Week 3 & 4 Technical Post
Design Technical Teams: Chassis, Intake/Indexing, Shooter, Tower
1. Summary
During Weeks 3 and 4, the technical teams finalized prototype testing and shifted into a strong design phase focused on CAD development and system integration. The chassis group completed chassis CAD, tested vision systems using the Limelight and RoboRIO, and refined swerve module encoder testing. The shooter group finalized hood and baseplate designs through testing and extensive CAD work while refining shooting angles and adjustability. The intake/indexing team completed subsystem CAD integration, added a pivot mechanism, prototyped hopper belts, and finalized coding structures while refining designs in CAD. The tower team prototyped hook designs, researched optimal gear ratios, advanced elevator CAD development, and began preparing code for future testing.
2. Focus for Weeks 3 & 4
In Week 3, the primary goal was completing prototype testing and finalizing subsystem concepts so parts could be ordered and construction could begin. By Week 4, the team transitioned into a strong design phase, with all technical teams focusing heavily on detailed CAD modeling, subsystem integration, and preparing finalized designs for manufacturing.
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The shooter team completed testing and refined their CAD models for the hood and baseplates.
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The chassis team focused on drive testing, vision integration, and finalizing chassis CAD.
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The intake/indexing team concentrated on completing subsystem CAD, integrating components, and refining prototypes based on testing feedback.
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The tower team finalized hook and elevator designs in CAD while continuing initial coding preparation.
3. Subteams
Chassis
During Weeks 3 and 4, the chassis team focused on testing and finalizing design work. The vision subgroup tested the Limelight 3G, successfully detecting AprilTags and improving environmental scanning capabilities for the robot. The drive subgroup wrote and refined code to test new swerve module encoders.
The team experienced several RoboRIO connectivity challenges that slowed testing early in Week 3, but they resolved these issues and restored consistent communication. By Week 4, the chassis CAD was fully completed, including finalized swerve module designs, allowing the team to prepare for manufacturing and assembly.
Shooter
The shooter team continued prototype testing to determine optimal shooting performance. They reconstructed multiple wheel configurations and tested various hood designs to refine accuracy and consistency. Through testing, they selected a baseplate design featuring two circular cutouts and six hexagonal openings for hex shafts, achieving approximately 90% scoring consistency in the hub. They also confirmed that the hood requires at least a 30-degree adjustable range to support effective shot trajectories.
During Week 4, the team focused heavily on CAD refinement, producing multiple baseplate models and a finalized hood design. Glowforge prints supported design validation. After encountering challenges achieving lower hood angles, the team iterated through several prototypes before developing a creative CAD-based solution that achieved the required adjustability.
Intake / Indexing
During these two weeks, the intake/indexing team finalized subsystem designs and focused on CAD integration and functionality. They connected intake and indexing systems within the CAD assembly, added a pivot point to improve movement, and determined motor placement based on available resources.
The team prototyped hopper belt systems to evaluate ball movement and discovered that balls were spinning without advancing. To address this, they added plastic rivets to increase traction and improve forward movement. Week 4 emphasized refining CAD models to reflect accurate robot dimensions and preparing finalized designs for manufacturing.
On the programming side, the team completed the intake coding subsystem, learned how to program SparkFlex motors and PID controllers, and began structuring command-based programming for intake and indexing functions.
Tower
Building on earlier gearbox exploration, the tower team focused on determining optimal speed-to-torque ratios and designing effective climbing hooks. They laser-cut components and assembled multiple hook prototypes, testing each to evaluate strength and performance.
The team researched elevator designs used by other teams and selected one that best fit their robot’s configuration. During Week 4, they placed a strong emphasis on CAD development, ensuring compatibility between the elevator, climbing space constraints, and hook assemblies. Alongside mechanical design progress, the team began coding preparations so the tower system will be ready for testing once fabrication is complete.