Matchload worth it for a chainbar?

jell0 · February 3, 2018, 4:17pm

Hi, so our robot has a chainbar with a horizontal claw intake and it can stack 11 cones max. Would it be worth it to develop a match load automation or should we just stay to picking up cones off the ground? I’m particularly worried about rule <SG3>.

Vyx · February 4, 2018, 6:29am

<SG3> There can only ever be one (1) Cone on a Loader at any given time. There will be one (1)
Cone on the Loader to start the Match. Additional Cones may be loaded by a Drive Team Member
onto the Loader at any point during the Match. Cones must be placed upright and upon the Loader.
Robots may not contact a Cone if it is being touched by a human.
Note: Cones are considered to be “in play” once they are placed on the Loader and may no longer
be contacted by Drive Team Members.
a. Robots may not contact Cones on the opposing Alliance Loader.
Minor violations of this rule that do not affect the Match will result in a warning. Match Affecting
offenses will result in a Disqualification. Teams that receive multiple warnings may also receive a
Disqualification at the Head Referee’s discretion

um, what specifically about this rule are you worried about?

also, a chainbar’s greatest strength is that it easily fields cones and quickly build stacks of 5-6. Along with the arcing nature of the chainbar, I think it’s better to stick to fielding

_SPR_JP · February 4, 2018, 7:53am

My chainbar can match load. If you have specific questions pm me. There’s no rule to be worried about.

steven1233f · February 4, 2018, 8:39am

My last robot was a chain bar, and the only thing we could do well was match loads. We could field with it, but match loads were easier

jell0 · February 4, 2018, 9:54am

Well cuz on our robot we have to press the cone into the claw to make it close and grab the cone correctly and according to that rule its illegal.

_SPR_JP · February 4, 2018, 2:15pm

Yeahhhhh that’s a mechanical issue

Vyx · February 4, 2018, 3:15pm

yeah uh, I think you want a different claw design if that’s the case because that also sounds like an issue when fielding.

jell0 · February 4, 2018, 3:55pm

Actually I think it helps for fielding. The driver doesn’t have to position the claw super precisely, they just drive into the cone and grab it. It really is just a stopper to prevent the cone from tipping over when the driver goes in to grab it.

ranOOm · February 4, 2018, 4:04pm

I think at this point we’re seeing bots that are optimized for fielding (7700r, 6007x) allianced with robots that are able to do preloads and stationary goals - whatever is faster. Keep in mind that the minute you take a cone off the field, it’s yours and the opponent can’t take that cone anymore.