Shooter
This week the shooter has gone through some updates. The Shooter Team has decided to switch the flag wheel from chains to belts. Chains provide torque, a twisting force used to make an object rotate, while belts provide less torque and are able to launch the power cells at a much higher velocity. Torque is typically helpful in propelling objects, however in this case, when the object is a foam ball, torque is not as vital as speed. The preference for speed over torque is ultimately what drove the shooter team to make the transition from chain to belt. In addition to this, the Shooter Team is finalizing their design for “fingers”. These fingers are what’s going to allow our robot to adjust its angle when shooting the power cells.
CNC
As our team is coming towards the home stretch of building and finalizing the robot, the CNC Team has many responsibilities to fulfill. Both the Intake Team and Lift Team are relying upon the CNC Team to cut the necessary parts to finish the robot. The CNC Team is working around the cloth to finish cutting these parts.
Indexer
The Indexer Team finished the final model for the robot. After finishing the model, they had to design and create a support mechanism for the indexer. This support is going to counteract the wobbling of the robot and make it more stable overall.
Programming
The Programming Team has begun updating the robot’s code for this year. Additionally, they continue to create code which, when combined with a motor control, regulates and instructs the motor how fast to spin the control panel.
Lift Team
The Lift Team finalized their final CAD design and are now waiting for the CNC Team to finish cutting parts for their lift design. Their styrofoam model was a success; it was used to test the lift’s size and how it would fit onto the robot.
Chassis Design Team
The Chassis design and overall robot has been a great success. Although it began to expand outside of size constraints, the Chassis Design Team was quick to remove a ¼ inch off the sides of the robot. This small reduction will make our robot be more competitive.
Business
The Business Team started to update our Business Plan. The Business Plan highlights the mission of our team, our accomplishments during the season, and our goals to accomplish in the future. The Business Team is aiming to finish the Business Plan by next week. Additionally, the Business Team is working on the Engineering Journal. The Engineering Journal is used to document the engineering process our team went through while designing, building, and correcting our robot. The goal is to have the Engineering Journal completed by the beginning of next week.