GetRobo Blog English

[FIRST 2010] Robot works, packed up and waits to be named

 Hooray! The robot is working! Yesterday's problem - a combination of wiring, faulty cables and some code - have been resolved. Test run was done at the school library.

 It can climb mountains

 And it can kick - hard

 Just like any professional engineer (and journalist) the team would like to work on it more but there is always a deadline. It's time to pack up because FEDEX is picking the robot up next morning to be sent to storage until the Silicon Valley Regional that's being held on March 18-20 at San Jose State University.

(Photo: Into the box. Team mentor Craig -right- created the Eagle Strike logo on the crate below.) 

 

And off it goes.

 The team will continue to work on small parts and code, and also to come up with a name for their robot. But basically it's time to get some rest after 6 intense weeks of building. "Otsukaresama~" as we would say in Japanese.  

 

[FIRST 2010] 36 hours to go and there is a problem

 It's 4:30pm on Sunday and the robot is not responding. There is a problem but Team 114 is not quite sure what it is. Could it be the bug that some of the other teams were complaining about? Or is it something else?

 
(Photo: Testing)

(Photo: More testing)

(Photo: Calling to seek advice)

(Photo: If it could only tell us what the matter is.....)
 

 

[FIRST 2010] Three more days till shipment date

 There's only three more days left till Team 114 (as well as all the other 1,800 FIRST teams around the country) must pack the robot up and ship it to the regional competition site.  This ensures that all teams equally have 6 weeks to build the robot after the rules are announced regardless of when and where the regionals are being held.

(Photo: Team 114 robot taking more shape and character)

 All the components have safely arrived and the team has had the chance to drive the robot around. But today, they have taken the drive train off again. "Why now?" asks Ms. Davis, one of the team advisors. The answer is, they need to attach an encoder so that the robot can control it's speed.

(Photo: James, one of the mentors, helps installing the encoder) 

(Photo: The roller that keeps the ball will be attached in front of the robot)

 

 Another last minute change were the bumpers. Instead of using different color flags to tell which robot belongs to which team, this year the robots have to be able to change the color of their bumpers. This has turned into a sewing project which Ms. Davis decided to take over. "I'd rather have you guys focus on the engineering part." 

(Photo: Team advisor, Ms. Karen Davis)

(Photo: Flipping the cloth will change the bumper from blue to red)

(Photo: Team 114 believes their powerful kicker will be a differentiator at the games)

And yet the story unfolds...........

 

[FIRST 2010] Gaining Momentum

 The complete track system has not arrived yet, but the tank track module has, and there is definitely more activity going on in Rm. 602. 

 (Photo 1: Tank track module has arrived)

 

(Photo 2: Preparing to use a retired robot to test the camera)

 Next up will be driving around the new robot as soon as the track belts come.
 

[FIRST 2010] To Do (still)

 It's 7:30pm on Tuesday and Team 114 is working hard in Rm. 602 at Los Altos High School. They've been hampered by the weather, though. It's not that the weather is awful here, but it's been snowing really hard up in Oregon, and the UPS truck that was supposed to have delivered the track system by now is stuck.

(Photo 1: Make machine parts like crazy!!!)
  
 There's only 3 weeks left till the robots have to be completed and the team can't afford to wait long. One of the mentors from another local team has volunteered to drive up north to receive this backbone component for both of the teams. It's a great example of "Co-opetition" - the marriage of cooperation and competition - which FIRST strongly promotes.
 

 Another case of co-opetition: Los Altos High School is fortunate to have a "mill" which is used to shape all sorts of metal parts. Other teams in this area that don't have this kind of tool are free to come here and use it.

(Photo 2:Working with the mill)
 

 While the team waits for the track system, they've used the base from their robot from FRC 2008 to put the prototype on and drive it around.

(Photo 3: Team mentors Roy and Charlie. Charlie =left= was on the team for 4 years before he graduated. He explains about the robot that he built for FRC 2008.) 

 The team's 2 advisors, Ms. Karen Davis, who teaches physics, and Mr. Thomas Budd, science teacher, are trying to keep everyone focused. "What else do we need to do now?"

 

(Photo 4: Figuring out the design of the lifter)

(Photo 5: Mr. Budd in front of the mockup goal)

 (Photo 6: Parts finished and waiting.....)