With summer coming (a bit of a break to reorganize), here are up-to-date links for the VEX Team 3547:VIRUS field riser plans for anyone looking to build more storage space:
There will be some updates in the next few weeks, including better price estimates, but if you check the google drives, you will get the latest versions of each. Coming soon: a wooden version of the VRC field with a slide-out IQ field.
If you have robosource.net cases, they fit nicely under the aluminum VRC field riser:
This is well worth the money. I would say it’s not easy to build, but if you are handy with some tools it’s not too bad. They are great for the classroom, and at tournaments they are the talk of the town! Especially with the new 6x8 fields, I’m one of the few events that is raising their fields for competition.
I’ll add this to the field riser suggestions. Last summer I purchased dunnage racks from Grainger in enough sizes to assemble a 12’x12’ platform.
They only raise the field 12", so there isn’t a lot of under field storage space, but it makes the field look great and eliminated the problem of casual walking on the field by random people. I haven’t tried it, but you could probably create custom 24" legs with PVC pipe you source yourself.
With the sizes they have available, I needed:
4 qty. 36"x96"
2 qty. 24"x96"
2 qty. 24"x48"
I paid about $1000 for one field, but it looks like the price has gone up about 20% since then. I also have a local Grainger dealer, so I could pick up the order and not pay for shipping.
They work great for IQ field risers, too. 2 qty. 36"x96" for one field (or some other geometric configuration that adds up to 6’x8’)
Yes, the legs are removable. The tops are injection molded plastic with pockets for the legs. The legs are just one foot sections of PVC pipe that press into the pockets. They are held in with an interference fit. Standing on top of the platform helps seat them once started. A little wiggling of the leg slides them back out easily enough during disassembly.
One of the companies that I do work with makes EPS blocks (Expanded Polystyrene) for construction and I want to find out if they would make me a 12" x 24" x 72" block that could be stacked in configurations to support VRC and IQ fields. I know they can control the density and even apply a surface so the blocks don’t crumble into popcorn pellets. If it works it would be a very lightweight solution.
I’ve been having a bad time with wooden fields. During Tower Takeover season, we had a wooden field to practice on and the weight of the robot would wear down the sheets of wood in the middle of the 4 : : legs. This resulted in the robot placing cube towers on this field way different than how they should be placed before states. Wooden fields can:
Hinder autonomouses
Cause robots to operate way mechanically different due to deformities in the wood
I would probably advise teams to just stay away from wooden fields or any field that can flex or deviate over time from what they are intended to. (Likely stick to a regular on-ground field or use metal)
I agree, poorly designed wooden fields can be a problem, while well-designed and well-built fields are definitely better. That’s why I have made plans for well-designed wooden field available.
Did you actually build this? I would like some reviews from people who have used Team Virus plans. They look great, but will it work for me? Is it easy to put up and down several times a week?? We need to store it with game pieces attached. Does that seem to work okay? (Or is this better only for long term storage and keep it out for the season? We don’t have the space to keep this large field out every day during season.)
Can they easily fold up and roll away? yup. They are ideal.
I have three. You need a couple of adults to fold them up. I have to use plywood for the base and I had to buy heavy-duty wheels as well as the trip to the cafeteria goes up and down hills a bit and it needed some extra strength to handle the plywood as well. We didn’t do the middle wheel as it’s not helpful if you’re not on a completely flat surface.
We remove the five dispensers when we fold it up but they can easily be put in a small bin with the discs. The fence and bumpers can stay in place. So I have a large bin that I put the dispensers and discs in when we move the fields. I keep the extra shafts for the purple dispensers in the bin as well so I have them as needed.
Something happened to the google drive. Here’s a new link to all the plans, VRC and IQ, Wood and Aluminum, stationary and folding: Team Virus Field Riser Plans - Google Drive
For anyone looking at building these, the current plans in the link (Team Virus Field Riser Plans - Google Drive) have updated wheels which are more heavy-duty, also the recommendation to use 3/8" plywood is in the revised plans (original plan had masonite “pegboard”, which we found to be too flexible.
We skipped the wheel in the middle of the base. I know this is meant for indoor use, but we go on adventures with ours. The middle wheel doesn’t work well if your second derivative is less than zero.
Thank you. I would pop by if i weren’t so far away, California. One more question…i want to put this in my room, take it down for one class period, put it away against the wall. Each day. How frustrating will it be to do this daily? I don’t mind shuffling the desks every day to make room. I think removing the game pieces is a good solution kids should be able to do that easily each day.
We have a small space but really want to build a good team program starting next year.
That will be a very easy once you get the kids trained up. But a much cheaper solution will be to essentially do the same thing with wood. I’ve seen some plans out there but I’m not sure how good they are. I imagine it would also be a little harder to fold if it was wood as it would be heavier, but that will probably save you at least a thousand. The aluminum ones are good if they need to be moved for a greater distance as they are lighter. The weight of the table will probably be the main difference.
