String launcher question

Is their anywhere that i can find tutorials or explanations on how to make a string launcher?

Give us like 4 hours

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If you are looking for step-by-step tutorials, then you should go to the pages of VEX Builds (V5 Build Instructions - Downloads - V5 - VEX Robotics) where you will find instructions to build various trainer examples of different designs. Once your team has become more advanced, fully understanding the VEX building system, you can then progress to figure out how to build various mechanisms on your own, perhaps by seeing an example from another team (like a “reveal” video.

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its been four days, not four hours.

I just came across this, I joking. I don’t need these instructions, just the 4 days ago was too perfect.

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To be honest, I had every intention of making a ‘2775v one piston endgame’ video that night, but instead I got back from the mall and crashed :man_shrugging: Someday, I promise

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Its not that hard to make a launcher thing. I made one today that threw a 24t gear into the wall. Getting the string to work well is a tad more diffilcut.

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felt that lmao⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀

Wait, did your team letter change?

Yep.

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I don’t think your “solutions” are helpful. I have been looking through the forums, and I noticed you liked to just belittle people just asking questions. Yes, engineering is about building, and yes engineering is about doing something wrong and improving. But I was in the same boat as this fellow form poster. For the summer I could not work on a robot, because unlike some very fortunate few, I didn’t have a field in my living room or a robotic kit. So I did the only thing I could do which was make a CAD, however, I couldn’t confirm that my ideas would work for another 2-3 months. And it just so happened I was stuck on this same issue that this form poster had, everyone at mall of America seemed to have a string launcher. A copy and paste, however, there was no post, thread, youtube reveal, or explanation on how to make said design. So I believe you could see the frustration many of these members have when they ask a question and you answer rudely. That is so rude and this should not be an example of a faculty adviser for a university. This is probably a high schooler or middle schooler and you are a grown adult. And even though engineering is about the process, what do you think step 1 of the engineering process is? That’s right research. And to think you have never based any ideas for the forums, anything off of the real-world, other teams, your mentors, or higher classmate. However what happens if you don’t have anyone to help you? You see most of my robotic members in 9th grade were seniors and they never passed down information. I am in 11th grade now and I now teach the middle schoolers, and new members how to build, journal, (and code, but that’s really my friend who does that). We live in an underdeveloped region so most robots are claw bots up to states, so asking other teams don’t work. However, over the summer I learned how to build from nice people online willing to help. You gatekeeping the forums and denying the passage of information from one kind kid to someone in need is not in the spirit of vex or engineering in general. Please stop harassing form members, and “solving thread” with passive-aggressive remarks.

First of all, it was two months ago.

Second, there are no tutorials on making a string launcher yet (which is maybe my fault). This is because the teams with a string launcher built them from the ground up, not "copy and paste"d.

Third, kmmohn’s telling the team that the resource doesn’t exist and providing an alternative doesn’t qualify him as rude.

I’m sorry you don’t have a robotic kit and your region is underdeveloped, but please refrain from the rude remarks.

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ya, it was 2 months ago just saw* that. Second, you* not making a video is not the fault that there are no tutorials. Third, the videos of mall of America and the robot reveal that I have seen look similar, so I used “copy and pasted” please use that term with a grain of salt, and do not wish to undermine the work that builders have put into their robots. I was using that point to show the perspective of someone who felt like everyone knew how to do something and they didn’t. Which lead to the fourth. He was being rude String launcher - #2 by kmmohn specifically in this forum, I would have posted that, but he had “solved the issue”. Tell me good intentions were used… fifth, considering the robotic kit and region, Nah bro it’s fine. I was just showing my perspective and how I could understand where this lost form poster is coming from. I still stand by point 4, probably should have just privately messaged him though, instead of a form. I can understand why calling him out can be considered rude.

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Generally, I will answer a question by directing a person to appropriate resources. For a novice team who is looking for step-by-step directions, IMO they need to become more familiar with the VEX building system to gain the skills and experience needed to design on their own, or design from the inspiration of another team’s robot. Therefore, I directed them to the V5 builds where they could see examples of various mechanisms.

The most common post where you accuse me of belittling people is probably my answer to RTM questions (which I obviously cut and paste from a document). In my answer, which is directed almost exclusively at new users, I provide a link to the current game manual, a brief explanation of how to interpret the manual (a similar explanation is found in the preface of the game manual), and usually a suggestion of what part of the game manual to look at to find their answer.

Gatekeeping? This is an open forum, and you are free to post anything you wish. I don’t close threads from comment (although the moderators often close an obvious “RTM” thread).
Denying passage of information? I literally provide links to resources available on the VEX websites.

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First I understand pointing people in the right direction. String launcher - #2 by kmmohn This post however was not in the right direction. And I don’t understand why you didn’t address that, but chose to talk about RTM. Of course, a forum about reading the manual would require them to Read the Manual. I decided to write my first reply however when 2 posts, in a row, had comments. Now, this is where I probably should have sent a message to you so you can understand where I’m coming from, and why. If you want to we still can.

About gatekeeping I had one kind person tell me that solutions were set by the forum creator, not the respondent. If the solutions were set by a respondent, to close a thread prematurely then I think you can see how I got to the inference of gatekeeping information. However, this is not the case and I am sorry about that. I have never posted anything in this forum for 2 years, and I doubt I have said a lot of things in this forum. When I see a regular like Xenon27 or 9motor gang in a thread I know they will help anyone to find the information they need. When I see your comment I don’t, and as a regular with so much time on your hand and knowledge I know the vex community would be better if you put an extra minute of time into those responses. I know you can lead a camel to water, but you can’t make one drink, but that doesn’t excuse telling someone to look at basic robot ideas when not a single bit of helpful information is in those instructions for( what he was looking for) string launcher. If fact a string launcher is commonly used with pneumatics, rubber bands, and a coil. None of those were used in the vex build manual. however, as an alternative, you could do one of 3 things. Don’t comment, clearly, you are proficient with understanding the manual but if a question requires an in-depth explanation maybe your “look at official vex robots” is not the right answer. 2 go a little bit for in-depth. I know you say look reveal videos, but many link a video or two, because this fellow post may not know of many teams (we don’t know this number, but we can assume he knows a few dozen by just looking up reveal vex spin up, but there are some really good teams that are not pushed by the youtube algorithm that much that could be better for some, for example, gold robotics only have 100 subscribers and there update videos are great information for how to go about using a large team and deciding who does what.) but you as a regular may know some pretty obscure teams that could help other people. Or 3, and this is what I was alluding to, maybe @ someone who could help. Again this is all for the health and goodwill of the vex community.

Regulars aren’t all people with a whole lot of time, most of them have schoolwork and things like that.

Actually, telling someone to look at vex robots is 10 times better than just telling them the answer. This is because it provides the team in question ideas on what to build for their robot, and it can bond the team.

Now this is not saying that telling people the answer is wrong, it’s just saying that telling them to look at the official bots is better.

Then why didn’t you? It’s not rude to PM someone on the forums. Plus, you could make the responses in there not as formal.

(And also, next time you write a mega-long post, please use paragraphs. I lost my place at least 5 times because of my tired eyes)

And the answer to the overarching question of why we don’t give people solutions directly, nor tell them what rule in the manual they should look at is:

Read G2 in the manual :wink:

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Because it looks like no one else is gonna do it, here are some close ups of a string launcher for the op to use.

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Bro, I am even less useful that @kmmohn . I just tell people to read the manual, same as him, but I don’t even link the manual sometimes and never the auto updating link. @kmmohn is one of the most useful and helpful members of the forum community, don’t bash him.

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