and it has kind of become our hallmark.
diamond plates are great.
thats what we are using also. 1/16" diamond plates are relatively light since they are stamped and provide some traction for robots to climb.
However, it costs a lot!
OMG!
You’ve prompted me to envision a terrifying new breed of robots:eek:
Blockers
What if a team decides not to bother with ramps or rings? But decides just to create a massive wall that prevents the other alliance from scoring?
It sounds silly, but this could work, it would change the entire way the game is played…
With the advent of a 6 ft high robot new strategies and tactics are possible. We are a blocker and we don’t have to make contact to do it. If we simply drive into the other alliances home zone and park in front of their drivers we’ve obstructed their view of the field. They have to be over 6 1/2 ft tall to see over our bot. It will also be almost impossible for any team’s arm to reach over us if we are between them and the rack. If we deploy our ramps in our home zone at the begining of the match without even moving we’ll deny the other alliance from getting to most of their tubes leaning against the wall in our home zone. There is a lot of diiferent kinds of defense we can play with this robot.
Last year the “block the view” tactic (parking in front of a driver station) was specifically vetoed by the GDC in the Q&A.
That was last year… haven’t seen anything about it this year, however G35 would suggest that while you may DEPLOY your ramp in your end zone during the main part of the match, that you would also receive a penalty EVERY time an opposing robot contacted you outside your bumper zone.
I’m not the final word on strategy, by any means, but FIRST does attempt to keep the game moving and dynamic. You may want to ask Q&A before basing a strategy upon static obstruction.
I like the ramp, though. Whether or not the obstructive strategies are allowed, I am sure you will be a very valuable alliance partner.
Jason
How tippy is the bot, it seems like alot of the weight is very close to one side of the robot. Typically if you get tipped while you are playing defense and the other team is trying to score the other team doesn’t get penalized. Is this going to be a problem for you?
-James
Hi James, That big ramp weighs less than 18 LB. The total robot will weigh 128lb in the match. Trnslation…It’s not tippy at all unless there is a strong crosswind.