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Notebook Summary Page
As a relatively new team, we have had our fair share of struggles this year.
However, we have been able to overcome these struggles through perseverance
and ingenuity. Team 9207 has grown tremendously, both in size and capability,
this year. Here are some of our highlights:
We obtained a sponsorship from Unify, a global communications software
and services company (Page 12)
We attended the FTC Kickoff event at the FAU Tech Runway (Page 21)
We finally settled on our design with treads for the drive train and an
extending arm with a claw on the end of it (Pages 21-27)
We made regular visits to the St. Joan of Arc Catholic School FLL team as
part of our community outreach (Page 6)
We worked on our flying drone which was shown off at our club booth for
the school’s open house (Page 36)
We came up with an idea for a claw for our robot’s arm (Page 39) We
redesigned it to be 3D printed (Pages 42-43) Final design (Page 54)
We ended up scrapping our claw right before competition as it was
ineffective and cumbersome. We replaced it with a metal hook which is
able to do accomplish much more during competition matches. (Pages 58-
61)
We had our first league competition day where we won the FTC Think
award! (Page 60)
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Table of Contents
Team 9207 – Skynet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Team Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Team Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Team Moderator and Mentors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Business Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2015-2016 Budget Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
FTC Team 9207 Sponsorship Contract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Sponsorship Reply Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Competition Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Design/Engineering Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Meeting Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
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Team Summary
Team 9207 was founded last year as the team of the Robotics Club at St. John
Paul II Academy. Alfred (Hopkins) Kennemer was one of the primary instigators
of the club’s creation, and he has taken up the mantle of club president this year.
He has eagerly stepped up to the challenge, and it has truly been a challenge. We
lost a couple of experienced seniors last year, but we have made up for it with a
great increase in membership this year. Our diverse team has come together in
an amazing way throughout our journey of the robot creation process. Different
ages and levels of experience have combined to form a fascinating environment
of both mentoring and learning. We have high hopes for this year’s team and for
the future of Team 9207, Skynet.
Our team at the FAU Tech
Runway on competition day
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Outreach
The expansion of FIRST Robotics programs and our team are key goals for us.
Many members have reached out to friends and classmates to join, recruiting
new members who have made crucial contributions to the club. Not only do we
want to increase membership in our club, we want to foster the growth of FIRST
programs and robotics as a field. We have worked on our outreach program this
year in order to encourage younger students to try robotics and learn about it.
We have worked at St. Joan of Arc Catholic School, a local elementary and middle
school, which has recently started an FLL club. About once a month, a few of us
visit their meetings, help them with their Lego robotics designs, and impart
knowledge about the work that we do. We hope that our experience and
enthusiasm will spark the interest of those young engineers who might enter the
field of robotics and become future members of our team.
On Halloween, Saint John Paul II Academy invites underprivileged children from
the Florence Fuller Child Development Center to come and trick or treat at the
school. We set up a station with volunteers for our robotics club where the
children were excited to see our robot and drone in action.
Over the summer, some of our members plan to participate as counselors in
FIRST summer camps at the FAU Tech Garage and Runway. Hopkins did this last
summer with FLL children; he really enjoyed it and gained some good leadership
experience from it.
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Team Members
Brandon Babey- Brandon is a freshman at SJPII. He has been involved in robotics
since middle school because he loves building projects. He also loves to play golf
and flow ride. Brandon is part of the team’s mechanical engineering team; he
helps assemble the robot once the design is decided on. His favorite thing about
robotics is collaborating as a team to get things done and compete against other
teams.
Stephen Brower- Stephen is a sophomore at SJPII. He is one of the lead
engineers in Team 9207, and he is also involved in student government and
lacrosse. His interest in engineering started as a kid playing with Legos. He joined
robotics because he loves being able to take his ideas and make them come
alive. His favorite part about the club is being able to solve problems using his
imagination and his own two hands. In the future, he plans to participate in other
robotics activities and become a mechanical engineer.
Sofia Covelli- Sofia is a junior at SJPII. She joined robotics because her father is
one of our mentors and because she is good friends with Marisa, our team
treasurer. Her role in the club is in public relations. Her other hobbies include
painting and reading comics. Sofia’s future plans are to study abroad and go into
the field of psychology.
Jared Dawson- Jared is a senior at SJPII. He joined the robotics club because he
thinks that robots are cool and that making them would be interesting. Some of
his other hobbies include soccer and reading anime. One of his favorite parts of
robotics is the thrill of competition and, hopefully, victory.
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Rob Evans- Rob is a sophomore at SJPII. He joined robotics club because a few
friends of his invited him and because he has always enjoyed building things. He
currently serves the role of club spirit manager. Not only limited to spirit, Rob
loves to help design the robot and create strategies for the competitions. He
enjoys bringing enthusiasm to the club and motivating other members.
Pablo Falcon- Pablo is a sophomore at SJPII. His interest in robotics began with
Legos as a child. He thought that robotics would be like Legos on steroids, so he
decided to join the team. He is new to the club, but he is learning more and more
each week. He really enjoys the sense of friendship and bonding within the team.
Ethan Gable- Ethan is a senior at SJPII. He is the man in charge of all wiring and
electronics, and he joined robotics because it is great preparation for his future
career in engineering. Ethan is disappointed in the lack of robot fighting or battle
bots in the club. His favorite aspect of robotics is the great communication
between teammates as we collaborate and compromise. He plans on majoring in
aerospace engineering in college next year.
Eric Heinlein- Eric is a senior at SJPII. He was invited to join the team as the
author of the engineering journal this year. His other activities include swimming,
Model United Nations, and skating. Eric’s favorite part of robotics is the close
bonds formed with fellow students and teammates. He plans to major in
computer engineering at college next year.
Alfred (Hopkins) Kennemer- Hopkins is a junior at SJPII. He was the primary
founder of the robotics club at the school, and this year he is serving as club
president. Although taking up the mantle of leadership proved challenging, he
has greatly helped mentor and guide the team throughout the robot design
process. Other activities Hopkins enjoys include swimming and hunting. He would
like to work in some sort of engineering career in the future.
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Marisa McKesey- Marisa is a junior at SJPII. She joined the club because it is her
aspiration to become a chemical engineer. Her role this year was that of finance
manager/treasurer. Other than robotics, Marisa is involved in soccer, track and
field, and volunteer work with disabled children. In the future, she dreams of
creating a medication that can cure disabled children.
Frankie Olearczyk- Frankie is a junior at SJPII. He is one of the mechanical
engineers of the team, and he is also involved in cross country running. He
decided to join the robotics club when Chris reached out to him and he has
enjoyed it ever since. He has had lots of fun as well as learning a lot.
Chris Schiavino- Chris is a sophomore at SJPII and one of the founding members
of the team. This year, he worked as the team videographer. He also enjoys
tennis and mountain biking. In the future, Chris plans to pursue a profession in
the STEM fields. His favorite part about the club is the fun times we have working
together at weekly meetings and seeing our progress as we work.
Scott Webb- Scott is a junior at SJPII. He is one of the two programmers for our
team, specializing in the autonomous segment of software. He joined robotics
because of his interest in electronics and programming. In his free time, he is
studying to get his private pilot’s license. Scott would like to work in the
computer science or engineering fields in the future.
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Team Moderator and Mentors
Mr. Stebbins- Mr. Stebbins is an English teacher and alumni at SJPII. He teaches
freshman English classes and AP English for seniors. He has also generously
offered his guidance and classroom to the robotics team as the club moderator.
Mr. Covelli- Mr. Covelli is one of our team mentors. In the past, he has served in
the military and police force. He also has a background of engineering and
robotics experience throughout his career. We are so glad to have his sound
advice and motivational speeches at almost every meeting.
Mr. Marciales- Mr. Marciales is our other team mentor. He is an electrical
engineer and currently works at Atmel, a designer and manufacturer of
semiconductors. He has also worked with other companies in the past such as
Motorola where he helped design pagers (this was a while ago). His knowledge of
electronics and robotics has greatly aided our team in our robot design.
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Sustainability
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Business Plan
Our team funding comes from a variety of sources. Our initial funding comes
from a $100 membership fee which is collected during sign-ups and registration.
Another significant contributor to the team is our school, Saint John Paul II
Academy, which has been especially generous this year in an effort to grow our
robotics club and our team. This year, we were happy to obtain a sponsorship
from Unify, a global communications software and services company. In an effort
to improve the team further next year, we are working hard to obtain additional
donations and sponsorships. Specifically, we are reaching out to the Boca Raton
Rotary Club for a sponsorship in the future.
A good portion of our club’s funding has gone towards building our robot for this
year’s FTC competition. We plan to use some of our extra money on this year’s
side project: building a 3D printer. Last year’s project, our drone, was a lot of fun
and beneficial to the team as it attracted people to our booth at the school’s
open house.
The support of our school, parents, and sponsors has encouraged us to work
harder than ever and achieve more this year. It has also enabled our team to
spread the message of FIRST Robotics and its tremendous programs which
prepare participants for real-world careers in engineering and computer science.
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SKYNET - TEAM 9207
2015 - 2016 BUDGET REPORT
INCOME:
SCHOOL FUNDING 1,576.20
DUES (@ 100/PERSON) 1,200.00
DONATIONS:
DR. MCKESEY 150.00
UNIFY 250.00
TOTAL INCOME 3,176.20
EXPENSES:
FTC REGISTRATION FEE 275.00
EQUIPMENT COSTS:
Control & communication Set 2 302.00
Electronica Modules & Sensors Set 391.00
Tetrix FTC Competition Set 577.00
Shipping Cost 22.20
TOTAL EQUIPMENT COSTS 1,292.20
T-SHIRTS 307.20
TOTAL EXPENSES 1,874.40
PROFIT/(LOSS) 1,301.80
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FTC Team 9207 Sponsorship Contract
The Sponsorship Contract (the “Contract”) states the terms and conditions that govern the
contractual agreement between _____________, having its principal place of business at
_________________ (the “Company”), and ______________ (the “Sponsor”) who agrees to be
bound by this agreement, whereas, the Sponsor agrees to sponsor the Event according to the
terms and conditions. The Sponsorship Tier Classification consists of 5 levels. As the levels
progress, the “Awards/Compensation” carries on from the lower to the higher tier levels.
Depending on the tier, you may qualify to what is listed below. All tiers guarantee company
mention on Team 9207’s website.
Tier One: Bronze
Qualification:
Donation of $100-249
Awards/Compensation
A) Small logo on team shirts
Tier Two: Silver
Qualification:
Donation of $250-$499
Awards/Compensation
B) Name on shirts
C) Progress reports & information on how the team is advancing through the build-
season.
Tier Three: Gold
Qualification:
Donation of $500-$749
Awards/Compensation
D) Medium logo on team shirts
E) Small logo on Robot
F) Progress reports & information on how the team is advancing through the build-
season.
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Tier Four: Platinum
Qualification
Donation of $750-$999
Awards/Compensation:
G) Large logo team shirts
H) Medium logo put on the robot
I) Progress reports & information on how the team is advancing through the build-
season.
J) Home page spotlight on team website
Tier Five: Diamond
Qualification:
Donations of $1000 or more
Awards/Compensation
K) Large logo on shirt
L) Large logo on Robot
M) Progress reports & information on how the team is advancing through the build-
season.
N) Home page spotlight on team website
*All sponsors will receive a mention on Team 9207’s website
*Shirt Logo sizes go according to the Tier. Tier One through Five: (Small 1 ½ ’’ by 1½ ’’) (Medium 3’’ by 3’’)
(Large 5’’-6’’ by 5’’-6’’)
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PAYMENT
The total cost to be paid to the Team by the Company for the sponsorship shall be up to
the sponsor entirely but must be paid in their entirety before November 2015 to ensure
logo benefits for this year.
PROMOTION
The Sponsor hereby authorizes the “Team 9207 ‘Robot” to utilize the Sponsor’s l ogo
and Associated trademarks, approved versions of which the Sponsor agrees to provide to
the Company in a timely manner.
SPONSOR PRESENCE AT EVENT/SEASON.
The Sponsor is not required to send a representative to events.
Company Associate Sponsor *Name / *Position /* Signature
______________________/_______________________/______________________________
________
*Date (MM/DD/YYYY): _____/_____/__________
If an electronic signature, Witness Information is not necessary.
Witness (Name & Phone Number): _______________________________________
(___ ___ ___)-___ ___ ___ -___ ___ ___ ___
*Required Information
Business Inquires:
Saint John Paul II Academy Robotics Club
4001 N. Military Trail
Boca Raton, FL 33431
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Reply form to:
FTC Team 9207 at PJPII High School
Please mail check to: Pope John Paul II High School Financial Department, addressing the Robotics Club
Check box
Tier Level Donation
Tier One $100.00-249.00
Tier Two $250.00-499.00
Tier Three $500.00-749.00
Tier Four $750.00-999.00
Tier Five Upwards of $1000.00
Check Number _____________________
Amount _____________________
Company Name : ______________________________________________________________________
Your Name : __________________________________________________________________________
Title: ________________________________________________________________________________
Position : _____________________________________________________________________________
Signature: ____________________________________________________________________________
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Competition Strategy
Marisa and Sofia work on drawing up our strategy for the upcoming Res-Q Competition
When initially facing the challenge of this year’s FIRST Res-Q game, our team felt
a bit overwhelmed by its complexity. In creating our game plan for competition
day, we split our focus between the autonomous portion and the manual control
portion. Our drivers are Hopkins and Scott, and our coach is Stephen.
For the first thirty seconds, our robot will climb up one side of the mountain and
get as high as it can to score points.
For the first part of the driver-controlled period, we will deposit our two
climbers into the rescue shelters and extend our robot’s arm to trigger the levers
for the lower zip line climbers.
When there is about one minute left, we will clear any debris in front of the
mountain and begin our ascent. Finally, during the end game, our robot will use
its arm to pull itself up the high zone. Ideally, our grand finale will be a successful
pull up on the bar to score maximum points.
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Design/Engineering Process
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Preliminary Meetings
Task(s): Sign all members up for FTC with proper paperwork.
Establish club rules, member roles, organization, etc.
Reflections:
During the initial meetings of our Robotics Club, we
organized the team and set up the framework for how
things would work this year.
We ordered new mechanical parts from Tetrix for this
year’s robot.
We began to design a new club t-shirt through the Custom
Ink website.
We assigned roles to each team member which are as
follows:
President- Hopkins
Co-programmers- Hopkins and Scott
Treasurer- Marisa
Mascot/Spirit Leader- Rob
Videographer- Chris
Mechanical Engineers- Hopkins, Ethan, Frankie, Jared,
Pablo, and Brandon
Public Relations- Sofia
Engineering Notebook Author- Eric
We planned to attend the FTC Kickoff Day at FAU this
coming weekend.
Summary- We welcomed our new and returning members and
set the foundations for a great new year of robotics for
Team 9207 Skynet!
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FTC Kickoff Day at FAU – 9/12/2015
Task(s): Learn the rules for this year’s FTC challenge, Res-
Q. Brainstorm ideas/begin working on our robot.
Reflections:
I. Our team attended the FTC Kickoff event at Florida
Atlantic University where we:
A. Received the official rules and guidelines of this
year’s challenge
B. Learned about the new Android robot programming system
C. Brainstormed ideas for the construction of our robot
1. Wheels are no good because they do not have enough
traction to reach the top of the ramp; we decide to
use treads instead
2. We consider a rotating track on the front to increase
flexibility of movement and claws to increase grip of
the tracks
3. Our robot should be small in size for increased speed
and mobility
4. Many designs were suggested for a device to pick up
debris including a moving claw and a cage/container
that rotates and tilts
D. We considered our strategies for obtaining maximum
points
1. There needs to be something to pick up debris on the
game field
2. There must be an arm to push buttons on rescue
shelters and place climbers in the shelters
3. There should be some arm or protrusion on each side
to activate the zip line climbers on the way up the
ramp
E. Finally, we began initial construction of our robot
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1. All parts were removed from boxes, accounted for, and
organized
2. Hopkins and Scott began working on programming the
motor and electronics system
3. Mechanical team built the base and tracks of the
robot
4. A slight redesign for the tracks was necessary as we
did not have enough sprockets
Summary- We learned about this year’s competition and
dove headfirst into designing and building our robot.
Hopkins and Stephen
observe and inspect this
year’s playing field.
Hopkins and Scott eagerly
tackle the electronics
and programming.
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OnShape digital designs
created by Stephen
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Session 1 – 9/16/2015
Task(s): Finish working on our drive train for the robot.
Create digital designs of the robot. Practice programming.
Reflections:
The left side of the drive train was finished as Brandon
and Pablo attached the motor and track and began to fine
tune things.
Hopkins and Scott had some trouble with the Java
programming, but with a little trial and error, the
motors were successfully tested with a 9 volt battery.
Ethan, Sofia, and Marisa worked on building the right
side of the drive train.
Chris filmed the robot’s construction with his GoPro
camera.
Rob completed his t-shirt design for the team.
Stephen was working with Onshape software to create a
digital design of the robot base and drive trains.
Although the software does not have all of our specific
parts programmed into it, Stephen can create accurate
substitutes.
Mr. Covelli told the team that robotics is like a
business: We have to work together to create ideas and
make those ideas a reality.
Mr. Stebbins recalled the poor performance last year
when the team was asked to talk about the robot. We
decide that everyone should be prepared to describe our
individual roles in the build of the robot.
The programming team ran into trouble when they tested
the motors with the game controllers. Hopkins tried
modifying and re-downloading the program onto the phone
with little success. Finally, a restart got it working
again. Eureka!
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The team working on the right drive train mistakenly
used a motor hub instead of an axle, so the construction
was redone correctly.
The gears of the drive track would not mesh correctly,
so the motor was rotated within its mount to align them
properly.
Some parts were borrowed from last year’s robot during
construction.
Mr. Stebbins was concerned about the picking up of
debris, but Hopkins has an idea for a pivoting claw
mechanism using a servo.
Summary- We completed both drive trains on the base of
the robot and began working on programming.
Early design stages and
OnShape digital designs
created by Stephen
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Session 2 – 9/23/2015
Task(s): Plan our overall design for the robot to best
compete in the Res-Q challenge.
Reflections:
Team t-shirts arrived and were handed out.
The day consisted of lots of design and planning for the
rest of the robot.
A mounted battery had to be undone to get a gear in the
axle. “This is zip tied in two places?! Are you kidding
me?” - Hopkins
The gears were adjusted to reduce unwanted movement.
A major issue was ensuring that the treads were even.
Each tread was taken off and compared to see that they
were of equal length. We want to reduce any chance of
the robot being skewed in the wrong direction during
operation. The treads were even and were replaced back
onto the robot.
Designs and sketches for an arm began. Hopkins suggested
that the arm should move with servos. A discussion for
an extending arm which would enable our robot to reach
the top bars on the ramp also took place.
Plans to acquire more sponsorship and funding were
discussed. A community outreach event was planned for
next week.
Hopkins describes the use of a rack and pinion for the
robot arm. He also discussed the use of pulleys and
cables and the strength needed to lift the robot off the
ramp.
A test drive of the robot was carried out, but the base
was not fully secure. The nuts on the supports were
reinforced to ensure that the base would stay on.
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A second test drive was done to see the new reinforced
supports. The robot was able to drive over small
obstacles.
Summary- We came up with a plan for our robot’s general
design and successfully tested the robot driving.
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Session 3 – 9/30/2015
Task(s): Look online for the parts we need to buy. Finalize
the robot’s arm design.
Reflections:
Hopkins is researching online for potential new part
purchases, specifically rubber tread inserts.
The design for the debris arm was finalized. There will
be two upright posts with an axle at the back of the
robot. The arm will hinge on a single origin. A rack and
pinion system will be used to enable the arm’s
extension, and the bucket on the arm will be controlled
by servos on both sides. Hooks will be added to grip the
metal bars on the ramp.
To make space for the new arm, the wheels on the drive
train had to be moved back, and smaller gears were used
to make more room.
Summary- We finished designing the robot’s arm.
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Session 4 – 10/7/2015
Task(s): Order parts for our arm and begin building its
structure. Sign up for competitions?
Reflections:
Tracks were removed from the robot in order to fix a
stability issue near the back of the base. Pablo and
Frankie worked on it.
Arm construction is still underway. We have the
structure of the arm, but now we need to add the rack
and pinion mechanism and the debris bucket.
Hopkins continues to look online to buy more Tetrix
parts including the materials for the rack and pinion on
the arm.
Mr. Stebbins announces the competition dates: November
21 and December 12. We plan to register for the December
event, but we are unsure if we could meet the November
date. Hopefully this deadline will put a fire underneath
our team to motivate them.
Stephen fixes a slight issue with the motor mount on the
arm extension.
Hopkins and Ethan went to St. Joan of Arc Catholic
School for a community outreach event. The kids
appreciated the help and advice from us. Ethan played
with Legos and enjoyed himself.
We had two remove two large beams from last year’s
robot. Issues arose when we realized the screws were put
in extra tight last year. Stephen tried to unscrew it
but realized that he was twisting it the wrong way. An
argument broke out over the validity of the phrase
“righty tighty, lefty loosey” between Ethan and Stephen.
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We are still unsure of whether Stephen knows left from
right.
Hopkins and Scott have put together a fairly short and
simple program that is able to control the motors
effectively. Our robot will now be able to do basic
maneuvers such as going forward or in reverse and
turning.
Mr. Stebbins comes back in from a break and enforces
discipline to wake us out of our state of lazy content.
Hopkins begins bossing people around in order to achieve
some sense of productivity.
Ethan is working on the servos for the robot arm.
Stephen works on attaching the robot arm to the base.
Summary- We worked on building the structure of our arm
and ordering parts for it. We also decided to sign up
for the December 12 competition.
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Session 5 - 10/9/2015
Task(s): Work on the electronics and motor systems. Test the
motors we have connected.
Reflections:
We are adding metal plates to the base which will hold
and secure the electronic system and batteries.
Spacers were added to the wheels and gears on the track
because they were too close to the metal plates.
Ethan came up with the idea to create a Google Drive or
Dropbox for the Robotics Club to consolidate all photos,
notes, and other materials. That way, when people miss
meetings, someone else can take over their job and
upload the work to the online folder.
Scott took apart the electronics system so Hopkins and
Ethan had to put it back together and hook up the
Android phones.
The motors were tested using a gear. The controller was
able to control both forward and backward motion
successfully.
A disturbance was caused when Sofia smashed a cupcake
into Brandon’s face in a vain effort to make (the silent
but deadly) Jared speak or laugh.
Summary- Problems were fixed. Cupcakes were smashed in
faces. It was an interesting day.
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Session 6 - 10/14/2015
Task(s): Work hard on programming and fix any minor issues
with the robot.
Reflections:
No one really showed up to this meeting.
Hopkins and Scott got a lot done without the usual
distractions. They attached a few motors with the
batteries and controllers. They also worked more on the
electronics and coding.
The parts for the rack and pinion system on the arm were
ordered.
Summary- Hopkins and Scott worked solo on the robot with
everyone else going AWOL.
OnShape digital designs
created by Stephen
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
33
Session 7 - 10/16/2015
Task(s): Work on the drone which will be shown at our
robotics booth for open house. Stabilize arm.
Reflections:
Hopkins brought in his drone to work on because we are
going to show it off at the Robotics booth at open
house. Ethan took it to Mrs. Foley’s lab to solder some
of the wires.
The argument about “righty tighty, lefty loosey”
resurfaces.
Stephen had to flip all of the screws on a metal plate
because of his OCD.
The batteries, motors, and motor controls were mounted
on the robot by Stephen and Frankie.
The arm is not stable enough; it shifts slightly from
side to side. Pablo found a metal piece to secure it but
needed spacers to make it fit.
The rack and pinion parts have been ordered and should
be here by next meeting.
Pablo, Brandon, and Ethan serenaded us with their
guitars.
Ethan helped Mr. Covelli attach a rack for the Android
phones.
A bar was added to the front of the base to keep the arm
off the ground.
Stephen needs to transfer Hopkin’s design to Onshape so
we can work on the robot when Hopkins is not at the
meetings.
Summary- We stabilized the arm, mounted motors and
controls, and worked on Hopkins’ drone for our club
booth at the upcoming Open House.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
34
Session 8 - 10/21/2015
Task(s): Get the tread inserts (came in mail this week) into
the treads.
Reflections:
The rubber tread inserts (part of the Tetrix tank tread
kit) came in the mail. Unfortunately they will not fit
into the treads on the track. We need some sort of
lubricant.
The treads were taken off the track, and we tried using
water mixed with soap from the bathroom to put in the
tread inserts. We even tried using hand sanitizer, but
nothing will work. Hopkins considers the use of white
lithium grease as lubricant.
Rob is working on a poster for the open house on
November 1.
Mr. Stebbins reminds us that the competition dates are
posted online. The first one coming up is on November
14. We decide that we will probably be unable to meet
that deadline, and settle on the later competition date
in December.
Chris is editing photos and videos from his GoPro
camera, deleting all the bad ones.
Hopkins found a video on the Tetrix website about how to
apply the tank tread inserts, but it was totally
useless.
Finally, Mr. Stebbins found a solution for the tread
inserts. We will use Expo Whiteboard Cleaner as
lubricant. Frankie and Pablo work on putting them into
the tracks. Pablo eventually gets tired, and Brandon has
to take over for him.
Chris came up with a creative idea to rip each of the
tread inserts in half and push them in from either side
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
35
of the treads. This makes things easier, and they fit in
surprisingly well. Ingenuity leads to success.
Pablo discovers the meaning of what it is to have a
mechanical advantage.
The Expo spray lubricant is very effective, but it
releases an extremely powerful and unpleasant odor.
Summary- The rubber tread inserts were nearly impossible
to put on the tracks. With some ingenuity and elbow
grease, we got it done.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
36
Session 9 - 10/28/2015
Task(s): Fix issues with drone’s propellers and wiring.
Reflections:
Hopkins and I worked on the drone for the upcoming open
house. We bought a new set of propellers which would not
fit in the mounts. Hopkins used a power drill with an
abrasive bit to drill recesses which created enough
space to mount the propellers.
Ethan fixed and soldered the wiring system of the drone.
The bar supporting the arm on the front of the robot was
removed because we plan to add a sensor which will stop
the arm when it gets too close to the ground.
Jared took over writing in the journal when Eric left,
and he left some beautiful illustrations.
Summary- We drilled recesses in the propeller mounts for
the drone in order to get the propellers to mount and
fit correctly (different sets of parts). Jared drew
pretty pictures.
Jared’s beautiful
artwork in the
engineering
notebook. He is
the next Picasso!
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
37
Session 10 - 11/4/2015
Task(s): Work on team video editing. Continue construction
of the robot’s extending arm. Add sensor to arm?
Reflections:
The drone flew well at the open house. Ethan and Hopkins
used it to pop some balloons.
The rack and pinion system for the arm is almost
finished. Stephen and Brandon are putting on the
finishing touches and tightening everything.
Hopkins and Scott tested the motors and almost caused a
motor burn. Fortunately, Hopkins stopped it in time to
prevent an issue. We still have 3 or 4 motors on our old
robot if we need to use them.
Brandon tested the arm’s movement up and down.
Chris continues to edit the team video. He chose a funky
song for the background music. However, he cannot find
the six or seven words we need to include in the video
online for the competition submission.
Scott and Hopkins work some more on the code for the
motors.
Ethan and Brandon attached the wiring for the stop
mechanism on the arm with the sensor.
Rob removed some miscellaneous bits and screws stuck at
the bottom of the robot.
Ethan: “Wayne Gretzky, the basketball player?” Everyone
gasps, astonished at his ignorance. Mr. Stebbins: “Did
he play for the Montreal Canadiens or the Toronto Blue
Jays – I mean Maple Leafs?”
Mr. Stebbins reminded us of our struggle to wear safety
goggles. We don’t want to get disqualified at a
competition for something silly like that.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
38
Jared has a hilarious reaction when Pablo tickles his
elbow.
The sensor was attached to the arm for the stopping
mechanism. It should work (as soon as Hopkins learns to
program it).
We need to order more parts including a color sensor.
However, we are running low on money. Marissa might try
to find another sponsor. Hopkins needs to send a letter
to the Rotary Club to get more funding.
Stephen realizes the extending part of the arm which
will hold the claw would make a great zombie killing
weapon.
Summary- Popping balloons with drones, listening to
funky music, total ignorance about athletics (we are
nerds so I guess it’s excusable), and building zombie
killing weapons.
OnShape digital designs
created by Stephen
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
39
Session 11 – 11/11/2015
Task(s): Reorganize all robot parts in bins. Continue
editing team video. Continue working on arm.
Reflections:
Rob and Pablo are organizing the robot parts into bins.
Chris is having a bit of trouble editing the video on
his laptop. He had to download the new version of GoPro
Studio. We are unsure of what song we should pick for
the background music.
Stephen is constructing the part of the arm with the
claw. Unfortunately, the two plates of the claw did not
mesh together so Frankie had to line them up
“creatively” to make them fit. Servos will be used to
control the claw’s movements.
Scott and Frankie reinforced the motor
control/electronics panels.
Ethan helped Hopkins and Scott start the robot after a
malfunction with the phones and programming.
Mr. Covelli gave Hopkins some advice about programming.
He said that we should save a separate file for each
program we make that works so that we do not have to
start from scratch if things go wrong. While everything
is in one huge program, if something goes wrong,
everything goes wrong.
We tested the arm, and it extends and moves properly.
Summary- We worked on the arm’s claw and tested the arm.
Mr. Covelli gave Hopkins good advice about programming:
Start with the basic functions and work from there.
Don’t make everything in one complicated, jumbled mess
of a program.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
40
Session 12 – 11/13/2015
Task(s): Solder wiring for the motor system. Test the robot
on Mr. Covelli’s wooden mock mountain. Test rack and pinion
system on the arm as well as the claw attachment.
Reflections:
Ethan brought his soldering kit to work on the robot’s
wiring. He accidentally burned himself during the
process.
Chris and Frankie express concerns about the claw’s
ability/strength to actually pick up debris in the game.
Ethan had to grab some electric tape from his house.
Hopkins removed the “world’s most annoying screw” from a
servo on the arm.
Scott tested the robot driving on the wooden mock-up
ramp that Mr. Covelli built for us to practice on.
We need another metal servo horn because one of them is
stripped and the screw is loose.
Our wire management could be much better. We will start
using zip ties to control things.
While going up the ramp we do not want our robot to fall
or flip over. We need to be careful about our weight
distribution so that we can safely scale the ramp.
Only a month is left until competition day. Mr. Covelli
says that we are really playing around too much and that
we need to seriously get down to business. There is a
time for work and a time for play. We need to work.
We tried using the rack and pinion system on the arm to
lift the robot off the ground. However, Hopkins did not
put the lock on to secure the arm. The top half of the
arm floated in the air while our robot came crashing
down. Luckily, no major issues or damages occurred.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
41
We are considering buying a claw add-on for the arm
instead of making our own.
Ethan soldered some wire extensions.
Frankie and Hopkins disagree over where to secure the
batteries on the base. They settle on a spot along the
left side drive track.
We fixed the arm, and it successfully lifted and held
the robot in the air!
Concerns for the arm remain. Will it reach the pull up
bar? Will our claw design work?
We went over to the FAU Tech Garage to work on the robot
some more.
There were some issues communicating with the phones so
the robot would not drive. When it could drive, we
tested it at the practice competition field at FAU. Our
robot fell over down the ramp and one of the servos
broke. This is a major setback, and we need to come up
with a design that will make it up the ramp to maximize
points.
Summary- Ethan soldered some wiring and wire extensions.
Mr. Covelli tried to bring us into focus as competition
day rapidly approaches. We tested the rack and pinion
system on the arm by lifting up the robot, but it fell!
We fixed the issue and lifted it up the second time.
Then, we tried to go up the ramp at the practice playing
field, and our robot fell over backwards! We have some
major issues to work on including
weight distribution and potentially
designing a new claw.
Current state of our
robot. The arm’s rack and
pinion extension system
is functional.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
42
Session 13 – 11/18/15
Task(s): Redistribute the robot’s weight. Scrap old claw and
work on designing a new claw attachment. Create an
autonomous program for the robot. Create our Res-Q
competition strategies.
Reflections:
Mr. Covelli suggests that we redistribute the robot’s
weight to get up the ramp.
Hopkins really cracks down on the phones and iPads
because people are playing games on them. We have to
stop playing around because we joined this club
voluntarily and we should participate in it.
The metal claw was too heavy which caused the robot to
fall forwards as it went up the ramp in reverse at FAU
last week. We are going to scrap the claw and redesign.
Chris is filming for the video.
Today we are going to come up with a strategy to get the
most points during the autonomous and manual segments.
One limitation for our game plan is our lack of color
sensors for the robot. This means that we will not be
able to press the team buttons on the rescue bins.
One concern for the autonomous segment is crashing into
our ally’s robot. We plan to create two or more
autonomous programs in order to adjust our robot’s path
to work with allies.
Frankie and Stephen are taking apart the old claw and
remodeling it.
Rob, Sofia, and Marissa are collaborating to create our
competition strategy.
Hopkins is putting the new claw design onto his laptop
in a CAD program. We will then print this design out at
FAU on their 3D printers.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
43
Summary- We created a strategy for maximizing points on
competition day in December. People have been playing on
their phones too much at meetings so Hopkins banned
them. We are going to scrap and redesign the claw.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
44
Session 14 – 11/18/2015
Task(s): Design new claw in CAD program to be 3D printed
out. Obtain a functional replacement core power distribution
model.
Reflections:
Hopkins finished the CAD design for the claw, but it
must be printed out in 4 separate parts due to the size
limitation of the 3D printers.
One of our core power distribution models had a faulty
manufacturing issue so we are trying to contact the
company. Hopefully, we will be able to send it back and
get a new part.
“We need to un-negativize it” – Hopkins
Summary- Today was a short meeting. We finished our new
design for the claw on the computer and plan to 3D print
it out at the FAU Tech Garage.
We are making good
progress on the robot
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
45
Session 15 – 11/24/2015
Task(s): Get claw 3D printed at FAU. Finish team video
because the deadline is this week.
Reflections:
Mr. Stebbins opens up the meeting with the hard truth.
The competition is in three weeks and we can’t even get
the robot up the first part of the ramp. We are in the
same position as we were last year, but we should be
doing better than that. We need to pull together and
finish strong before competition day.
The claw has begun to be 3D printed at FAU.
In light of the fact that we cannot traverse the ramp
right now, we need a backup strategy for points if we
cannot get the maximum pull up bar at the end.
Yesterday, Ethan went to St. Joan of Arc, an elementary
school in our local outreach efforts, and helped their
robotics club on their project. Sharing robotics
knowledge and inspiring passion in the field will help
our community grow over time.
Today’s efforts will be focused on the video because the
deadline if fast approaching.
We have trouble trying to film a team intro because we
cannot stop laughing at our awkwardness and
incoordination.
Hopkins gets a bit tongue-tied in front of the camera.
Eventually, he films his segment about our club’s
community outreach.
Eric talked for the video segment about club funding.
Frankie talked for the video segment about robot design
and functions.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
46
Scott went to pick up the first of four claw pieces from
FAU. It looks good, but it is bright red. Pablo is
concerned that it clashes with the rest of the robot.
Sofia drew up the game plan/strategy on the board again
and Hopkins explained it all for the team and the video.
Scott talked for the video segment about problems and
struggles we have had throughout the design process.
We watched last year’s video as an example of what not
to do for ours this year.
I thought of an epic motivational speech to give but
then the meeting ended: “We have had repeated issues and
difficulties that have set us back, but we shall not be
defeated. We will push the boundaries of our problem-
solving skills, determination, creativity, perseverance,
and teamwork to make this robot a success!”
Summary- The deadline for the team video was like, now,
so we finished filming our segments. Chris worked at
home to edit it. Ethan worked more with St. Joan of Arc
for our outreach program. Mr. Stebbins reveals the harsh
truth about our current status. We can’t even get up the
ramp. We need to get our act together because December
12 is fast approaching.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
47
Session 16 – 12/2/2015
Task(s): Improve wire management/organization. Get the
fundamental robot functions working such as driving and arm
movement and extension. Debug code. Finalize team video.
Reflections:
We must get a replacement core power distribution model
because it was faultily manufactured and we lost contact
with the company to get a replacement. Hopkins says they
have spares at the FAU Tech Garage.
Mr. Covelli points out that we have been focusing on
minor issues. We need to start with the basic and
fundamental issues like actually running our robot
before moving on to the details. We need to keep the
bigger picture in mind.
Mr. Stebbins is afraid that our sloppy wire management
will be an issue so we are going to add more zip ties.
We need to attach a couple servos and metal arms to the
sides of the robot in order to trigger the zip line
climbers as our robot ascends the ramp.
Scott and Hopkins are almost finished with the
autonomous code.
It is time to lock it down and get serious for the
upcoming competition. Mr. Stebbins says that everyone
needs to attend and participate in meetings.
Our code is primarily comprised of universal control
functions that can be used to do many basic maneuvers.
We mix and match those movement commands to create the
autonomous driving program.
The video is finally “done”! Chris did a great job, but
it needs a little work.
We filmed a new segment with Stephen about the robot’s
capabilities.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
48
Stephen is working on transferring the robot design into
CAD.
Summary- Hopkins and Scott finished all of the
autonomous code and have begun the debugging process.
Chris finished the video but had to make some
adjustments (re-filming) and add an outro. We worked on
our wire management with zip ties. Mr. Covelli gave us
advice that we need to start with the fundamental issues
like actually driving our robot instead of nitpicking on
insignificant issues like tightening screws.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
49
Session 17 – 12/4/2015
Task(s): Fix claw’s wrist which is not functioning properly.
Work on 3D printed claw? Fix servo wiring.
Reflections:
To Do List for this meeting: claw’s wrist servo, claw’s
jaw (3D printed out now), wire management, wiring for
servos, new worm gear, and MAKE ROBOT MOVE CORRECTLY!
Hopkins and Scott were supposed to be 3D printing out
the claw pieces but the pieces take a long time to print
and they have been very forgetful.
We tested the robot functionality. The arm extends, the
claw moves up and down, and the wrist rotates but its
rotation is limited. Hopkins says we need a continuous
servo to maximize movement flexibility.
If the arm moves too far back it will crash to the
ground. We are thinking of adding some precautionary
lock to prevent that from happening.
Mr. Stebbins is concerned about the arm being too heavy.
He suggests adding additional support.
Summary- We compiled a list of tasks we need to get done
before competition and worked on them.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
50
Session 18 – 12/7/2015
Task(s): Put together 3D printed claw and epoxy it.
Reflections:
We worked on the claw by attaching the two (finally
printed) claw pieces to their correct counterparts.
We epoxied all of the cracks in the 3D printed parts
to reinforce their strength.
Unfortunately, the claw pieces did not print very
well and they are a pain to work with. Stephen went
so far as to say that their poor design hurt him
personally in his inner soul.
Summary- The claw pieces are finally printed out, but
they kinda suck. We have to work with it because we
don’t have time to change them.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
51
Session 19 – 12/8/2015
Task(s): Create more OnShape designs for our robot. Finalize
and stabilize arm and claw attachment.
Reflections:
Mr. Covelli recommends that we drill a metal bar through
the interlocking claw pieces to secure them together. He
also brought some foam tape which we can add to the
tracks to potentially add more traction for when our
robot climbs up the ramp.
Stephen is working on the digital designs in Onshape.
Stephen needs a part that we don’t have so he bends a
corner piece in half using pliers and torque power and
his own bare hands like a true American man.
We are putting the “finishing touches” on the arm.
Scott is working through some of the bugs in the robot’s
programming.
We added a support pipe which will reinforce the arm as
it is held in the air.
We moved a servo on the arm and added spacers to give it
clearance. It can now rotate freely on the claw’s wrist
mechanism.
Summary- We worked more on the arm and claw.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
52
Session 20 – 12/10/15
Task(s): Work on preparations for Saturday’s competition
(assign roles, fix any programming errors, pass robot
inspection rules). Fix arm’s wrist servo.
Reflections:
During the prior meeting, someone plugged a wire
extension into itself and zip tied it to the arm. Ethan
fixed the issue.
Mr. Stebbins passed out information forms for the FTC
competition this Saturday. That will be the ultimate
test for our robot.
For the competition we will serve the following roles:
Driver- Stephen
Arm operator- Hopkins
Coach- Scott
Pit mechanic- Frankie
Battery charger- Sofia
Miscellaneous- Everyone else
Hopkins is epoxying the claw pieces together.
We mounted plastic protectors along the sides of the
drive tracks to prevent any damage to our robot during
intense competition. We might put one on the back of the
robot, too. Mr. Stebbins asked Sofia to decorate the
protectors with team spirit.
The arm and claw create a large weight and strain on the
front of the robot. We consider adding a lead weight to
the back of the robot to even out weight distribution.
Scott’s code is working now.
Then we mounted another servo and chain onto the arm to
move the claw up and down. We tested it and it works!
Unfortunately, the servo is not strong enough to lift
the heavy claw. We could use a stronger servo from FAU,
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
53
but those are too large. We could also change out the
gear on the claw’s wrist for a bigger one to get more
lifting power.
However, if we double the gear size, we halve the power
of our 360 degree rotation servo to a 180 degree
rotation. This will not be enough to reach debris on the
ground.
In the end, we decide to flip the claw and tuck it under
the arm (previously, it sat on top of the arm) so that
it would reach the ground with its limited rotation and
so that it would fit within the 18 X 18 inch box limit
for competition.
Scott added a “maximum overdrive” mode to the arm
control. If the arm were to go too far backwards and
crash to the floor, it can switch to maximum overdrive
when full power is given to downward motion (normally
its down motion power decays). This control is activated
with the simple press of a button and will act as a
failsafe if our arm does fall backwards.
Summary- We assigned team roles for the competition this
Saturday. We glued the claw together. We also came up
with a solution together for fixing the arm wrist
servo’s limited rotation due to the extreme weight of
the claw. Scott coded a “maximum overdrive” mode!
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
54
OnShape digital designs
created by Stephen
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
55
Session 21 – 12/11/2015
Task(s): Fix all problems with robot and programming before
competition tomorrow (mostly the claw attachment). Test the
robot at the FAU Tech Runway practice fields. Create team
logo to put on the side of our robot.
Reflections:
Today is the last day before our first competition of
the year. At school, we prayed as a team in the chapel
for guidance and peace during the event tomorrow.
We all went to the FAU Tech Garage and began by relaxing
a bit and playing some foosball. Stephen left a four
minute voicemail on Hopkins’ phone to pick him up a
McFlurry and fries from McDonald’s. Stephen was
disappointed.
Our plan for today is to fix any remaining issues with
the robot and software, finish the autonomous program,
and test everything A LOT! We need to know it will work
tomorrow during the real deal. We will stay as long as
it takes to finish this robot.
We received a bit of help and advice from Daniel
Erikson, a member of our team from last year.
While working on the competition playing field, Chris
and Pablo began throwing debris at each other.
We helped unload a truck with pieces for the new playing
field which will be used for tomorrow’s competition. We
also helped set up tables and chairs for the event.
The claw’s wrist will not rotate because something is
set incorrectly in the code.
We successfully tested the robot’s driving capabilities.
It was able to make it a little more than half way up
the ramp. Our claw should be able to reach the pull up
bar. It is not the prettiest ascent, but it works.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
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Hopkins and Scott worked on fixing the programming while
the rest of us played with Lego robots.
Mr. Covelli suggested that we add thin strips of foam
tape to some of the rubber tread inserts to increase
traction when going up the ramp. However, the tape might
just fall off as it is only held by a weak adhesive. We
went up the ramp, and those pieces of foam didn’t stand
a chance of staying on.
Mr. Covelli also points out that a layer of dirt has
built up on the rubber treads, reducing its traction for
climbing. We will use sandpaper to clean them off.
Hopkins and Scott altered the autonomous program. Now
the arm has begun to malfunction.
Sofia drew a team logo of a robotic eagle and the logo
of our sponsor Unify. We taped her drawings onto the
plastic protectors on either side of the robot.
To get the claw to successfully rotate, we are going to
switch out our servo with a more powerful “super servo”
from FAU. This extra power will give us the boost we
need to get the claw working.
Ethan soldered some wires to connect the new “super
servo” to the robot.
Summary- It was our last day before competition. We
worked very hard at the Tech Garage to fix all of the
issues with the robot and its programming. We look
forward to performing well in the competition.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
57
Our robot the night
before the big day! I
think he’s excited!
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
58
Competition Day - 12/12/2015
Task(s): Perform as well as we can in our matches and avoid
any major catastrophes.
Reflections:
The team arrived at the FAU Tech Garage at 7:30 AM.
Ethan brought donuts. Mr. Stebbins signed our team in,
and we got straight to work on our robot.
Hopkins and Scott cannot program the stronger “super”
servo to control our claw’s wrist. We removed the servo.
No wrist rotation will limit us in competition matches.
Ethan fixed a minor electrical issue with one of the
motors.
The mechanical team worked on getting the robot to fit
within the 18 inch box, removing or rearranging parts as
necessary.
Ethan switched out a motor control panel because it
stopped outputting to the rack and pinion system.
Hopefully, the new one will enable us to extend the arm.
We attached a bar on the front of the robot to push
around debris and prevent it from sliding into our
robot’s wiring and control units.
Our robot passed all inspections so our goal now is to
optimize our robot for competition throughout the day.
Currently, our arm is still not working or extending.
Ethan added some plastic tubing and zip ties in order to
secure a few loose wires in the back of the robot. This
will help prevent entanglements or issues if a robot
were to crash into ours.
Hopkins and Scott reverted to programming from last week
which works! The arm now extends and moves properly.
The first match went moderately well. Hopkins had
trouble controlling the robot because the controls were
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
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reversed for some unknown reason. Our ally scored a lot
of points, and we won the match. It was a good way to
start the competition day.
With our claw unable to move or rotate due to
programming issues, we decided to remove it totally
because it is essentially dead weight.
During the second match, our robot was able to climb up
to the middle zone of the ramp. However, the phone on
the robot disconnected because someone forgot to put in
the pin to secure it.
We decided to add the L-shaped hook attachment which
Frankie made to the arm. This should allow our robot to
latch onto the pull-up bar and pull itself up the ramp.
We were sure to get our addition approved by the judges.
Hopkins also decided to add a pin onto the end of it to
carry climbers to the rescue bin and trigger levers.
Pablo, Brandon, and Rob reorganized our messy workspace.
We tested the new arm hook. It can pull our robot up to
the high zone. Unfortunately, the arm cannot extend far
enough to reach the pull-up bar.
We tried to change the angle of the hook from 90 degrees
to 45 so that it could more easily wrap around the pull-
up bar. The new hook angle was still unable to wrap
around the bar so we changed it back to 90 degrees.
Mr. Covelli told Ethan and I that this is like a
business. Somebody has to take charge and get things
done. Our employees, or team members, have to take
initiative and do what needs to be done. We must work
together as a team.
Our strategy for matches is to score climbers into the
rescue bin, trigger the lowest zip line climber, and
reach the high zone of the ramp.
Name: Eric Heinlein Date: Initial:
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We added more bolts and tightened everything in an
effort to secure the robot between matches.
We tried shortening the pin on the end of our arm
because the second climber was never able to come off.
Unfortunately, the climbers were simply flung off the
shorter pin before we even reached the bin. It was
changed back to the longer piece.
While attempting the pull-up maneuver, Hopkins gunned
the throttle and the robot fell over backwards down the
ramp. Luckily, there were no major injuries or issues.
The battery began falling out of its holder so we
tightened its securing bar with a hex key.
During our last match, our robot was unable to mount the
middle zone bars. Mr. Covelli points out that the tread
inserts may be covered in a layer of grime which is
reducing our robot’s traction on the ramp. We can sand
them down at a later meeting.
We won the FTC Think award!
Summary: We performed well at our first competition.
With some ingenuity, we were able to greatly improve our
robot throughout the day.
We won the FTC Think Award!
Our robot with its new
and improved metal hook
attachment
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Hopkins, Scott, and
Stephen prepare before a
match
Mr. Stebbins and Mr.
Covelli talk to the team
about the game plan
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Session 22 - 1/6/2016
Task(s): Plan and prepare for our league competition on
January 16 and Judgment Day this Saturday. Fix minor issues
with robot and test its functionality. Create new designs
for the side of our robot.
Reflections:
Mr. Stebbins informed the team that our league
competition day will be January 16. Judgment Day will be
on January 9.
Hopkins, Ethan, Eric, and Scott were chosen to represent
the team at Judgment Day. Hopkins, Ethan, and Eric will
be doing the presentation/interview with the judges.
Scott will be helping during the robot’s functionality
demonstration.
Frankie and other mechanical team members worked on
fixing any issues with the robot and making small
improvements such as adding support to the arm’s base.
Hopkins, Ethan, and Eric looked over the judging
parameters for the Judgment Day presentation. They
created a slide show presentation which outlined their
primary talking points about our team.
Scott worked on testing the robot to ensure optimum and
flawless functionality (or as close to flawless as we
can get). Hopkins and Scott said that they were able to
do a pull-up on the practice course at FAU.
We received the score for our team video which was
rather disappointing. We had high hopes as Chris spent a
lot of time on producing it. However, we will use this
disappointment as a learning experience. Next year, we
will make a better video more in line with what the
judges are looking for.
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Sofia painted some decorative team designs for the
protective plating on the side of our robot. They look
awesome! We also put the logo of our sponsor, Unify, on
there.
Summary: Hopkins, Ethan, Scott, and Eric prepared to
present on Judgment Day this Saturday. Sofia painted
some super cool designs for our robot’s side panels.
Sofia made these great designs for
the sides of our robot
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Judgment Day - 1/9/2016
Task(s): Present our team information/bio and robot
functionality to the panel of judges.
Reflections:
Hopkins, Ethan, Scott, Eric, Mr. Stebbins, and Mr.
Covelli arrived at the FAU Tech Garage early in the
morning around 11:00. We wore formal professional attire
(suit and tie).
We tested the robot only to find that its battery did
not have full charge. This meant that the robot could
not achieve full speed and ascend the ramp on the
practice field.
To solve the battery issue, we switched it out for our
other battery. However, this battery had last year’s
connections so we had to switch out the connector on our
power source’s wiring. Luckily, they had the parts we
needed around the shop at the Tech Garage.
Our presentation went well. The only issue is that we
began to run out of time while presenting, and we had to
skip over one of the sections to cover the most
important information.
The judges gave us some good advice. They said that you
will not always have time to prepare and make a slide
show like we did, so we should practice our presentation
skills under a time crunch. They also told Hopkins to
wear socks with his dress shoes (“It’s a Florida thing”
– Hopkins)
We had a break for lunch. Then we returned for our robot
demonstration. The autonomous program worked fairly well
and got our robot to the lower zone of the mountain. We
were able to drop climbers in the rescue shelters and
make our way up the ramp. However, we could not do a
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pull up without a bit of external support. Hopkins and
Scott had trouble controlling the robot because the
controllers’ buttons randomly reversed directions.
The judges pointed out that our robot hops up onto the
bars of the middle zone when the treads reach a part
that is missing an insert. Perhaps we should remove
every other tread insert to more easily ascend the
mountain.
After our two judgment day presentations, we went to the
FAU Tech Runway to help Scooter and clean up the metal
shop.
Summary: We gave our team presentation/interview with
the judges, and we showed off our robot’s capabilities
during the field judgment. Both presentations went
pretty well. With some quick thinking, we fixed an issue
with our underpowered battery. After the judgment
process, we helped clean up the Tech Runway metal shop.
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Above: The squad dressed up looking fresh and
professional at the FAU Tech Garage
Below: Eric and Scott practicing with the robot on
the competition field as Mr. Stebbins observes
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Session 23 – 1/13/2016
Task(s): Finish preparations for our league competition on
Saturday. Debug and perfect coding. Make improvements to
our robot based on the judges suggestions from Judgment
Day. Practice driving and pull up maneuver at the FAU
practice fields.
Reflections:
Now that Judgment Day is behind us, we are preparing
for the league competition on Saturday.
Scott and Hopkins are debugging and perfecting the
autonomous and controller programming.
Mr. Covelli pointed out that a lot of our robot’s
parts are loose. Frankie and Ethan worked on
tightening everything down and securing it.
As per the judges’ recommendation at Judgment Day, we
removed every other tread insert on our treads to
more easily overcome the bars and ascend the ramp.
All of the mechanical parts on our robot are
functioning properly. Now, we just need to improve
the programming and hope for the best on competition
day.
We are anxious to test the pull up maneuver at the
FAU practice fields.
Sofia drove the robot and Scott controlled the arm at
FAU. We achieved the pull up successfully!
Hopkins went through the inspection checklist to
ensure that our robot was up to standards.
Summary: We took out tread inserts so our robot could
more easily ascend the mountain. Hopkins and Scott
perfected the robot’s programming. We tested our
robot and successfully did a pull up on the bar!
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WE DID THE PULL UP!!!
Sofia drove and Scott
operated the arm