My team is trying to figure out what the Project Box, Lexan Tube, and those tiny screws that came w/ the kit are for. We haven’t found any uses for them yet, especially the lexan tube, and was wondering if any other teams had. Thanks.
Don’t quote me on this, but I did hear from our electrical group that the Project Box is specifically for the Color Sensor/Camera.
Can anyone verify this?
Yes, you can see from the Camera documentation that the Project Box is specifically to be used as a housing for the CMUCam.
Yes, the box is used for the default camera installation, however, for the sake of the camera, you may want to come up with something sturdier.
Alright, cool… so this lexan tube… it’s wobbly, it’s like 8 feet long because that’s all they sell it in… what is it for? It’s listed on the BOM, but we have no idea why 
Lexan Tube? i havn’t noticed that…
ive seen this rubber tube that looked like the stuff they use at hospitals to stop the blood flowing to your arm when their taking samples…
is that what youre talking about? i havnt found a use for that thing 
The “surgical tubing” is a means of storing energy. You can wind it up before the match, or, use it over a joint which will hold weight to act as a mechanical counterbalance.
Or, if like the rest of us you can find no FIRST use for it, make a waterballon catapult.
We got that too and I have no idea what it’s for.
The Lexan, or polycarbonate, tube is to be cut up into ~1.5" lengths and used as wheel spacers for the kit frame assembly. The tube fits nicely over the 3/8" bolts. You can use any tube that has a 3/8" inside diameter.
-Paul
Sorry, I fogot that it was listed in the Advanced BOM list, seen here - http://www2.usfirst.org/2005comp/AdvanceBuy_r4.pdf
" 1/2 in OD, 3/8 in ID hollow rod, polycarbonate (need 16 inches)"
Editted - Thanks for clearing that up Paul.
Shouldn’t FIRST publish answers to there riddles? The Lexan, the project box, the magnet and all that John Neun business really had me scratching my head.
By the way, as I was shoveling snow this morning I think finally “GOT” part of the puzzle John Neun gave to that other guy. Are they facing eachother? In that way there would be Pi (Radians) between them.
No. Wrong again. I just reread the clue. He doesn’t stay there is “Pi between You and Me” He says, “…there is something between Pi, You and Me”
I don’t know… …at least the Lexan tube puzzle is explained to my satisfaction
Joe J.
As it was explained to me at Manchester, Pi is the name of another baseball player that had completed a triple play, but he was assisted if i remember correctly.
Anyone know what the 6" long 3/4" PVC Sch 80 pipe (or a 3/4" sch 80 pipe nipple) and the 1’ X 1’ X 1/4" polycarbonate are for?
I have already discussed this with my mechanical counterparts. The box and camera are not the big issue. It is the servo interface which is unlikely to withstand a 130 pound * 7 feet/sec collision and remain useful for the next match.
Here was a post from JosephM in another thread. I liked these answers
The magnet I believe was used to hang the tetras at the beginning
The project box, as stated before was for the camera.
i dont know if the tiny screws are to secure the cover on the project box and maybe the sheet of lexan to make a cover? (i havent looked at the project box)
Eric
I’m still confused about whether to build the goals out of the PVC or Wood. It looks like they gave us both on the advanced BOM and are letting us choose. And the plywood? What’s that for? Maybe the Tetra Auto loading station? Hmmm?
I would say if you want to see how the tetras react best on the goals and your not going to build one to spec out of aluminum use the PVC. While the wood goals may be a little cheaper, you have square members instead of round poles which don’t directly react with tetras as well as PVC does.
Yes, use the PVC for the goals, and the plywood is for the automatic loading station.
As stated earlier - the polycarb tube is for the KitBot wheel spacers. The Sch. 80 PVC is for transmission spacers to position the drive sprocket. I have submitted some photos of these two spacers to the Gallery - 2005 - Robots section (& I’ll update this post with direct links when the photos are posted).
Joe, I think I understand that part of the riddle.
John Neun and George Burns were baseball players who both completed unassisted triple plays (3 outs). Pi = 3.14 (about 3). So the thing that is “between” them all is the number 3. This years game has a lot of 3’s in it: 3 teams per alliance, 3x3 array of goals, tetras are a 3-dimensional shape that consist of triangles, you get 3 points for each tetra stacked on a goal, and there are probably more that I’m not thinking of at the moment.
The “amethyst colored glasses” part has something to do with the molecular structure of amethysts.