2024:Gamepiece
1/14/2024 - Prototyping Starts!
For our team's note acquisition/shooter mechanism, we took inspiration from the design of the Unqualified Quokkas Ri3D team. We worked in CAD on our version of this design, keeping some elements similar while making some modifications of our own. We also figured out some 2D geometries/measurements relating to robot interaction with source and trap. Also, we worked on assembling prototype of mechanism (base assembly of the prototype is mainly completed with the exception of belts and chains.
1/16/2024 - CAD and Prototyping is now in full swing!
Today, we tested out a diffuse reflection sensor for sensing game pieces, continued evaluation geometries for scoring positions in CAD (specifically those relating to placement of game pieces in the amp and trap and acquisition from source) and analyzed potential scoring angles, and started CAD design for worm drive brake actuation. We also continued assembly of our prototype mechanism (added belts and motors to prototype).
1/17/2024 - Revision of Prototype design
To make our prototype design grippier, we replaced all red compliance wheel axles on prototype with both red and green compliance wheels to make them grippier. We also worked on a CAD design for a new mechanism attachment intended to score notes into the trap. This mechanism consists of a claw that is intended to hold the note and place it directly into the trap. We coordinated with our Hang subteam to determine an distance above the ground that was possible for our current hang design and also ideal for the claw design we have.
1/18/2024 - CAD Design continues for our arm
We continued work on our physical prototype of our intake/shooter mechanism (mechanical assembly is mainly complete, we are adding belts, motors, and wiring). Also, we did more work in CAD on ideas to attach our intake/shooter assembly to our drivebase, our current idea is an arm, we currently have created the superstructure for this assembly in CAD.
1/20/2024 - Testing the Prototype!
We tested our prototype intake/shooter mechanism by intaking a note, outtaking it, and shooting it. It was successful! We are considering changing the gearbox on the transmission for the motor that drives our intake and outtake to get more power for intaking and outtaking notes. We also continued design of our arm to attach our arm to our robot. A design is in the works, and we are working on finalizing it so we can prototype the arm for more accurate testing of our intake/shooter mechanism in relation to the robot. We also worked on a design for a worm gear brake for our arm and worked further on placement of our designs within the CAD for our robot. We built a mockup of the arm and put it on the Kitbot drivebase. We also attached the intake/shooter to it.
1/21/2024 - It's All Coming Together In CAD!
Today we continued testing of our prototype intake/shooter mechanism with different angles and speeds and their success in relation to making it into the speaker, testing the prototype mounted onto a frame for reference. Once we finish our design for our arm, we can continue prototyping to gain more accurate representations of how our mechanism will act with us using our revised version of the arm. In CAD, we've started to put our intake/shooter assembly and arm assembly into one assembly connecting the two. We iterated on the lengths of our arm to find a length that would keep us within the 12in. maximum extension from frame perimeter limit, while also allowing us to still be able to score into the amp.
1/23/2024 - Our Arm Gets Re-Revised
After discussing with our other build season subteams, we decided there was a need to modify our arm for increased accessibility for maintenance. The base design of our arm is mainly finalized, as our full mechanism including the arm and intake/shooter mechanism includes 5 motors as of today: 2 NEOs to drive our shooter, one NEO 550 for our intake, one NEO for our arm movement, and a NEO 550 for our arm brake. Our subteam is working to finalize the sensors we need to use for our mechanism, and we are currently using a reflection sensor for detecting when a note enters our intake and an absolute encoder for the arm position. We also worked on finalizing our mechanism CAD so we can put it into a final robot CAD and prepare for the start of fabricating parts.
1/24/2024 - Introducing Our Brake Mechanism
We have been working on designs to control our arm movement, deciding on a brake mechanism that is driven by a worm gear box and involves bicycle brake calipers to stop the rotation of a brake disc on the axle that pivots our arm. We are coordinating with our team's hang and electrical subteams to determine the best location for this worm gear box. Our subteam also discussed ways to make the arm more accessible for maintenance, specifically access to motors and ease of replacing belts, as our current mechanism requires the axles the pulleys are on to be taken out so we can remove the pulleys the faulty belt is on, which is unfavorable as it requires removing two axles from one side of our arm mounting, and as such is not as easy to accomplish as possible. We also had talked about modifying the location of our transmission that drives our pivot axles so that they can be more easily accessed, and discussed potentially modifying the plates that mount our arm to our drivebase frame to give the arm more support.
