Vex IQ T-fling catapult not shooting high enough

VEX IQ General Discussion
1

Hi, I am trying to build a one-motor t-fling catapult for a new robot for worlds, and we are having some problems. The catapult is at a 1:5 gear ratio but if we put too many rubber bands on it, it doesn’t lower because of the tension. The balls are not shooting high enough or even close into the high goal. I would really appreciate any help or suggestions given.
Thank you.

IMG_0143

2

The picture you gave is not enough information for people to help, but you have you have to remember that more things affect the ball than rubber band power.

  1. How far is the ball from the pivot?
  2. How far is the T piece from the pivot?
  3. How far are the rubber bands from the pivot?
  4. How long is the T piece?
  5. Where is the T piece relative to the gear?
  6. How far down does the catapult go?
  7. How far up does it go?
  8. Does it stop hard or softly?

Again, the picture you provided is not at a good angle to help anyone solve the problem.

1 Like
3

A better picture, as mentioned above, would help. But as a start, consider attaching the rubber bands closer to your catapult’s pivot. This gives them less mechanical advantage, which could help.

4

Thank you for the help, I actually figured out that the mechanism itself was fine, the rubber bands just needed to be really stretched out to give the catapult lots of power. We stretched our rubber bands by just having them extend along the bottom.

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