nolanlin

Convergence: Build Week 5 & 6, which spans work days 21 to 30 for our team, is the time of convergence. The drivetrain and Control System Board (CSB) were completed by Work Day 12. The software groups worked on code to validate what would be required for each of their respective subsystems. The various CAD groups turned prototypes into real subsystems, going through many preliminary design reviews (PDRs), iterations, and then final critical design reviews (CDRs). The Spindexer (dye-rotor), floor, and racetrack required some extra time to finalize their designs. During this time, the manufacturing group started to manufacture subsystems that cleared their CDR phase, our 3D printers have been working overtime as well. Subsystems assembly teams have been very busy. Our three robot driver candidates continued to practice with our prior-season robots to become familiar with optimal drive paths within the Alliance and Neutral zones, traversing the bump, and going under the trench. Intake and Store: Assembly work was completed on the intake and store. The Control Systems team completed all the wiring. We moved the robot to the field to validate the end to end operation by running several tests. Our robot driver was able to test acquisition of game pieces running at various speeds while the intake and store hardware [...]

Prototyping Climb Decision: Telescoping arm - After weight and packaging considerations by the team at large, we made a DVC decision to redistribute the workforce of the windmill climb to the telescoping climb. The windmill design added extra structure and instability, which increased weight and made integration more difficult. The telescoping climb offered a more compact and straightforward solution that fit better with the rest of the robot. Refocusing the workforce allowed the team to improve reliability and spend more time testing and refining the final climb system.   Intake & Store: This week, we have been finalizing the wire management of the intake motor, as well as the mounting for the back wall of the hopper. We decided to use 3M Dual Lock to attach the back wall to the side walls, so it’s easier to access the battery and service other mechanisms above the drivetrain. We also decided to bend the back wall around our climb rather than go around it to make it easier to attach and detach. Spindexer: The CAD and design of the dye rotor were adjusted throughout the week. We were able to make a lot of progress CAD-wise, and we began manufacturing the hex shaft and [...]

The project began at the beginning of September. We started by deciding which motors we would use and the necessary gear ratios for each mechanism. Once we decided that, we made rough sketches of the gear and motor layouts for the rollers and the pivot mechanism. While designing the intake, the geometry of the intake up and down positions constantly made it challenging for us to design a good mechanism. We had to change parts of the master sketch very often, and it is important to know which parts you should and shouldn’t change. For example, changing the pivot points of the intake or the height of the stowed position would be fine, since the intake would work mostly the same. However, changing the down position might prevent the intake from effectively intaking since its position relative to the ball could be incorrect. Also, changing the horizontal position of the up position might make the robot reach over its frame perimeter. We decided to try stub rollers on this intake. Initially, we decided that the stub rollers would be mounted by putting them against the joint of the polycarb plates. However, we realized that the little surface area of contact between the stub roller and the arm could make the rollers [...]