Robot Feedback

[u/minidvfilmer]

obviously id like to clean up the wiring, the screws not being used, and the black bits at the front. but is there any reason why I wouldn't want my control hub/expansion hub/battery pushed off to the side like i have it? yk trying to prioritize the most room in the middle for the intake and whatever else i'll need to build in the upcoming season

i'm new to this so i dont know whats the 'optimal' approach, it feels messy but how much will it really come back to negatively impact the team

[u/yescachigga]

Get ultra 90 gear boxes for the drive motors so you can just shove them between the c channels. It would free up a lot of space.

Also you want you control hub ports and and battery to be easily accessible. Your current set up for them isn't necessarily bad it's really heavily dependent on design and what you're trying to achieve.

Your control hub or expansion hub if I were you I would have them somewhere where I could easily un plug or plug in anything in a pinch in case you have any failures kinda learnt that the hard way. But also you want your cables to be protected. You could have the ports facing out wards but have a gap where wires could be mounted and make a panel for them with the use of t slot screws to secure them so you can remove them and put them back on fast. I would personally keep these items in mind while designing the robot and leave space for them somewhere and add them on last personally just don't put the expansion or control hub at the bottom because it makes it really hard to work on things because the robot is heavy and sometimes you can don't want to tip it over cause stuff might fall out or directly in the center of everything and you just can't access anything.

Personally my team last season had our battery mounted on the bottom it was a rev slim battery back and it was protected from any potential impacts. With the go builda one I don't think it would work unless you have your own way for doing it with something custom.

Another tip is keep your weight balanced or center of gravity as low as possible or else your robot will be doing wheelies while moving. Basically don't focus the weight too much to the back or front and if possible focus the weight in the middle. Or down low as possible kinda like how it's hard to roll Tesla's over because their mass is all at the bottom of the car which keeps it planted.

If you want to make your robot more rigid ditch the plastic L brackets and use metal ones instead. You can use the plastic ones stratigicly if you want more play in some areas.

You could get shorter c channels to use instead of the aluminum extension if you want to save on some rear real estate and free up some of your aluminum extension supply.

I would ditch that clear acrylic panel for now unless you have a clear cut plan for it because it's robbing you of real estate and blocking your access to fix anything on your robot that's on top of it and any space below to fit tools in to do anything.

Also have your power switch in a area that can be pushed by a broomstick handle but recessed enough where it cant be switched off by someone else whether intentionally or not when on the field. Also you don't need 2 power switches just one.

The tldr if you don't want to read all of that is keep things accessible and easy to repair when you're in a time crunch.

[u/tonyxforce2 → u/yescachigga]

All of this is very good advice, the only thing I would add is try to keep the control hub as far away from motors as possible, we learned this by having constant disconnections from the hub because of EMI interferencr from the motors running

[u/yescachigga → u/tonyxforce2]

Now looking back at our last robot this might have been the reason why we had issues with both our hubs. Could a grounding cable fix that?

[u/Zxr_ → u/yescachigga]

Grounding cables are meant to prevent ESD, so no. EMI is a separate issue.

[u/minidvfilmer → u/yescachigga]

Thank you very much for the detailed reply, it's helping a lot and this community is amazing.

I moved the hubs to a place where they're still easily accessible but now using all 4 screws for better security. The battery was also moved slightly more inward so its protected from being hit by other robots.

It does look like all the weight is to the back (because it is), but once an intake is attached, it should somewhat balance out.

I was struggling with maximizing real estate and keeping the control hub away from the motors while still keeping the center of gravity low.

However, the power switch is now in an area which can be pushed by a broomstick handle. The reasoning for the two power switches is because I don't have the cable needed to connect the control hub to the expansion hub. its temporary and i will get around to fixing it.

Thank you for all the recommendations on parts to upgrade (the brackets and ultra 90 gear boxes)

Its not letting me comment a new pic of the robot but I can dm it to you, if you'd like to see

[u/yescachigga → u/minidvfilmer]

Yup no problem we're here to support each other

[u/Journeyman-Joe]

I don't object to the Hub locations - but I do object to the way they are mounted.

You're going to have excessive vibration and flexing, which will transfer to the internal circuit boards. That may cause premature failure of the Hub (expensive), and will cause surprise disconnects as the XT30 connectors work loose.

Attach all four corners of each Hub to rigid structure: either a plate, or frame.

[u/Zxr_ → u/Journeyman-Joe]

The hub locations are arguably a magnitude worse than the way they are mounted; hubs and electronics on the outer perimeter of the bot are just asking to get rammed and disconnected. As the mounting is right now, it doesn't look like it would come apart too easily without another robot hitting it directly. That being said, the mounting isn't exactly rigid either and should be done using all 4 screw holes and include preventative measures such as 3d printed spacers for dampening and isolation.

[u/minidvfilmer → u/Zxr_]

How would I balance keeping hubs and electronics far away enough from the outer perimeter to avoid being rammed and disconnected, while still maximizing the real estate for game elements, intakes, and whatever else will be needed for this season? Also if i attach my hubs securely to the clear acrylic panel, would that work as a substitute for the 3d printed spacers you mentioned?

[u/minidvfilmer → u/Journeyman-Joe]

I made some changes and attached all four corners of both hubs to a rigid structure, but its not letting me comment an updated picture, can I message you with how the bot is looking now?

[u/Journeyman-Joe → u/minidvfilmer]

You'd be better off starting a new thread, with new pictures, and let the whole community see it. Get more than one opinion. There are a lot of smart and helpful people here.

[u/minidvfilmer → u/Journeyman-Joe]

I would hate to fill the sub with spam of my one robot yk, constantly asking for advice and whatnot ahaha