Indexing Mechanism and Hanger

Assembly and Adjustments

There are many components on the robot that need tuning. Because there is so much to do and so little time to do it (our first competition is in 10 days), we started prioritizing the tasks we need to complete. We decided the most important mechanisms that we need to focus on are our indexing mechanisms, intake, and conveyor.

Indexer

For the indexing mechanism, there needs to be a passive (and durable) way to grab the frisbee from the conveyor and bring it to the shooter. What is currently being used are flaps of polycarbonate (1/16″ thick) that bend under the frisbee and pop in place. These work fine for about four shots before the flaps warp and break. A thicker material will not work because it will not bend enough. To solve this, new mounting plates were made that were a bit deeper allowing these flaps to be bend differently. This will hopefully give more clearance for the frisbee to go through and make the flaps more durable.

Conveyor

There was not a lot of progress done on the conveyor today because the focus was the indexer. However, it was decided that there needs to be a stronger spring force on the indexing mechanism to ensure that the frisbees do not stack on top of each other. With the bar pushing down with more force, there will not be stacking.

Hanger

The hangers were fully assembled today. The timing belt was tensioned after a significant struggle to get the screw to catch the threads. The goal is to mount the hanger to the robot tomorrow and test the hanging. There need to be a few more parts assembled tomorrow to drive these hangers (such as the drive pully and its associated belt). All parts have been ordered and should arrive tomorrow.

VEX Planetary Gearbox

It was found today that the VEX Planetary Gearbox used on the lifting mechanism for the intake was not assembled correctly. Because of this, parts of the gearbox broke apart due to stress. A solution is being worked on.

Programming

Tom worked on tuning the intake to ensure it doesn’t smash against the robot when it is fully lifted and it doesn’t smash against the ground when it is fully lowered. He was using the encoder and tuning the control loops. It seemed to work fine, however there needs to be more testing done.

Action Items for Tomorrow

• Finish assembling and mounting hanger
• Continue testing the lifter and ensure proper durability of polcarbonate flaps. Examine other possible solutions/materials for flaps
• Fix every other subsystem on the robot