Roller Intake Problem

VEX V5 General Discussion Technical Discussion
#1

Before you answer…

Yes, I know the top roller only has one rubber band on it, but it helped put the ball on the puncher just a little bit by squeezing the rollers and the intake wall [covered by nonslip] closer to each other. However, it only helped the ball get to the top and not onto the puncher. We have tried prototyping ‘ramps’ to see if it would guide the ball onto the puncher but that didn’t help. (Note; we didn’t attached a ‘ramp’ on the side of the intake wall but held a piece of metal) I tried attaching zipties back on my robot but that strategy I made up no longer works. The zipties I had on my earlier designs worked but doesn’t anymore after I added our 4th roller.

I’m asking for suggestions on how we could guide the ball to our puncher if anyone has any. I appreciate anything you guys throw at us!

#2

Maybe make the one rubber band tighter and at a more severe angle towards the puncher. That will give it more rigidity.

On that same note, you could use a bunch of zip ties strapped to the axle with decreasing length to accomplish the same thing.

#3

I think it should be faster. Maybe slap a gear ratio on it and see what happens?

#4

don’t have the rubber bands under the chain it will cause them to break.

#5

more rubber bands on the rollers. also, slap a nice, fast gear ratio on there. my robot has a slower “big” main intake roller, the center roller is directly connected to the motor, then my top roller is geared faster to have a “boost” so the ball lands in the puncher

#6

@Got a Screw Loose
I will try that. How would decreasing the length of the zip ties help get the ball to the puncher? Our top roller has one green sprocket and one grey smaller sprocket. (because of funding and limited supply) (I also tried strapping a zip tie on a rubber band but never tried it on an axel)

Not sure how to do that with our current design

That wasn’t an issue until now

#7

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#8

Oh that is smart. I might actually try that. Thanks!

#9

The zip ties, descreasing in size as they head toward the desired spot, will help to direct the ball there. Using a smaller sprocket of that same side would do the same, but it looks like you need the extra compression.

#10

Did you try cutting a little indent in the plate?

#11

What kind of motors are you using? I would put a Turbo motor on there and possibly a gear ratio. Make sure to change your motor setup accordingly. Also, make sure the motor is operating at full power on your code. In my experience, a faster intake gets the ball up faster and more consistently.
I would also put some sort of wall in front of the track to the shooter so the ball doesn’t fall out when driving.

#12

move the last roller closer to the back wall so that you can boost the ball up higher and apply more force to it. Also a faster gear ratio like many others had suggested would help greatly.

#13