I want to get a good feel for how fast & consistent the climbing robots out there tend to be, so tell me, How fast can your robot climb? Specifically, at what point in the match do you plan to stop everything else and go climb? Respond to the poll and describe in the comments!
4481 can climb in less than 2 seconds. I think at around 10 seconds before the end of the match they drive to the climbing system.
Team 4050’s robot “Boiling Point” has a climbing time of less than 5 seconds. We currently plan on going to climb around the 15 second mark.
I marked 15 sec, though we’re likely to push to 10 if we’re hanging a key gear (needed for the next rotor).
Same.
It is going to be match dependent for us.
If we’re close to an extra RP and the match is easily in hand we’re going to push for that RP and maybe sacrifice our climb. Our climber is fast so we should be able to start climbing at 5 seconds but having wiggle room is always nice.
It doesn’t matter how fast your robot can climb the rope, if your driver cannot get the rope connected to the winch!
I have seen way too many failed climbs already this season because the rope would not engage or engaged too late.
If your standard match strategy does not plan for completing all other tasks near the 30sec mark, so that by 25 sec you are lining up to climb, then you are taking a serious risk of not climbing and probably losing the match.
Maybe some of the “elite” teams out there can push it every once in a while, but for 99% of teams…get back and climb, EVERY MATCH! This will greatly increase your chances for success.
-Adam
Team 74 has a climbing time of 4 seconds, from when our rope touches our climbing mechanism to when we reach the top. We try to get to the rope with 10-15 seconds left to spare, just so we have plenty of time to make sure we are lined up properly.
5484 can climb in 5 seconds.
It’s very dependent on the match on when I tell my driver to go back. If we’re being heavily defended, we start back at 30 seconds to make sure we get around said defense and also avoid the dreaded hitting-someone-while-they-attempt-to-climb. In a simple match with little defense, we will go back 15-20 seconds.
It is very match dependent. (If we’re close to a fourth rotor, we will focus on that before climbing as well.)
4561’s bot, Dynamo, has a 4 second climb as well. The only problem we have had with our climber (apart from extremely worn out velcro) is that the motor we use to drive it, a 775 pro, does (we found this out right after a quarterfinal match, when it burnt out and in rushed process of replacing it, we lost track of a small spur gear and were unable to climb). I’m interested in hearing what setups other teams use to climb and what factors hamper climbing capability.
3322 can get up in 2 seconds.
We’re in the front on the blue alliance.
There were plenty of times where we went up the rope with 20 seconds left, just to conserve energy after an already-established huge lead. There were a few times where I told my driver to climb with 7 seconds left, and he climbed.
There are plenty of instances, even with a huge margin of error, where the driver will overshoot or otherwise miss the rope. If you think climbing will be the key to winning your matches, make sure it happens!
ECHOOO-ECHOO-CHOO-OOO-O-O-O
Make the move to the rope by 30 seconds to guarantee yourself 50. 4637 ranked 4th at our district event despite being a middle-of-the-pack gear deliverer because we committed to dropping everything and climbing at 30 secs.
The only reason you should try to get that one last gear is if you (1) are behind by <40 pts, (2) the other alliance has reliable climbers such that your alliance won’t be able to overcome the score by climbing, and (3) you only need ONE more gear. That drive coach would have to be VERY situationally aware to make that call correctly.
(4) The drive coach is pushing the drivers to get faster at gears on a mostly-empty field. :]