Field Build

The field build team continues to cut parts and assemble pieces of the field, we have one of the generator switch sides done, and one of the supports for the generator switch. Seeing these pieces put together, I’m amused by the size of them. They are big. We have been continuing to cut parts on our CNC router for the field build, and have a nice pile of parts needing to be assembled.

Manufacturing

Three steps forwards and three steps back. We are working to complete the last part of our drive base, the main frame rail, and we struggled today. After a series of mistakes and lessons learned we should now be able to produce frame rails that will work. The frame rails are the last part outstanding so we need to push more parts from CAD to manufacturing.

Programming

Today programming team worked on roughing in the subsystems that our robot will have. Another group of students setup the lime light. After that they got the lime light detecting the vision targets. Some work was started on automatically aligning to the center of the vision target.

Autonomous is back this year, I’m excited for it, and so is the programming team. I talked with them today asking them to start thinking about different autonomous routines. Tuesday next week we will be having autonomous palooza, where we brainstorm all the different autonomous modes we might need.

CAD

Today the drive train gearboxes where finished with CAD, leaving only the part drawings to be done. This will be our first time in recent years making a custom gear box. The plan is to get the gearbox cut tomorrow on our CNC router.

Prototyping

The work on the flywheel shooter ran into some snags today. When the improvements where planned out yesterday we had in mind to use 3/4″ plywood for the material, apparently we ran out of spare scraps due to our high use in prototyping and it was cut on 1/2″ plywood. So when the shooter was reassembled the polycarb backing no longer fit and the sides where bowed in. The new stand offs that were cut and tapped were too small to match the old standoffs and pulled the sides in. We added some spacers and set back reassembling the prototype. We did not manage to finish, we still have to attach the versa planetary with the Neo and connect it to the flywheel with chain.

Another group of students was testing out different configurations of the overhead roller intake. They tested 3 different wheel setups, but the protopipe test structure still flexes too much to be useful. The new prototype made of plywood hasn’t been cut on the router yet so we are stalled there at the moment.

Event Hosting

This weekend the ausTIN CANs are hosting the Anderson HS Qualifier for FLL, and helping out at Murchison Vex tournament. Hosting an event and helping at another on the same day is hard, and do it during build season? Thats rough. Saturday is supposed to be one of our work days for FRC, but we all will be out hosting and event. Its going to be a busy weekend, we have an optional meeting on Sunday.