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Vex Robotics

Posted by PWNZOR , 29 January 2012 · 39 views

So today was my school's VEX Robotics qualifier.

We didn't do so well.
Our first two alliance partners flipped over and ripped their arm off inside one of the goals, respectively, so that sucked.
We won 2 of the four remaining qualifying matches.
We got 28th place out of 39.
We barely got chosen for the finals alliances.
Our alliance won the first out of 3 quarterfinal rounds (best 2/3 passes on to the semis), but we lost the next two.
We lost the championship rounds.

But.
Our logbook was amazing. One of my teammates used his awesome physics and python skills and wrote a program that simulates our arm's strength depending on the gearing of the winch.
Judges were impressed.
We didn't get get the Judge's or the Design award.
We got the Excellence award.
Totally unexpected.
We're going to California for the World Championship.
(One of my school's other teams led the winning alliance; another got the Design award: both also qualify for World)

If you're interested.





Extreme110
Jan 29 2012 02:48 AM
Jeeze...congratulations, I guess.

antillies
Jan 29 2012 02:57 AM
Congratulations, Pwnzor. That's cool to hear.

Lair of Rockwhales
Jan 29 2012 03:26 AM
all I can say is...wow

Phoenyx
Jan 29 2012 04:04 AM
Congrats. I envy you.

I remember my first (and only) attempt at the FIRST Tech Challenge (when they switched over to the new kit). I did my part on the team, but ended up doing everyone else's and my work was threw out the window by our tyrant of a mentor too.

It got to the point that I threatened to disband the entire team and enter on my own, but the rules wouldn't allow for it.

Needless to say by the time the competition at Clemson University came around, our robot wasn't ready. We did get to go to a robotics showcase at University of North Carolina Asheville, but by that time it was too little, too late.

As for our logbook... I tossed it out after the showcase - the only thing it described was how incoherent and how much of a joke team #2959 was. I deemed the whole thing a failure and decided to focus my attention towards non-team based competition.

Things have been going much better after that circus.

PWNZOR
Jan 29 2012 05:46 AM
Thanks, guys

40KEndraider, on 29 January 2012 - 04:04 AM, said:

Congrats. I envy you.I remember my first (and only) attempt at the FIRST Tech Challenge (when they switched over to the new kit). I did my part on the team, but ended up doing everyone else's and my work was threw out the window by our tyrant of a mentor too.It got to the point that I threatened to disband the entire team and enter on my own, but the rules wouldn't allow for it.Needless to say by the time the competition at Clemson University came around, our robot wasn't ready. We did get to go to a robotics showcase at University of North Carolina Asheville, but by that time it was too little, too late.As for our logbook... I tossed it out after the showcase - the only thing it described was how incoherent and how much of a joke team #2959 was. I deemed the whole thing a failure and decided to focus my attention towards non-team based competition.Things have been going much better after that circus.

Yeah, I did FTC my freshman year. Our bot sucked, organization was terrible, motivation was moreso. I moved to Vex the following year because I hated the kit. Who the heck puts motor shafts (for kits) offset from the center of the motor? And the chaining of motor controllers was hectic. We went to World that year for Programming Skills (we scored 5 rings; terrible, but the best in the qualifer xD), and are now going again for Excellence.

I'm glad things are smoothed out for you.

Phoenyx
Jan 29 2012 03:26 PM
I didn't mind the kit, personally, except for the pathetic plastic gear servos we kept having to replace. If they had only used Futaba 8800Ts instead of those cheap Hitecs that I wouldn't even use in a 1/10 scale oval car. Unfortunately, we couldn't use upgraded servos.

I also enjoyed working with RobotC (we decided to use RobotC rather than NXT-G or LabView since I have experience with C++). Of course, as soon as the example templates were released I was forced to reprogram the robot according to the templates even though my control program and custom joystick drivers were superior. I can't remember why, but it was probably something along the lines of "they supplied us with this code so we have to use it instead of your useless garbage code". The thing is I was the only person who could actually program the thing in the first place.

PWNZOR
Jan 29 2012 04:09 PM

40KEndraider, on 29 January 2012 - 03:26 PM, said:

I didn't mind the kit, personally, except for the pathetic plastic gear servos we kept having to replace. If they had only used Futaba 8800Ts instead of those cheap Hitecs that I wouldn't even use in a 1/10 scale oval car. Unfortunately, we couldn't use upgraded servos.I also enjoyed working with RobotC (we decided to use RobotC rather than NXT-G or LabView since I have experience with C++). Of course, as soon as the example templates were released I was forced to reprogram the robot according to the templates even though my control program and custom joystick drivers were superior. I can't remember why, but it was probably something along the lines of "they supplied us with this code so we have to use it instead of your useless garbage code". The thing is I was the only person who could actually program the thing in the first place.

xD Even some of the FTC teams at my school hate the kit. I do like the ability to integrate LEGO into the design though; sometimes LEGO gives the flexibility that you need in tight areas (though you do have to build smart).

We use RobotC as well, and it's awesome. I don't think NXT-G is usable for the competition, because TETRIX motors have to deal with that terrible chaining of controllers that just takes up space. I haven't messed with LabView, though we did have the software when I was a member of the team.

As for the reprogramming of the robot, was it because it was garbage? Or were you not using the competition template? You have to use the template in order to be synced with the competition control (if I remember correctly for FTC; it's the same way for VEX), but you probably already knew that.

Phoenyx
Jan 29 2012 07:08 PM
I do understand that the program had to be synced with the competition control, and when the templates was first released I integrated the synchronization functions into the custom programing. As for the program being garbage, that, I feel, was just an excuse to force a rewrite. I actually remember testing the template program and comparing it to my own custom work. The stock template program didn't have the fine control that my own code did, however when testing the custom program with the competition control functions integrated there was a tiny but noticeable amount of lag in the competition control link. I figured out the the solution to the problem quickly but our overlord mentor was trying to find every single excuse to require a full redesign.

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