Crossfire

2004-2005

    The team is very proud of its robot from three years ago. It not only met the expectations, but quite possibly went beyond. Although it was a great challenge getting the team together, the results were truly amazing.

    Building the arm of the robot was a major challenge. Originally, the team knew nothing about the basic mechanics that went in to such an endeavor. Later this detail actually didn’t matter a whole lot when we realized that something needed to be done and we were the people to do it. The requirements were these: a limited amount of weight, maximum efficiency, and the ability to perform specific functions. Considering that it was around halfway through the build season by the time we really got down to work, complexity was out of the question. We built a simple but very effective arm with an effective pneumatic system and a powerful chain drive.

    The mechanical group designed the drive train and the wheel configuration, making it all work. Steven spent a lot of time working with the transmissions in hopes that they would eventually operate. This group required a drive system with a low center of gravity, and also needed to allow enough space for the electrical and the manipulation groups.

    The electronics team decided to make an electronics "box". Quite literally, all of the electric components were contained in a box of Plexiglas that sat low on the back of the robot; this was a major contributor to the low center of gravity of the robot. From wire gauge to soldering, the Electronics team learned a great amount from building the box.

    The programming team also had their fair share of trouble, but overall they pulled together a great program that brought us successfully through three regional robotics competitions. Even though two years ago was the rookie year in FIRST, we were persistently optimistic about all of the competitions.