DEWBOT IV Build

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Revision as of 12:43, 28 June 2009 by MaiKangWei (talk | contribs) (Week Four - Transitions Continue (1/28-2/3))

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Our build process is divided into the following five stages:

  • Brainstorming & Strategic Goal Setting
  • Prototyping and Tactic (Game-Play) Development
  • Designing
  • Building
  • Testing & Training


We prototyped the following features:

  • Trackball capture using Forks
  • Catapult from Forks
  • Drive-train arrangements
  • Fast Trackball removal from Overpass

Team 1640 faced a number of daunting challenges during the 2008 build season.

The most severe of these was the temporary loss of the Team’s founder, leader and head-Mentor, Paul Sabatino, following essential back surgery early in the season. Mr. Sabatino is recuperating and we are all looking forward to his return.


The team also had to deal with a Teacher’s strike, which forced us from our home at Downingtown East High School for a full two weeks during the build season. The night before the strike, we all assembled at the school and loaded Robot, parts, supplies and essential tools (including a drill press, belt sander and a band saw) into parents’ mini-vans to relocate our operations. Fortunately, a local family, the McFaddins, became aware of our plight and very graciously loaned us the use of their stable as a workshop for the duration of the strike.


The move took place after most (but far from all) of the cutting had been completed, but before any significant assembly.


Two weeks after the exodus, we remobilized the mini-Caravan to return the now-assembled DEWBOT IV to Downingtown East.

Week One - Brainstorm & Research (1/6-1/13) at DEHS

  • Brainstorm session on 1/6
  • Inventoried the Kit of Parts
  • Started prototyping & testing:
  • Drive-train on Vex-scale (rear-wheel drive w/ steering first considered)
  • Robot speed & acceleration using DEWBOT III
  • Trackball capture with Fork using DEWBOT III
  • An alternative Trackball cradle concept
  • The catapult, which went through a few iterations
Week One Photo Gallery

Week Two - Complete prototyping, robot design & begin build (1/14-1/20) at DEHS

  • Prototyped Trackball removal from the Overpass
  • Robot design underway in Inventor
  • Animation project also underway
  • Building gets underway
Week Two Photo Gallery

Week Three - Robot design, part fabrication & build (1/21-1/27) at DEHS

  • First Drawings out
  • Electrical panel design
  • Majority of part fabrication (metal cutting) done
  • Assembly started on
  • Electrical Panel
  • Chassis
  • Fork-Lift-Catapult
  • Paul Sabatino, Team Founder & Head Mentor departs for medical reasons
Week Three Photo Gallery

Week Four - Transitions Continue (1/28-2/3)

  • All work is parallel design & build
  • Teachers' strike in Downingtown - we move out of DEHS (1/28)
  • We work one night in Siri's garage
  • A local family very graciously provides the team with their stable for our Build work & we move a second time
  • DISCOVERY: we are seriously overweight
  • DEWBOT goes on a diet
Week Four Photo Gallery

Week Five - Build (2/4-2/10)

  • Build largely completed in stable
  • Mechanical
  • Pneumatics
  • Electrical
  • Teachers' strike settled
  • Third move back into DEHS 2/10
  • Start testing systems on 2/10 after move
  • Bumper build
Week Five Photo Gallery