3lb Beginner's Guide

Introduction

• these
• are
• place holders

Choosing a Robot

Drum Spinner

Drum Spinners

This weapon is a spinning drum with teeth at the front of the robot. It is driven similarly to a vertical or horizontal spinner with a pulley system between the weapon and weapon motor.

Pros

• Great beginner bot
• Reliable due to simple weapon
• Outputs good damage
• Weapon doesn't require too much space away from the rest of the bot
• Easy to design so it can drive while flipped

Cons

• Smaller strike zone
• Gyroscopic effect can make fast turns hard
• Large heavy weapon

Horizontal Spinner

Horizontal Bar Spinner

The weapon is a flat spinning bar or disk at the front of the robot. It is also driven similarly to a drum or vertical spinner with a pulley system between the weapon and weapon motor.

Pros

• High Damage Output
• Large strike zone
• Easy to design so it can drive while flipped
• Weapon can withstand significant damage without breaking (bent weapon still functions well)

Cons

• Robot must extend out to avoid its own weapon
• Gyroscopic effect make turning fairly difficult
• Needs a lot of structural support on the weapon to prevent damage from recoil

Vertical Spinner

Vertical Bar Spinner

This weapon is a spinning ring with teeth that surrounds the entire frame. Generally, the ring is supported by "rollers" which have bearings to reduce friction and support the ring with a male-female interface. The ring is typically driven directly by the weapon motor which has a casing of a high friction material such as rubber.

Pros

• Great damage output
• Allows for the use of a wedge, which acts to as armor and directs bots into the weapon
• If the weapon breaks, it still functions as a wedge bot

Cons

• Hard to allow for driving when flipped
• Gyroscopic effect can make driving difficult
• Weapon has to be smaller to maintain low center of gravity (keep the bot short)

Ring Spinner

Ring Spinner

This weapon is a spinning ring with teeth that surround the entire frame. Generally, the ring is supported by "rollers" which have bearings to reduce friction and support the ring with a male-female interface. The ring is typically driven directly by the weapon motor which has a casing of a high friction material such as rubber.

Pros

• Perfect 360 strike zone
• Hard to compete against
• Easy to design so that you can drive while flipped

Cons

• Difficult to design and assemble
• Weapon takes all the blows and can break
• Can be difficult to drive

Wedge

Description of bot Pros

• there are none

Cons

• con 1
• con 2
• con 3

What is a Robot

Here I imagine a table, containing typical parts (weapon, motors, receiver), descriptions of the parts, typical weights and dimensions, and accompanying picture(s)

Design Process

Introduction

Here's where there will be a small speech about the importance of the design process

Step 1: Sketch

Here's a description about how the sketching process works (limited dimensions, a focus of features, roundtable discussion)

Step 2: Draw

Here's a description about how the technical drawing process works (concentration of dimensions, viewpoints, and materials)

Step 3: Picking a motor

Here's a description on how to pick a motor (math n stuff)

Step 4: CAD Parts

Here's a description about how CADing the individual parts should work (the division of labor vs team all being on the same page)

Step 5: CAD Assembly

Here's a description about how assembling the CAD parts works (things to consider regarding final CAD for design review)

Step 6: Design Review

Here's a description about the design review (what to expect)

Step 7: Revise and repeat

Here's a description about what to do after the design review

Machining

Machines and what they do

• Machine 1: Does stuff
• Machine 2: Does other stuff
• Machine 3: Profit

Rules

• Rule 1: No killing yourself
• Rule 2: Beware the spinny bit on the mill
• Rule 3: No bathing in the water jet

Tips and Tricks

• How to turn on the waterjet
  • Step 1:...
  • Step 2:...
• What materials to use where
• If xyz breaks, do abc

Physics and Math (Oh my!)

Here's where there will be a rehashing of the math formulas and physics properties to know

Documentation

Here's where a guide regarding documentation will be

Previous bots

Here's where links to previous bots that are good examples will be

Probably another section I'm forgetting

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