We’ve Got Spirit, How ‘Bout You?
Sussex has come and gone, and we’ve taken our time to rest and recuperate afterward. Now, it’s time to think about what went right and what we can improve on.
At the Sussex Mini-Regional, RoboRiot did really well. Our robot was the first to successfully climb, we were one of the first teams to have two robots climb at the same time, we successfully made it through the “trench run” beneath the control wheel mechanism, and we were able to successfully deliver power cells to the low goal with our belt mechanism
The intake mechanism on our robot needs some work. The belt we had used would shred the power cells we needed to get into the goal. [Since the power cells are yellow foam balls, this year’s bot has been dubbed… *The Lemon Zester*.] Our intake was also full of dead zones where the cells would get stuck instead of making their way to the dispensing mechanism. As another factor for our dispensing mechanism, we need to add a cushioning system to prevent damage on the field from our belt.
While our climber worked well, we want to improve it. Fabrication has been working on implementing a device to allow our robot to move side-to-side on the climbing bar, so as to make balancing the bar an easier task. We have our device mounted, now we just need to work out the electrical.
Our programmers have been hard at work, devising a strategy to use during the Autonomous stage of the competition. For those who don’t know, each round starts off with 15 seconds where the robot is allowed to move; however, the drive team isn’t allowed to control the bot during that period. All motion in that time frame must be automatic; it must be programmed into the robot and completed within that time frame. While autonomous isn’t required, it would certainly help to give us a slight edge over the opposing alliance.
We’re all bouncing with anticipation for our regionals, and we’re certainly ready to get the robot polished up. Thank you for reading this week’s issue of The Mohawk Minute! See you soon!
Check out RoboRiot on Instagram @roboriot3418 and our Facebook page at RoboRiot – FRC Team 3418.
P.S.-Don’t forget that the Open House at Kohler is on Thursday, March 12th! We hope to see you there!