Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
MAR Philly
We made it to the MAR (MID- ATLANTIC ROBOTICS) regional competition in Philadelphia. we are ranked 34th in the standings.
Monday, February 20, 2012
final days of build season
The final days have been really busy, we restarted our robot and we did it in 1 1/2 weeks so now we have a fully operational robot.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
catapult test.
YAY! We just finished a test of our catapult. It worked better than my idea. Which was a more cannon like device.
end of the first week
first week of build season ending. O the joy, this week went by to fast and it seems as though the most important part of the season just ended but it really has just began.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Well, kickoff was fun - everyone had a blast! But then the fun and games stopped, and the work began. We all were thinking of ways to launch a foam basketball into the four basketball rims on the wall opposite our alliance. So far, the field-build team has started on a piece of the field called a bridge. We have the program robot up and running, and we have attached a device called a gyro sensor to help us balance the bot on the bridge. The sensor worked, but we set it for too much power and a chain kept on popping off the gear. But the bridge worked perfectly even with all the banging on the floor.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Off Season!
We are currently in our off-season and are working on our demo bot. We are looking for more high school students to recruit, so if you know of anyone who is interested in joining a robotics team, send them our way!!
Check out our article in our local newspaper! It made the front page of the Sunbeam on Monday, July 18th.
If you've never check out our website, check it out today! We are in the process of updating it, so be sure to check back periodically to find out what we're going to do next! Also, if you are interested in joining the team, sponsoring our team, or finding out information, check out our contact page to find out who to contact about all this and much more!
For those of you who are new to FIRST, check out their website. On there you can find information about where local teams are, the different programs available, and upcoming events.
Check out our article in our local newspaper! It made the front page of the Sunbeam on Monday, July 18th.
If you've never check out our website, check it out today! We are in the process of updating it, so be sure to check back periodically to find out what we're going to do next! Also, if you are interested in joining the team, sponsoring our team, or finding out information, check out our contact page to find out who to contact about all this and much more!
For those of you who are new to FIRST, check out their website. On there you can find information about where local teams are, the different programs available, and upcoming events.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Trenton Regional, Saturday
Hi everyone!
So, everyone who was at the Trenton Regional seemed to have lots of fun. It was great to see LogoMotion in action, plus Bart Kamen (Dean's brother) was there talking about their late father Jack Kamen.
So onto details about today.
1) One team in particular really shined today. Team 2016 was doing wonderful today. In the third match of today (I didn't catch the match number), they were a main contributer to 3 logos that the alliance made, plus they were the first minibot up the tower. Then, in match 75, they hung 3 tubes and were the first minibot again. In match 81, first minibot again, but this time they hung 6 tubes (including oober). Their minibot took approximately 3 seconds to get up the tower. That match had a score of 79-23, with 2016 being on the winning alliance. They are not going to be at Chesapeake or Philly. As of right now, they are not registered for Nationals either. But I would be on the lookout...
2) 303 had a telescope similar to ours, however it was slower than ours and once their trolley started to go up, it looked very twitchy. During one match they also didn't seem to have much of a plan. Team 25 had a very fast telescope that was tall. When they would go to hang on the top rack, their mast was about half a foot above the middle peg and the trolley could easily go up with no problem.
3) We need to be careful about red cards and yellow cards. During the quarter finals, the 2nd seeded alliance got a red card for entering the blue alliance zone and pushed into a robot that was hanging. Because of that, they were disqualified. If they hadn't gotten the red card, they would have won that match. During the same match, the 7th alliance got a yellow card for deploying their minibot outside the tower zone. Alliance 3 got two yellow cards during one match for a) deplying their minibot before the 15 seconds and b) placing an oober tube during teleop. Drive team and back up drive team: make sure you know all the penalties and how to get a red and yellow card so we can avoid making those mistakes.
4) As Christian said yesterday, most alliances were only placing a few tubes, and not many had minibots. The most logos I saw today for an alliance was 4, and I saw that twice. I saw a total of 3 minibots go up about 5 or 6 times. So while the majority of the teams weren't scoring a whole lot, there were some matches that were definitely one sided. That being said, today the National High Score was beaten and then tied today. During the first quarter final match for alliances 3 & 8, the 3rd alliance got 124 points while the 8th alliance got only 22. And then in the first smi final between 1 and 5, the 1st alliance got 124 points while the 5th got 36.
5) During the 2nd match for quarter finals for the 5th alliance, team 816 lost their minibot on the field at one point and it started running around the field. While it was amusing to watch, teams losing minibots during teleop was a common thing. They would also lose them when they were trying to deploy them on the pole. We need to make sure we don't lost our minibot when we are competing.
For those who weren't there, here is a list of the 8 alliances:
1) 1676, 2016, 303
2) 423, 486, 293
3) 1923, 25, 1860
4) 1228, 2590, 75
5) 2180, 816, 1302
6) 1089, 1647, 102
7) 2729, 1218, 192
8) 2191, 181, 2199
Alliances 1 and 7 made it to the Finals. Alliance 1 won. Of those two alliances, 1218 is going to Chesapeake, 2729 is going to Philly, and 303 is going to Nationals. I would not be surprised if 1676 and 2016 make an appearance at Nationals as well though.
Hope everyone had a wonderful day, whether it was spent in Trenton or elsewhere. Only 12 more days until our own regional begins!
-Sam
So, everyone who was at the Trenton Regional seemed to have lots of fun. It was great to see LogoMotion in action, plus Bart Kamen (Dean's brother) was there talking about their late father Jack Kamen.
So onto details about today.
1) One team in particular really shined today. Team 2016 was doing wonderful today. In the third match of today (I didn't catch the match number), they were a main contributer to 3 logos that the alliance made, plus they were the first minibot up the tower. Then, in match 75, they hung 3 tubes and were the first minibot again. In match 81, first minibot again, but this time they hung 6 tubes (including oober). Their minibot took approximately 3 seconds to get up the tower. That match had a score of 79-23, with 2016 being on the winning alliance. They are not going to be at Chesapeake or Philly. As of right now, they are not registered for Nationals either. But I would be on the lookout...
2) 303 had a telescope similar to ours, however it was slower than ours and once their trolley started to go up, it looked very twitchy. During one match they also didn't seem to have much of a plan. Team 25 had a very fast telescope that was tall. When they would go to hang on the top rack, their mast was about half a foot above the middle peg and the trolley could easily go up with no problem.
3) We need to be careful about red cards and yellow cards. During the quarter finals, the 2nd seeded alliance got a red card for entering the blue alliance zone and pushed into a robot that was hanging. Because of that, they were disqualified. If they hadn't gotten the red card, they would have won that match. During the same match, the 7th alliance got a yellow card for deploying their minibot outside the tower zone. Alliance 3 got two yellow cards during one match for a) deplying their minibot before the 15 seconds and b) placing an oober tube during teleop. Drive team and back up drive team: make sure you know all the penalties and how to get a red and yellow card so we can avoid making those mistakes.
4) As Christian said yesterday, most alliances were only placing a few tubes, and not many had minibots. The most logos I saw today for an alliance was 4, and I saw that twice. I saw a total of 3 minibots go up about 5 or 6 times. So while the majority of the teams weren't scoring a whole lot, there were some matches that were definitely one sided. That being said, today the National High Score was beaten and then tied today. During the first quarter final match for alliances 3 & 8, the 3rd alliance got 124 points while the 8th alliance got only 22. And then in the first smi final between 1 and 5, the 1st alliance got 124 points while the 5th got 36.
5) During the 2nd match for quarter finals for the 5th alliance, team 816 lost their minibot on the field at one point and it started running around the field. While it was amusing to watch, teams losing minibots during teleop was a common thing. They would also lose them when they were trying to deploy them on the pole. We need to make sure we don't lost our minibot when we are competing.
For those who weren't there, here is a list of the 8 alliances:
1) 1676, 2016, 303
2) 423, 486, 293
3) 1923, 25, 1860
4) 1228, 2590, 75
5) 2180, 816, 1302
6) 1089, 1647, 102
7) 2729, 1218, 192
8) 2191, 181, 2199
Alliances 1 and 7 made it to the Finals. Alliance 1 won. Of those two alliances, 1218 is going to Chesapeake, 2729 is going to Philly, and 303 is going to Nationals. I would not be surprised if 1676 and 2016 make an appearance at Nationals as well though.
Hope everyone had a wonderful day, whether it was spent in Trenton or elsewhere. Only 12 more days until our own regional begins!
-Sam
Friday, March 4, 2011
Trenton Regional, Friday
Hey all,
Here are just a few thoughts from viewing Trenton today.
1. uber tubes are double points alone, then they act as multipliers seperately, this means that a logo on top with an uber tube is 30 points, in the middle is 20, on bottom is 10, a logo with two uber tubes on top is 42, and a logo with three uber tubes on top is 54 points!
2. Only 5 minibots climbed the pole: only one match had two minibots climb.
3. The average minibot climbed in 10-15 seconds, the fastest was around 4 or 5 seconds.
4. The average number tubes placed by single robots was 1 or 2, The average number of tubes placed by an alliance was 3 or 4, the highest number of tubes placed by one robot was 6, the highest number of tubes placed by an alliacne was 9.
5. The average final score was 10-15, The highest score was 80, the second highest was 74, almost every match was won with a final score of 20 or less.
6. Very few matches did human players throw tubes many at a time, most matches teams went to the feeding station or threw one or two tubes at a time onto the field.
7. Most robots had slow arm, most robots had slow claw/tube manipulators, most manipulators dropped their tubes very easily.
8. The field was having some slight trouble connecting to robots, but it mostly just delayed matches it never interfered with gameplay.
9. Most teams fropped their minibots early or missed during deployment and were assessed penalties.
10. Penalites were common for minibots and lane infringement, but penalties did not decide matches.
11. Most tubes were scored on the top or middle row, no tubes were scored on the bottom.
12. Only two defense robots all day.
13. The minibots are given a 10 second grace period to come to rest/score after time reaches 0.
14. Here is a list of standout teams with reasons:
2016 had the highest solo score with a minibot and 6 tubes on top in logo form and an uber tube (my personal favorite to win NJ regional)
25 has a lightning fast telescope but has a slow inside tube manipulator which slows them down to only 3-4 tubes per match
486 scored several tubes and scored one of the few minibots of the day (This team will be at Philly)
1302 scored a minibot
1676 scored a minibot
1860 did good, solid autonomous follows line, placed 3-4 tubes, and has a minibot (second favorite to win NJ regional)
1647 did good logo on top with uber tube (will be at philly)
1218 did good logo plus one on top with uber tube (will be at chesapeake)
816 did ok with 3 tubes on top in logo form (will be at philly)
102 did ok with 3 tubes on top in logo form (will be at philly)
I also have a video that is a trailer of some of the better teams and matches (i did not get the 80 point match, but i got the 74 point match)
-Christian
Here are just a few thoughts from viewing Trenton today.
1. uber tubes are double points alone, then they act as multipliers seperately, this means that a logo on top with an uber tube is 30 points, in the middle is 20, on bottom is 10, a logo with two uber tubes on top is 42, and a logo with three uber tubes on top is 54 points!
2. Only 5 minibots climbed the pole: only one match had two minibots climb.
3. The average minibot climbed in 10-15 seconds, the fastest was around 4 or 5 seconds.
4. The average number tubes placed by single robots was 1 or 2, The average number of tubes placed by an alliance was 3 or 4, the highest number of tubes placed by one robot was 6, the highest number of tubes placed by an alliacne was 9.
5. The average final score was 10-15, The highest score was 80, the second highest was 74, almost every match was won with a final score of 20 or less.
6. Very few matches did human players throw tubes many at a time, most matches teams went to the feeding station or threw one or two tubes at a time onto the field.
7. Most robots had slow arm, most robots had slow claw/tube manipulators, most manipulators dropped their tubes very easily.
8. The field was having some slight trouble connecting to robots, but it mostly just delayed matches it never interfered with gameplay.
9. Most teams fropped their minibots early or missed during deployment and were assessed penalties.
10. Penalites were common for minibots and lane infringement, but penalties did not decide matches.
11. Most tubes were scored on the top or middle row, no tubes were scored on the bottom.
12. Only two defense robots all day.
13. The minibots are given a 10 second grace period to come to rest/score after time reaches 0.
14. Here is a list of standout teams with reasons:
2016 had the highest solo score with a minibot and 6 tubes on top in logo form and an uber tube (my personal favorite to win NJ regional)
25 has a lightning fast telescope but has a slow inside tube manipulator which slows them down to only 3-4 tubes per match
486 scored several tubes and scored one of the few minibots of the day (This team will be at Philly)
1302 scored a minibot
1676 scored a minibot
1860 did good, solid autonomous follows line, placed 3-4 tubes, and has a minibot (second favorite to win NJ regional)
1647 did good logo on top with uber tube (will be at philly)
1218 did good logo plus one on top with uber tube (will be at chesapeake)
816 did ok with 3 tubes on top in logo form (will be at philly)
102 did ok with 3 tubes on top in logo form (will be at philly)
I also have a video that is a trailer of some of the better teams and matches (i did not get the 80 point match, but i got the 74 point match)
-Christian
Monday, February 21, 2011
Goodbye Robot!
Our robot, Sam Shark, has officially left our hands! We got a lot of practicing done during our last day of Crunch Weekend, but sadly Sam Shark had to leave us at 4:30 to be crated up and shipped away, just waiting to meet us at the Baltimore Convention Center for the Chesapeake Regional.
So we can all rest, our next meetings aren't until March. We will have a meeting on March 1 and March 3 from 5:30 until 8. We will go to the New Jersey Regional on Saturday from 7am until 7pm to observe and get a feel for what this year's game is played. It will also give the veteran students a chance to introduce our rookie members to the pits and to the competitions before we actually are in the middle of our own.
The students have some homework between now and Tuesday:
- The pre-scouting information must be completed and emailed to Sam.
- The robot book must have the different sections completed.
* Jaw - Rachel and Dana
* Ladder - Ally and Christian
* Drive System - Mat and Jakob
* Electronics/Pneumatics - Sam and Gain
* Programming - Nick
* Minibot & Deployment - Christian and Mike
* Bumpers - Issa
* Safety Features - Rachel
The robot book is useful when a judge comes to talk to the students because if they are unsure of an answer, they are able to grab the book to use as a reference or as a quick reminder. Plus, it'll show the judges that the team is prepared with a helpful guide.
There is Sam Shark on our last day! We are all very excited to be back with Sam Shark soon!
24 days until Chesapeake! 52 days until Philadelphia! 64 days until Championships!
-Sam
So we can all rest, our next meetings aren't until March. We will have a meeting on March 1 and March 3 from 5:30 until 8. We will go to the New Jersey Regional on Saturday from 7am until 7pm to observe and get a feel for what this year's game is played. It will also give the veteran students a chance to introduce our rookie members to the pits and to the competitions before we actually are in the middle of our own.
The students have some homework between now and Tuesday:
- The pre-scouting information must be completed and emailed to Sam.
- The robot book must have the different sections completed.
* Jaw - Rachel and Dana
* Ladder - Ally and Christian
* Drive System - Mat and Jakob
* Electronics/Pneumatics - Sam and Gain
* Programming - Nick
* Minibot & Deployment - Christian and Mike
* Bumpers - Issa
* Safety Features - Rachel
The robot book is useful when a judge comes to talk to the students because if they are unsure of an answer, they are able to grab the book to use as a reference or as a quick reminder. Plus, it'll show the judges that the team is prepared with a helpful guide.
There is Sam Shark on our last day! We are all very excited to be back with Sam Shark soon!
24 days until Chesapeake! 52 days until Philadelphia! 64 days until Championships!
-Sam
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Team Update: February 20, 2011 (Sunday of Crunch Weekend)
Hi everyone!
Safety Contact: With all the visitors today, watch your surroundings and make sure you and our visitors are being safe.
We changed from the omni wheels to the slick wheels we used in 2009 for Lunacy to help with traction.
While practicing today, we managed to flip the robot on its side and when we did that, we broke the plexiglass connectors that held the jaw on the robot. We had to take the robot back to the workshop to make a set of replacements.
We practiced all afternoon (minus when we had to fix the robot) and have a record of 6 tubes hung (Rachel driving and Sammy operating). We are close to our goal of 9 tubes in 2 minutes! Tomorrow we are just driving.
At the end of the meeting, the robot weighed in at 110.2 pounds without the bumpers, battery, or minibot things.
Thanks Mrs. Danner for breakfast and lunch today! Our next meeting is tomorrow from 9am til 5pm.
1 day left until we ship!
-Sammy
Safety Contact: With all the visitors today, watch your surroundings and make sure you and our visitors are being safe.
We changed from the omni wheels to the slick wheels we used in 2009 for Lunacy to help with traction.
While practicing today, we managed to flip the robot on its side and when we did that, we broke the plexiglass connectors that held the jaw on the robot. We had to take the robot back to the workshop to make a set of replacements.
We practiced all afternoon (minus when we had to fix the robot) and have a record of 6 tubes hung (Rachel driving and Sammy operating). We are close to our goal of 9 tubes in 2 minutes! Tomorrow we are just driving.
At the end of the meeting, the robot weighed in at 110.2 pounds without the bumpers, battery, or minibot things.
Thanks Mrs. Danner for breakfast and lunch today! Our next meeting is tomorrow from 9am til 5pm.
1 day left until we ship!
-Sammy
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Team Update: February 19, 2011 (Sat. of Crunch Weekend)
Hi everyone!
We solved one of our problems today by adding an additional motor to each gearbox on the robot, making it much more drivable.
-We practiced driving in Davidow
-Electrical Team: cleaned up wires, worked on mounting new motors, labeled the PD board
-Minibot Team: finished the minibot with a solid frame; it now climbs in under 4 seconds, but will be sped up; the deployment mechanism is almost complete
-Programming Team: changed code to use four motors, worked on fixing bugs, tested autonomous
-Shark tooth handouts were made, and the paint job on the robot was touched up
Thanks to Issa for breakfast and Sam for dinner. We will be meeting again tomorrow from 10 AM to 5 PM.
2 more days till we ship!
-Nick
We solved one of our problems today by adding an additional motor to each gearbox on the robot, making it much more drivable.
-We practiced driving in Davidow
-Electrical Team: cleaned up wires, worked on mounting new motors, labeled the PD board
-Minibot Team: finished the minibot with a solid frame; it now climbs in under 4 seconds, but will be sped up; the deployment mechanism is almost complete
-Programming Team: changed code to use four motors, worked on fixing bugs, tested autonomous
-Shark tooth handouts were made, and the paint job on the robot was touched up
Thanks to Issa for breakfast and Sam for dinner. We will be meeting again tomorrow from 10 AM to 5 PM.
2 more days till we ship!
-Nick
Friday, February 18, 2011
2011 Build Season Teasers
Here are some teaser pics for some people out there...
Holding the square tube...
Scott and Jakob working on the 2010 robot so we could see whether the 2011 robot could be toppled easily
It looks different now...
There is our driver's station during practice one day
The jaw!
Blue with yellow polka dots??
The Minibot looks different now too.
More pics to follow in a couple days! And maybe even a video or two...Stop by Saturday, Sunday, or Monday to see the robot before it ships if you are in the area of Salem Community College!
A LOT different.
More pics to follow in a couple days! And maybe even a video or two...Stop by Saturday, Sunday, or Monday to see the robot before it ships if you are in the area of Salem Community College!
Team Update: February 18, 2011 (Friday of Crunch Weekend)
Hi everyone!
Today was a long day for those who were in the workshop all day. The rest of crunch weekend will be the same way due to the amount of time we are in the workshop each day and the increased amount of stress with the due date looming closer. Which leads us to our Safety Contact for today.
Safety Contact: If at any point during the weekend you feel tired or overworked, take a break and drink some water, sit and relax for a few minutes, or do something to get back up to the level you need to be at to work safely. We don't want anything to happen to anyone due to being tired or not feeling right.
Programming team: added a "travel" mode that is used to set up for a match and for playing defense and cleaned up and commented code.
Minibot team: worked on the gearing system and is attempting to make the minibot faster.
Electrical team: cleaned up wires and wired up new sensors.
We did get some time to practice driving tonight. There were some few problems with a delay from the driver's station to the robot near the end.
The plan is to go to BCIT tomorrow to practice with a few other teams. Students must have a permission slip in order to go. We are wearing our black practice shirts (plain black shirts for anyone who does not have a practice shirt). If any of the veteran students have an extra black practice shirt, please bring it tomorrow for a new student to wear.
Tomorrow we meet from 9am - 9pm with a planned trip to BCIT from 11am - 3pm.
4 days til Build Season is over!
-Sam
Today was a long day for those who were in the workshop all day. The rest of crunch weekend will be the same way due to the amount of time we are in the workshop each day and the increased amount of stress with the due date looming closer. Which leads us to our Safety Contact for today.
Safety Contact: If at any point during the weekend you feel tired or overworked, take a break and drink some water, sit and relax for a few minutes, or do something to get back up to the level you need to be at to work safely. We don't want anything to happen to anyone due to being tired or not feeling right.
Programming team: added a "travel" mode that is used to set up for a match and for playing defense and cleaned up and commented code.
Minibot team: worked on the gearing system and is attempting to make the minibot faster.
Electrical team: cleaned up wires and wired up new sensors.
We did get some time to practice driving tonight. There were some few problems with a delay from the driver's station to the robot near the end.
The plan is to go to BCIT tomorrow to practice with a few other teams. Students must have a permission slip in order to go. We are wearing our black practice shirts (plain black shirts for anyone who does not have a practice shirt). If any of the veteran students have an extra black practice shirt, please bring it tomorrow for a new student to wear.
Tomorrow we meet from 9am - 9pm with a planned trip to BCIT from 11am - 3pm.
4 days til Build Season is over!
-Sam
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Team Update: February 17, 2011
Hi everyone!
Safety Contact: When moving field equipment, take your time and be careful about your actions and surroundings.
Issa: made shark and template for bumpers.
Electrical: cleaned up wires and will continue to tomorrow.
Minibot: the minibot was modified with two motors. Appropriate fittings were made to run the minibot by itself. The minibot ran up the pole in 3.7 seconds today. There was a plan to make a gearing system to have it run in 1.8 seconds. The deployment system is ready to use with a pole release system. The total time will be around 2 seconds total.
Programming: software updates, reimaged the cRio, tested autonomous, and finalized the mounting of sensors and camera.
The robot has been painted! Our robot is named Sam Shark this year, so we designed our robot to look like a shark. We modeled Sam Shark off of the Whale Shark, however we modified it to fit our ideas. The robot is all blue. Here is a preview of what we have done:
The claw has teeth! The red is to accent the white teeth and make sure it is seen from the stands.
The Whale Shark has dots on it...so we accented our robot with yellow dots to match our shirt.
Our next meeting is tomorrow from 9am til 9pm. Thanks Mrs. Cardona for dinner tonight. Tomorrow Mrs. Rodriguez is providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Crunch weekend has officially begun! 5 more days until ship!
-Sam
Safety Contact: When moving field equipment, take your time and be careful about your actions and surroundings.
Issa: made shark and template for bumpers.
Electrical: cleaned up wires and will continue to tomorrow.
Minibot: the minibot was modified with two motors. Appropriate fittings were made to run the minibot by itself. The minibot ran up the pole in 3.7 seconds today. There was a plan to make a gearing system to have it run in 1.8 seconds. The deployment system is ready to use with a pole release system. The total time will be around 2 seconds total.
Programming: software updates, reimaged the cRio, tested autonomous, and finalized the mounting of sensors and camera.
The robot has been painted! Our robot is named Sam Shark this year, so we designed our robot to look like a shark. We modeled Sam Shark off of the Whale Shark, however we modified it to fit our ideas. The robot is all blue. Here is a preview of what we have done:
Our next meeting is tomorrow from 9am til 9pm. Thanks Mrs. Cardona for dinner tonight. Tomorrow Mrs. Rodriguez is providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Crunch weekend has officially begun! 5 more days until ship!
-Sam
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