Organizing the Robot (Weekly Update #3)

tempesttornado240
15 hours ago
2 min read

Build Team member Landen Dorrow posing next to an in-concept shooter design.

As processes finalized on adding structural support to the robot, and processes began on adding the shooter and intake to the robot, our ideas seemed to start finally being reality. This past week has been a busy one, but one that is putting us all on the right path towards eventual drive practice with the robot.

Build Team this week worked on putting together a concept for a climbing mechanism that we can use during the game to mount our robot on the climbing ladder. It utilizes an elevator that will pull the robot up the rungs of the ladder. A climbing mechanism is essential, since it can give us a maximum of 45 extra points during the game. Multiple members of Build Team also worked on making another bumper to put around the robot, so we can swap out which bumper we use depending on what team we are playing on.

Pictured is the electrical board mounted on the side of the robot.

The Electrical Team worked this week on wiring up the entire robot. This includes routing data and power wires across the robot. These wires go through multiple different channels in order to ensure they are correctly communicating with things like computers, and all of these different channels can lead to a complicated wire system that is hard for anyone to work with, so organization is important. That is why the Electrical Team worked to label and route wires in a fashion that is easy to modify and understand.

The Programming Team has worked this past week to get a majority of the SWERVE Modules that control the wheels that drive the robot hooked up to written code in order to allow the robot to be controlled remotely with an Xbox controller. They also worked a bit more with Photon Vision, the software used to detect April Tags, in order to really refine the robots tracking abilities.

Once again, the TEMPEST Robotics Team thanks you, the reader, for keeping up with what we do throughout our robotics season. Your support means the world.