DEWBOT X Build
From DEW Robotics
The true raison d'être for FRC is found during build season, not in competition. This is where you learn. Pressure is high. Here you face your biggest challenges, and either overcome them, or are overcome by them. Build season is the lesson; competition is simply the exam.
Students join our team throughout the year, and most see competitions before build season, especially off-season events. Still, these students are rookies until they have passed through their first build season. Trial by fire.
This page contains a day by day breakdown of what we did. Dates hyper-links go to the corresponding photo gallery.
Kickoff
- We attended kick-off at Upper Darby High School (home of old friends team 357 Royal Assault)
- Clem McKown gave a workshop on Practical Pneumatics
- Returning to TCHS, we went through game rules
- then engaged in several rounds of Aerial Assist using StudentBots on a simulated field and reviewed the results
- Made a list of functions that the robot could perform
- Identified must-have fuctions from this list; also some don't-need functions
- We assembled the game piece and started getting to know it
- Decision made to re-use the 2013 pivot design without significant change (and to focus our mind-time on the game-piece handling)
Week One (1/5-1/11)
- Built and tested prototype air-spring kicker
- Built and tested prototype catapult
- Built and tested top/bottom roller frame ball pick-up
- Started installing LabView software
- Cleared a lot of non-essential material out of the work area
- Tested prototype slingshot shooter
- Started cutting Al for pivot cages (4 cut)
- Made good progress on machinist's rack
- Continued installing LabView
- Vision code tested
- Completed rough cutting Al for pivot cages, pivot braces and pivot module top plates
- More work with slingshot prototype
- Started field fabrication
- Placed orders with: Rancocas Metals (Al plate); McMaster-Carr (Al & steel materials, tools & parts); AndyMark (Talons & wheels); Bainbots (steering motors & gearboxes); and Vexpro (sprockets)
- Completed rough cutting of Pivot Tubes
- Drilled mounting holes in Pivot Cage plates
- Revised slingshot prototype to improve operability in testing
- Started chassis CAD (laminar approach)
- Machinist's rack nearing completion
