Hi, our team just built a one motor slapper running on a red motor. Are there any neat tricks we can do to make our slapper stronger without adding a motor. We realized that tweaking small details like the placement of the rubber bands impacted the triballs distance and we are wondering if there are any other sort of minor details that we missed out on. For example, does anyone know what kind of material is best when contacting the triball? We tried using vex buttons to smack the triball, but that does not help the triball get launched further. Currently we are using standoffs to hit the triball, and that seems to work better than the buttons. Are flex wheels a better material when smacking the triball?
Does anyone know the ideal amount of rubber bands?
Does anyone also know the ideal placement of the triball?
You are right, small adjustments can change the outcome of your triball placement. It’s a super obvious one, but make sure you have the perfect angle. Angle matters a lot when it comes down to the spot that the tribal lands and bounces to. Make sure to remember to factor in bounce. I’ve seen teams try to mark where the triballs land, but it is much better to mark the ending spot to be more accurate.
Glad that your team is attempting to make the best possible one-motor kicker. Lots of teams are making kickers and flywheels now.
As for your triball contact-er, most teams use the rubber bumpers. Anything that has some “flex” to it will work (surgically altered flex wheels would work), as that flex gives a little extra “bounce” (and some distance) when launching triballs.
You can make your kicker arm longer, as the tip will travel relatively faster.
Or you can change the gear ratio you are using to be geared for more torque.
Yeah, thanks, we tried doing the longer arm, and that seems to make the triball go farther. However, due to time constraints, we are switching to flywheel, but will keep working with the puncher thing
Just do a lot of tuning with the rubber band placement. Also, the point of the ball that is hit should be at the bottom, as it gives higher arc. Or switch to flywheel(op).
Are team has found that putting as much weight as you can on the arm helps a lot with the power. We are also using one of the bigger metal gears instead of the rubber feet, flex wheels, or just a standoff.