Hey Guys,
I’m happy to announce the Vex Claw Kit is now available for purchase:
http://www.vexlabs.com/vex-robotics-claw-kit.shtml
This is the same claw that is found on the Vexplorer robot.
It is mechanically compatible with other Vex parts. No motor is included. (You can attach either a Vex Continuous Rotation Motor, or a Vex-RC VB-1 Motor).
I hope its not ftc legal.It sorta takes one of the most challenging and fun
things to make with vex and makes it easy;_;
well this would be easy to reverse engineer anyway, anti-slip mat for grip, cut a 25 square bar in half and then bend it and add the anti-slip mat and then take a 5x15 plate cut that in half and add the gears then use standoffs to put it all together
It is FTC legal and you don’t have to use it. For a new team maybe this will allow them to focus more on the rest of their robot. Sometimes it’s better to buy and off the shelf part instead of making your own.
Are there robots that use two or more claws/hands? Should I buy one or two claw kits?
there are robots that use 2 or more claws but you dont need it unless you want to
kool im gunna have to buy it and try it out
Why does the claw have springs that keep it closed? The instructions said that I can use either motor module or servo module to open and close the claw but I think that servo modules won’t work because they rotate about 90 degrees in either direction - not enough to open the claw all the way.
Its a non-electronic part so we can remove the spring.
These springs provide some gripping force on whatever object is in the claw. This allows the claw to continue gripping even after power is cut to the motor. This means the claw can grip objects without constantly “stalling” the motor.
As previously mentioned, these springs can be removed. (Though I really don’t know why anyone would want to remove them.)
The servo can be used to actuate the claw, but it won’t open all the way. The claw is still functional with a reduced range of motion.
I think The Wizard is asking if the spring is FTC legal. Im wondering that myself.
My interpretation of the rules would say that the spring is legal, however you should always ask the officials, on the official forum.
No, I was simply saying that because it was a “non-electronic” part, you could take out the spring if you didn’t want it in.
Hey john how powerful l is that spring? Could it be used to pull a goal around without the need for motor to be stalled? thanks
I’m not sure if it could do it “as is”.
You could very easily modify the fingers of the claw into a “hook shape” which would lock around the goal pipe.
Basically, you would need to design it such that when you pull on the goal, instead of opening up, the claw grips tighter. This is not as difficult as it sounds. In this situation, the spring isn’t important.
-John
thanks I figured thats what would need to be done.
it is so small it would only open to pick up a tennis ball