FIRST Robotics Report 2.2 - Limping Forward

The  good news is that we are still able to meet.  The less good is that we constantly have key student and adult members out for assorted health reasons, and that the improvised work space we are dealing with is making it hard to progress.  So we had a sit down meeting with the big CAD projector and decided to Simplify.  A less complex machine that we have time to program and drive will do better than something nice and tricksy that never quite works.  We've been down that road before.....

The new design should be quicker to build, easier to repair and far more satisfying.  And this was done through actual Engineering, with the various build sub teams and a software rep all sitting down to look at the CAD and make suggestions.

Although we are still not to a full design in CAD then build status we are part way there.  The drive base and major components are being fitted together.  This helps us figure out where structural support and assorted mountings need to go.

Back in the real world we struggle with measurements off by just a smidge here and there.  I'm way over on the "let the kids do it" side of things, but while this is the better path it is not ideal.

Pretty simple elevator device, but it is giving the kids fits getting it to run smoothly.

Well, this is pretty cool, a power rivet gun.  Helps when they end up having to redo things.

The numbers are starting to work against us.  We are approaching the 1/3 mark of the build season and so far progress has been slow.  The other number we watch closely is weight.  We have a limit.  So...everything that goes into the robot goes onto the scale.

We are at 64 pounds with a reasonable estimate of what we'll need for additional structure.  That sounds OK until you consider we still have 12 pounds of pneumatic cylinders to add.  And there are always those little things that add up.  Wire is heavy.  Nuts and bolts are not light.  I figure to make this thing lift we have to keep it under 120, with 115 being better.  

Well, we limp along.  Historically our weekend meetings have been pretty productive, perhaps we will get caught up again.  

Our mantra in this rebuilding year is:  Make it Hard to Break, Easy to repair and with Parts we Have.