Devlog 1 - Stage 1C (Exercises 1 & 2)

On the left, I created a Flat Intake powered by a NEO Brushless Motor. The gear ratio for the intake is 30:12, which means that the output torque is 30/12 or approximately 2.5x more, while the output speed is 12/30, so 2.5x slower. The biggest challenge for this project was that a lot of the featurescripts have been updated, which made it overall harder to use since I would always have to be finding loopholes to achieve the final result. Additionally, at the beginning of the project, I set one of the mate connectors incorrectly (it needed to be located 4 inches in the x-direction from the origin, but I placed the mate connector and offset by that specific distance from the edge of the Origin Cube), messing up all the dimensions and requiring me to re-do the entire intake subsystem.

On the right, I created some Dead Axle Rollers, which were powered by a Kraken X60 Brushless Motor on the right. I connected the motor to the pulleys by having a belt of HTD 5mm, 9mm width for pulleys with 12 teeth (driving) and 24 teeth (driven), resulting in the gear ratio 24:12. This means that you would be exchanging for double the output torque and half the output speed in an ideal world. I also have another belt on the left side of the rollers connecting the first to the second, and an identical one located on the right side connecting the second roller to the third.

Next Steps: Stage 1C Exercise 3: Shooter Mechanism

Devlog - Section 1B

This section, I learned about Power Transmission in FRC! I learned about speed, torque, and mechanical advantage concepts in FRC, as well as various featurescripts in the FRCDesign library (including Belt & Chain Gen, Robot Shaft, and Part Lighten using pocketing sketches. I also learned about belts/chains and how to use various dimensions in OnShape to create models of them effectively (including using the Origin Cube).

In Section 1B, I created three different types of gearboxes, utilizing gear ratios to exchange torque for speed (and vice versa), and assembling various parts together.

Devlog 2 - Section 1A

I finished Section 1A, where I completed the Plates and Assemblies subsections!

This past week, I learned about how I could create sketches and use a variety of features to make my work easier, such as centre point arc, mirror, use/project, tangent, coincident, etc. I used some of them (like the use/project or centre point arc to create gussets). I also learned about how to create assemblies, add elements to them (either through Insert or through the FRCDesign Inserter), and assemble everything (replicate, fastened mate, etc.)

On to Section 1B!

Devlog 1 - Section 1A

This past week, I focused on CADing for the FIRST Robotics Competition, using Onshape! My team, Arctos 6135, is apparently shifting to Onshape, so this is a good opportunity for me to learn the concepts while everyone is transitioning to this new platform. I started using FRCDesign.org to teach me the various design concepts, and I am proud to say that I have finished 1A!

In Section 1A, I learned about various box tubes (1x1, 1x2), how to CAD them in Onshape, and started learning basic sketching (such as using features like the various rectangles, coincident/tangent, dimension, projection, etc.). I also learned how to create a drivetrain frame and add either boxes (1.5) or triangles (1.6) on the frame.

The attached image shows my drivetrain frame with a triangle, to complete Exercise 6 in 1A: