Building Guide

General building tips:

Don't be afraid to start fresh. Building a whole new robot can lead to unexpected breakthroughs and clarity on issues. Try to be careful about when you start over, but you can always keep previous robots and start completely different ones simultaneously.

Try everything. Don't shoot down design ideas just because you didn't come up with them or because they sound hard to build. Try as many unique ideas as possible and you will be much more likely to find an idea that changes the game.

Try to think of every gain and loss of every build. If you can make a mechanism have more purposes than one, do it.

Design before you build. Sketch out and discuss ideas with other teammates and test simple versions of the mechanism you plan to build. This will help clarify the goals and constraints of the build.

Nobody is too good for improvement. No matter how good or bad a builder or engineer is, there will always be room for improvement. Just keep going!

You can't beat physics. Work with gravity, friction, and forces that are present instead of against them as much as possible.

Build sturdy mechanisms. Mechanisms need to be reinforced with triangulation and supports to be able to withstand driving. It's almost always better to put on a little more bracing than necessary than a little less bracing than necessary. Build things to last.

Battle test everything. Have small scrimmages and drive your bot with each mechanism to see what falls apart and needs more reinforcements. This helps to catch things you would

Take breaks. It's important not to "burn out" or accidentally make yourself lose passion for building by forcing yourself to build too much too soon.

Friction is the enemy. There are times when it's necessary, of course, but for the most part if it can be avoided, it should be.

Improve upon previous designs. Even if a design didn't originally work, that doesn't invalidate the ideas potential. Keep past designs in mind and why they didn't work out.

Fine tune everything. Tuning everything to fit exactly is what separates the good robots from the mediocre robots. Work to keep everything as symmetrical and exact as possible.

Learn from others. It's okay to draw inspiration from other teams' building and try the same concepts. Copying bolt-for-bolt doesn't help anyone, but using ideas you've seen success in is perfectly fine.

Tidiness is key. Everyone should pitch in and help clean up at the end of each day. Don't try to work in a mess. Put away tools after you use them.

Keep separate spaces for separate items- Keep tools where tools are supposed to go and keep parts and different bolt sizes in different containers for ease of use.

Notebooking should accompany building. Keep those two hand in hand and don't just update your notebook after a build is completed.

Remember to turn off your robot when you aren't testing or driving it.

Specific building tips:

Use Nylocks as much as possible. Keps tend to spin off during driving and testing and need much more upkeep. Nylocks, though a bit bulkier and heavier, are a good standard for building.

Bearings will need to be shaved to fit sometimes. Don't be scared of filing a bearing to make it fit in the inner edges of c-channel. Just be careful not to shave the teeth off so they align correctly with the holes.

Bolts are typically better and stronger than axels for joints, so it that's an option, try to work with bolts.

Don't use stepper wheels or "X" wheels in your chassi. Just... Don't.

Gears tend to be less lax than sprockets and chain. Chain and sprockets tend to have more slip, but are better for long distances.

Always be prepared for your robot to fail. It happens. Have replacements built for high risk mechanisms.

Always support your motors with two screws and if you can, nylocks as well. Don't be the team whose motors fall out during a match.

Always be conscious of gear ratios when working with gears and sprockets. Just because a certain type of gear or sprocket fits in a space doesn't mean that they're the correct solution.

Larger wheels have better maximum speeds but smaller wheels accelerate faster. We recommend going with larger wheels.

Rubber bands are essentials, not decorations, especially when building any sort of lifting mechanism. Band mechanisms to the point that they can suspend themselves in equilibrium.

Aluminum is good for most purposes, but for bars under heavy tension, use steel.

Use pneumatics only if you have to. They're a ton of maintenance and often systems are easier to build with motors.