Welcome to our first week of build season! We are starting off the season with each team making their mechanisms for the alphabot. On kickoff, we decided to focus on designing prototypes based on the strategies we came up with, and what we want the robot to do. We also decided early on that we wanted teams to work with programming more closely so that we can have some code ready by the time we go into competition. After so much planning, everyone is excited to finally start working on the robot to eventually see it zoom through the field during competition.
Drivebase & Climber
The very first thing started was designing and building the drivebase for the alphabot which will be the chassis for prototypes that can be mounted on top. The drivebase team went ahead and started making the bumpers that were then mounted. After passing the reins of the drivebase to programming, they were able to make functioning code for the swerve drive.. The drivebase is very important to get done so that the other mechanism teams can attach their parts to make up the whole robot and be competition ready.
Ascender
The ascender team started testing height limitations using a continuous carriage elevator that we had from a previous project way back in 2018. The carriage was removed and disassembled, the elevator was then taken off its base to be mounted onto the alphabot. One of the issues faced by the team was managing time and people to work on finishing the drive base for when needing to attach other mechs on it. Once the team was finished with that they moved onto the placer mechanism. The team made two different variations for the placer that were both a two sided outtake. The two sided outtake was then scratched and turned into a one wheel slanted flywheel design. It is a slanted piece of wood that is set to the elevator with a horizontal flywheel on the side of it. The current mechanism that is being designed in CAD is using a wall and row of rollers to pick up and move the coral to the elevator. The coral is then moved to the flywheel that gains speed and shoots the coral out on the side of the robot.
Game Piece Manipulator
The game piece manipulator team have been focusing on prototyping different intake styles. After we narrowed down the intake style, we then moved to CAD initial designs and cut some preliminary plates for the alphabot intake. One of these is already ready to be mounted on the alphabot (yay!). Another prototype that has been started and worked on is a placer that will eventually go onto the elevator. The team has started to work on more variations of the intakes and placer in prototyping that will soon be ready for mounting. The main issue that this team has is not being able to mount the intake onto the robot until the elevator is already mounted.
Kitbot Team
The kitbot team this week focused on assembling the drivebase by completing the basic frame and wheels of the drivetrain. They also designed and added the base plate for the drivebase, which included their battery mount/strap. We were adamant on where the battery placement will be because last year it was in the most AWFUL place that made it hard to attach and remove the battery, thankfully that is not the case this year.
Each team focuses on their own mechanisms while also keeping in mind how to then combine each part to make up the whole robot. Next week we will have more updates on the progress each team makes and what changes happen with the robot, we can’t wait!
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