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Phoenix 4533

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Table of Contents

Define the Problem

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Define the Problem : Kickoff

Robot restrictions

• R103 P74The ROBOT weight must not exceed 125 lbs.
• R104 P74: A robot’s *starting* configuration may not have a frame perimeter greater than 120in and a height greater than 4ft
• R105 P74: Robots may not extend more than 12 in. (~30 cm) beyond their frame perimeter.
• R301 P76: No single component may exceed $600 of cost
• R401 P81: ROBOTS are required to use BUMPERS to protect the entire FRAME PERIMETER. Gaps of less than ½ in. between adjacent segments are permitted as long as all corners are filled
• R402 P81: The max height of the bumpers are 7½ in. (~19 cm) above the floor in reference to the ROBOT standing normally on a flat floor.

Best/quickest way to score points?

• Speaker, Amp, Climb, Autonomous

Best way to earn ranking points/coopertition points?

• Melody (15-18 notes scored) and Amp, winning matches

Best way to make our team attractive during alliance picks?

• RELIABILITY, KISS, Consistent scoring, Climb 100%, Consistent Auto
• Human Player who’s a good shot

Recommendations:

• Do NOT try for the trap
• Check the relevant checklist before/after every match
• Know what information is being displayed and where

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Define the Problem : Kickoff

We created a chart with the points and awards available for different requirements. This is helpful as it is easier to look at all the information in one spot.

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Whole Team Debate

• Best/quickest way to score points?
• Speaker, Amp, Climb, Autonomous
• Best way to earn ranking points/coopertition points?
• Win matches
• Melody (15-18 notes scored)
• Amp
• Best way to make our team attractive during alliance picks?
• RELIABILITY, KISS, Consistent scoring, Climb 100%, Consistent Auto
• Human Player who’s a good shot
• Best FRC awards to target to earn District points?
• Imagery, Quality, Excellence in Engineering, Industrial Design
• Build Season Gantt Chart

Recommendations:

• Do NOT try for the trap
• Check the relevant checklist before/after every match
• Know what information is being displayed and where

Define the Problem : Kickoff

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Define the Problem : GANTT Chart

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Research

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Research: Field Elements

Speaker & Subwoofer

6’6” off the ground

2 AprilTags, 1 centered and one offset

The subwoofer lights show the amplification countdown

Stage: ^^^Different chain heights diagram ^^^

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Lowest possible point is 28.5 inches off the floor

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Research: Field Elements

Amp

• Is 4’ 6” from the drive team wall
• Has an AprilTag centered above ‘pocket’
• Pocket is 18” off the ground, 18” tall x 24” wide, 3 ¼” deep
• bottom light on: the ALLIANCE has 1 NOTE towards AMPLIFICATION (or Coopertition)
• both lights on: the ALLIANCE has 2 NOTES toward AMPLIFICATION (1 of which can be used for Coopertition)
• top light blinking at 2Hz: the SPEAKER is AMPLIFIED

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Research: Field Setup and Scoring

We used 4481’s Unofficial Cheat sheet to help us understand the best way to score match points and ranking points in the qualification matches. This helped us to visualize the Crescendo field and the placement of notes on the field.

This helped drive our team’s decision to focus on scoring in the Speaker and Amp and climbing on the Stage, and to ignore the Trap.

Brainstorm and Conceptualize

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Brainstorm & Conceptualize: Chassis

Ideas & Sketches for Chassis: Morgan and Aiden

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Brainstorm & Conceptualize: Intake and Shooter

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Intake and Shooter Ideas & Design Drawings - Made by Evan, Alex, and Luke

We came up with the idea to intake under the bumper because it would intake all in one fluid motion and less prone to damage.

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Brainstorm & Conceptualize: Intake and Shooter

Intake and Shooter ideas & sketches -

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Made by Evan, Alex, and Luke

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Brainstorm & Conceptualize: Amp Flipper

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Amp Flipper Ideas & Drawings -

Made by Duru, Nirval, and Chloe

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Brainstorm & Conceptualize: Climber

Ideas/sketches by Connor and Maria

CAD and Prototype

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CAD and Prototype: Chassis

CAD of Chassis by Morgan, Aiden and Charlie

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CAD and Prototype: Intake and Shooter

CAD and Prototype of Intake and Shooter - Made by Evan and Luke

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CAD and Prototype: Intake and Shooter

CAD and Prototype of Intake and Shooter - Made by Evan and Luke

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CAD and Prototype: Intake and Shooter

CAD and Prototype of Intake and Shooter - Made by Evan and Luke

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Amp Flipper CAD drawings, prototypes and final iteration - Made by Duru, Nirval, and Chloe

CAD and Prototype: Amp Flipper

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Amp Flipper CAD drawings, prototypes and final iteration - Made by Duru, Nirval, and Chloe. It was Chloe’s first time actually doing CAD on the bot, and any CAD at all! Learned a lot about Onshape’s platform.

CAD and Prototype: Amp Flipper

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CAD and Prototype: Climber

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Hook Design Drawings, CADs, and prototypes - Made by Connor and Maria

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CAD and Prototype: Climber Hooks

Prototypes and Final Hook Design - Made by Connor and Maria

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CAD and Prototype: Climber

Climber sub-assembly

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Custom modifications designed, CAD-ed, and built by Connor and Maria

Improve, Select, and Finalize

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Improve, Select, and Finalize: Chassis

Swerve chassis built by Morgan, Charlie, and Aiden

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Improve, Select, and Finalize: Chassis

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Swerve drive code by Alex.

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Don’t ask Alex about PID values.

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Just don’t. ;-)

Swerve chassis CAD and Build - Morgan, Aiden and Charlie

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Test and Improve: Intake and Shooter

Shooter tests run by Evan, Luke, and Drake (code).

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Improve, Select, and Finalize: Intake and Shooter

Intake and Shooter built by Evan, Luke, and Ace

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←Evan and Ace with GAME FACES ON.

Evan and Ace losing it and laughing. :) →

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Improve, Select, and Finalize: Amp Flipper

Amp Flipper - Made by Duru, Nirval, and Chloe

Duru pointed out that a separate Amp sub-assembly could still score if something happened to our Intake, Lift, and/or Shooter.

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Improve, Select, and Finalize: Climber

Climber first iteration:

Build led by Connor and Maria

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Improve, Select, and Finalize: Climber

CAD and Custom Parts - Made by Evan, Connor, Morgan, Finn, Duru, and Luke

Final

Build Season Solution

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Final Build Season Solution

←Amp Flipper Design and CAD by Duru, Nirval, Chloe & Finn

Intake, Lift and Shooter Design and CAD by Evan, Luke & Finn →

←Climber Design and CAD by Connor, Maria, and Finn

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Code written by Alex, Drake, Ace, and Robert

^ Chassis Design and CAD by Morgan, Aiden, & Finn

Analyze and Improve

(After PCH Anderson District Event)

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Analyze and Improve: Shooter

At our first event in Anderson, SC, our Note shooter was occasionally shooting low. We originally had high-speed wheels on one side and low-speed on the other.

We decided to add power to the shooter to help it shoot more consistently.

We upgraded to high speed wheels on BOTH sides. Both sets of wheels got their own high-speed motor without a gear-reduction.

Modifications led by Evan and Luke.

Before:

After:

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Analyze and Improve: Vision Code

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Drake made a Note- detection helper to allow the robot code to easily aim and trigger our intake, reducing our cycle time from pick-up to shoot.

Note Detection

Code

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Analyze and Improve: Amp Flipper

At Anderson our Source Human Player could not send Notes into our Amp Flipper if Bot-hoven was not perfectly lined up.

In addition to writing vision code to use April tags to line the robot up (see next page), we CAD-ed up ‘cups’ that widened the “catch” opening of our Amp Flipper.

Before

After

Aiden, Duru, and Nirval modified our Amp-Flipper

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Analyze and Improve: Vision Code

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After Anderson Drake improved our vision code so that it would check on camera status to more easily diagnose problems with the cameras.

This made the system more reliable and robust while improving position accuracy.

AprilTag code

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Analyze and Improve: Climber

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At our first event at Anderson, SC we had some trouble with our climber jamming. This was caused when we went under the Stage and/or chain and hit it with our climber hooks.

Due to this issue we CAD designed a new hook to be shorter to prevent this issue and improve the reliability of our climber.

CAD design modification by Connor.

Before:

After:

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Analyze and Improve: Climber

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Our climber towers leaned outwards like a “V” when we climbed.

Temporary fix → Crossed yellow Kevlar cords anchoring climb towers to chassis

Final fix →

Crossed metal rods with turnbuckles anchor the climber towers to the chassis to prevent the cimbers from leaning out, modification led by Evan

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Analyze and Improve: Auto Code

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← At Anderson, our Auto could only ‘leave’ for 2 points.

It became really clear that getting a lot of points during Auto helped win matches.

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Alex used Pathfinder to develop one- and two-note autos.

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←Shoot and leave auto for 7 points.

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Analyze and Improve: Auto Code

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Two note auto and leave for twelve points

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Final

Post-Anderson Solution

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Final Post-Anderson Solution

Analyze and Improve

(After PCH Charleston District Event)

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Analyze and Improve: Rear Camera Mount

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We were concerned with the rear camera being shaky due to the movement of the amp flipper and impacts with other bots and field elements.

Evan had the idea to add rubber bands in between the bracket and the metal extrusion to absorb vibrations, and Evan and Drake installed them.

After:

Before:

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Analyze and Improve: Amp Flipper

Notes sometimes bounced out of our amp flipper at the Anderson and North Charleston events. This lost us time as we do not have floor pickup for the amp flipper. We simply took out some of the churros to lower the momentum of the note if it bounces around.

Before: Churros all around

After: 2 churros removed from each side

Duru, Chloe, and Maria modified our Amp-Flipper

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Analyze & Improve: Intake

Our intake was good at both Anderson and North Charleston but we wanted to make floor pickup even quicker to shorten our cycle time.

Due to this we added another roller to the intake which is closer to the front of the robot and can catch notes even if they are against walls.

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Before:

After:

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Analyze & Improve: Intake

Evan worked to design, CAD, and attach another roller and the motor which powers it. He also connected this new roller with chain so that the code would not need to be changed.

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Before:

After:

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After the North Charleston Event Alex and Drake worked to update our autonomous to score 3 notes and get leave giving a total of 17 points.

Analyze and Improve: Auto Code-3 note

This involved adding a limelight and figuring out angles.

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Analyze and Improve: Auto Code-4 note

After the North Charleston Event Alex and Drake worked to update our autonomous to score 3 notes. � Then after we were able to get a 3 note autonomous Alex and Drake began work on a 4 note autonomous which could score us 22 points

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Analyze and Improve: Note Detection

Before

At first we temporarily mounted the limelight with a zip tie.

Of course. :)

We were using a camera for note detection, but Limelights use less power and are much faster.

So we decided to switch out our camera for a limelight.

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Analyze and Improve: Note Detection

After

Permanent mounting for limelight

Evan CAD-ed up a custom mount that fit over the 1-inch structural tube.

Drake adjusted the vision code for the limelight.

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Analyze and Improve: Checking & Testing

Mr. John, Gabe (4533 alumnus!), Alex, Mr. Kevin, and Nyire check the swerve modules. Mr. Ed supervises.

Duru flexing–

she’s driving with the controller behind her back while testing auto-floor note pickup!

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Final

Post-Charleston Solution

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Final Post-Charleston Solution

Bot-Hoven, all ready for the

Peachtree District Championship!