Week 9

Week 9

Date: 11/8/18 Time: 4:30-6:30pm

Week #: 9

Quick Summary:

  • We added a funnel to the front and back of the robot that leads the minerals into the vacuum.
  • We made a flag holder.
  • We put zip ties around the wheels to fix our traction problems.
  • We put plexiglass on both sides of our robot to protect it.
  • We labeled our power button.
  • We named our robot and made a license plate!

What We Accomplished: We added a funnel to the front and back of the robot. This makes it so that the minerals cannot get stuck under our wheels and instead slide right into the vacuum. We learned that each team at the competitions will get a flag to place somewhere on the robot during the matches. So we made a flag holder out of a straw and duct tape. The two channels on our lift was separating from each other, so we added another holder for the gear rack. In order to fix our traction problem with our wheels, we put zip ties around the wheels. This has greatly reduced slippage. To protect our robot at the competitions, we want to put plexiglass on either side of the robot. We first made a sample out of cardboard to see how it would work, then we cut the real deal and fastened it on. We then put blue duct tape on one side and orange duct tape on the other side to distinguish which side is the left and which side is the right. These colors are also on one of our driver controls, and this system helps make driving easier. On the back of all wheel motors, there is a plastic piece that attaches onto the motor and has wires that leads to the hub. These plastic things keep coming off, so we taped them on with Scotch tape. Now they don’t come off anymore! We added surgical tubing to the top of the bracing bar in order to soften the landing of the arm as it comes back down. Before, metal would crash against metal and produce wear. In the Rover Ruckus manuals, it says that the power button must be labeled. So we put it in a easily accessible place on the robot and labeled it. The last thing we did before our practice competition was to give our robot a name. Its name is “Snazzy” and it has its own license plate!