One component of our robot.
Wow! I didn’t think we’d see any suction cups this year. My first impression was that it was for the 2x ball, however it looks small (though I could be wrong). Could you please tell us what the function of this will be? Have you tried it out yet?
Good luck this year.
all the other teams seem to have way more funding then ours.
*sigh:(
One of the great things about FIRST is that you can build the most simplistic robot and still win. Using the most ammount of money doesn’t mean you are going to do well.
Seeing the bellows and they also appear to be silicone they should seal well with the ball even with it’s texture. Are you running a vacuum pump or just a venturi?
(not our robot in the picture)
We used double pistons to create vacuum. It has about 2 inches of bellows. it works really good! pictures SOON to come!
just got back from the utc scrimmage… i saw one of the official “2x” balls, and there were no ridges… is this correct?
I think they have ridges but they shouldn’t be a problem for getting a seal with what you are using. There is some good non-pourous foam that you can use if that fails. But I doubt it would.
Quick questions. How do you get all three to have good placement on the ball? Can you pick the ball up if only two get a good seal? Is that a problem sometimes?
We used suction cups last year so no one could push us off the platform. I can’t believe we didn’t think of that this year. We found one and tried it and they work really good but we already have a good design and don’t have time to change it now.
That is sooo awsome!!! when my team and i saw it we were all freaking out it looks so cool!!! Suction cups didnt even cross my mind but now i totally wish it did! everyone was comparing is to …i think star wars or something… but it was sooo cool! good luck to you i hope it works out for you… 
The suction cups are for the 2x multiplier balls. It was a little tricky to maneuver at first, but one you get the hang of it, it works fantastic. We have to cylinders, one connected to a solenoid, the other connected only to the suction cups. When the former is activated, it pulls the stroke of the second cynlinder out with it, evacuating the air nicely. The hold is excellent.
I forgot to add, all three have to have a good seal, or else it won’t work. We’ve toyed with a few ideas, but nothings worked too well yet.