2 days. 42 teams. 70 matches. Essentially, the top 8 seeds at the end of the games choose 2 other teams for a triple team alliance. These 8 alliances then compete in a final competition for 1^st place. And we’re off.

Right away, there were many repairs to be made. For example, we were forced to find a new router for ours was outdated. Luckily, we found one at the Brophy Robotics room, and we were able to successfully program it. Moreover, the entire minibot deployment system seemed to present one problem after another. There was the issue of it not hitting the main arm, then, there was the issue of actually placing the minibot onto the pole after it deployed. The current deployment mechanism forced the driver to drive the main robot sideways to hit the pole, yet the drivetrain proved unable to do so.

After the first 3 matches with our robot, we were a bit frustrated, but still enthusiastic with our machine. We realized that our arm actually stood a fighting chance as we were able to score at least one point for the time being. Perhaps further adjustments could allow us to do better. On the other hand, some thought that it would be smart to stay mainly focused on the minibot and ditch the arm entirely.  According to Gabe Alba, it would take almost 10-15 subsequent intertubes in order to garner as many points as scoring with just the minibot.

Because the arm seemed to suffer some problems – it could not stop in place but only ascend or descend – the minibot seemed like a good chance. The plan was to work on the minibot from the third match to the fifth and send the robot minibot-less. But how could we guarantee the minibot to reach the pole? After careful brainstorming, we finally came up with a temporary solution. Instead of deploying the minibot facing sideways of the robot, we could design it to face forward. It was a start, and we did not really have any other options.

The minibot deployment system was ready, the drivetrain was programmed successfully, and the pneumatics seemed to be working. What could go wrong? We hadn’t scored since the third match, and this was the seventh and last one. From what I heard, it did not go well. Not at all. Our robot was pinned, eventually causing our minibot and its deployment system to go awry. Although it was not our brightest moment, we would learn a lot from it, and hopefully we can bring this knowledge to future competitions.

Saturday was introduced with another opening ceremony and then a few more matches. We did not expect anything to happen from our robot, yet we were not discouraged from the overall result of the tournament. We were not chosen when it came down to the alliance pickings, but it did not matter. We placed 20^th out of the 42 robots, and that in itself was a victory. Now is not the time for giving up, but now is the time to prepare. We will have to work hard in the coming weeks to get our robot ready, but hopefully when it comes down to it, we will be stronger than ever for the competition in Las Vegas.

Today, the Robotics team would bring their robot to the FIRST Robotics Competition in Hamilton High School. Contrary to popular belief, there would be no actual official matches at this time, for the real competition would not start until Friday. Today would simply be a day to practice, test, and prepare.

When we arrived at around 8:30 a.m., right away members were setting up Brophy’s assigned location at Hamilton to work on the robot: our “pit”. As soon as we were ready, the team got to work. First on the list was the minibot. The minibot, a smaller, lightweight robot, was theoretically going to exit our main robot somehow in order to climb a pole. If all went well, the minibot would reach the top of the pole and score a bonus of 30 points.

Second, and perhaps more substantial, the team needed to successfully program the robot so it could be controlled by a human driver. If successful, one member could drive the robot around the field while another could control the arm. Both drivers working in harmony should be able to pick up the inter-tubes on the ground and place them on a peg scoring either 1, 2, or 3 points depending on height. No matter how skilled the drivers are, however, we would soon learn that nothing can happen without proper programming. Programming, programming, programming.

Finally, after all was complete, the robot needed to be taken in for inspection. During inspection, the robot would be analyzed for safety, weight, and design prerequisites in order to participate in the competition. First, we weighed in at 118.5 pounds, the max being 120. Weight: check. Second, the judges checked for sharp edges, and although there were a few, we seemed to be alright. Safety: check. Now it would just be design checks. It seems that here, we didn’t do so hot.

In order to have our arm work effectively, we required two valves to manage the pressure, as the arm was powered through pneumatics. According the judges, we could only have one valve. Without a second valve, our entire design would crumble and our robot would cease to compete, and thus it was crucial we could get this second valve. After careful review of the rulebook from senior officials, they gave us the thumbs up, and we were good to go for Friday.

Take care,
Mr. Mazz

Here is the deal.
1) The new room needs to be put together and organized. This doesn’t mean just hanging out in the room – this means putting things back into the cabinets, back into the drawers and figuring out what best to do with storing the tools we have. We have a smaller space. We have to use more efficiently.

2) We need to Finish the bumpers. Bumper people – you know who you are. Mrs. V has done a good job with stencils and has done the 991 on three of the 4 bumpers. The bumpers are on the bumper table in the new room. The paint and stencils are there as well. The cotter pins are in the old room.

3) We need to pack for the Phoenix competition – this is what we need to bring to the pit. Steve, you are in the best position to do this.

4) We need to finish clearing out the old room. We have the metal racks and vertical band saw to transport.

A lot of work! We need you!

Mr. Mazz

At the moment we are just piling stuff in the new room. As we move the tables down to the new room, we will need a plan. Begin thinking of where things should go.
There is a lot of bulky stuff to move…the more bodies the better!

Mr. Mazz

On a separate note, the room is in the process of being moved. We are taking non essential items and putting them in K-14. This is also a good opportunity to assess our tools. Some of them need to be pitched.
I want to thank those people who showed up on Thursday and Friday to put the room back together and to move it! For those of you who haven’t shown up…now is the time!! We meet everyday.

Take care and have a good Summit week.

Mr. Mazz

So tomorrow – Tuesday let’s plan for a productive meeting. We need everyone to show – not only do we have the bot to finish, but we have to organize for the trip down to another room. I would like a “design team” to plan for the new room.

Take care,
Mr. Mazz
See you tomorrow – 3:00 – whenever.

Team 4303 had better luck.  Behind the controls, Gabe managed to maneuver 4303 to a 6th place finish despite the face plants were prevalent during the last part of the day.  We made it to the finals…the fist game we lost 40 to zero.  Not a good start.   The second game we won 45 to 32…there was hope!   The last game we lost 24 to 20.  We  lost best 2 of 3 games to the team that eventually won.  Not a bad showing!

After a hardy snowball fight, the team loaded up the bus and road in darkness back home.

4303 won the PTC Design award.