Claw Detachment and Weak Radio Signal

VEX IQ General Discussion Official Answers - Ask the VEX Staff!
1

Hello VEX,

I am writing with two questions related to the VEX IQ robotics platform. These are questions based on the last week of class, where my class has been building the Clawbot and operating it with the remote.

  1. Claw: My students have been building the Clawbot following the Users Guide in the construction of the VEX IQ. Based on the design , the claw has been falling off fairly often on a number of models during basic operation of the robot, detaching at the 2x Wide, 2x2 Corner Connectors (see pics). It appears that the weight of the claw is too much for the corner connectors and 6 connector pins to support it. Can you suggest some ways to reinforce the claw so that it is does not easily detach? I looked for ways to add some extra support between the arm that holds the claw and the claw itself but did not have any success.

  2. Weak radio signal: A few students have been encountering weak radio signals with their robots. After tethering, the robot and the controller work for a minute or two, and then the signal gets lost and the compute brain reads “Stopped.” We have to turn off and on the brain again to reestablish the connection and the same pattern occurs again. Please advise.

Thanks!

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2

Hello Dpalange,

Thanks for using our VEX IQ System.
Please note my responses below:

  1. Many show clawbots have been built in our lab and none of them show such issue, also this has not been reported by other customers.
    However if you want to add extra support to the claw, I recommend using four pins and a 2x2 beam (see attached pictures).

  2. Do you also lose your communication link in tether mode or just in radio mode?
    Please clarify.

-Eli

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3

Hello Eli,

Thanks for your prompt reply. With regards to #1, thanks for sharing the recommendation.

As for #2, to clarify, the students lost the communication link just in radio mode.

Thanks,
David

4

Dpalange,

Not a problem.
Please swap the “suspect” radios with the other radios of a working robot.

Do the problem travels with the radios or does it stay with the robot?
Please confirm.

-Eli

5

Hello Eli,

I have an update related to the communication between the remote and robot. The student group that I spoke of above loses its communication link in tether mode AND in radio mode.

Please advise on what actions we should take to address this.

Thanks,
David

6

It looks like you will have to mail back the brain, controller & radios for further analysis, please contact [email protected] for instructions.
Regards.

-Eli