The moving
This was the easiest part of all the construction. The team had to cut a big plank of wood and fix four wheels: two small ones in the front that are movable and two big ones in the back that can only rotate forward or backwards. Two motors control the rotation of the wheels.
The mecanism to pick up the balls
Attach the tie-wraps on the caterpillar track that can turn thanks to two cogwheels. When they turn, the movement of the tie-wraps drags the balls that are on its way.
The mecanism to throw the balls
The mecanism is composed of two wheels that are controled by motors that were taken off drills. The wheels turn in opposite ways and are placed next to each other without touching. When we put a ball between the two wheels, it is propelled.
Problems and solutions
-The team used drills to do the rotation of the wheels (to throw the balls) so they had to tie them indirectly. They used a metal rod to fit the wheel in on one side and the motor axis on the other. The problem was to find the perfect rod that would fit in.
-The drills were too powerful which made the whole robot vibrate. Then, they had to take off the motors from the drills for it to be easier to stabilise them on the wood.
-The motors were turning too fast so it propeled the balls very far and high. They had to put a resistance to control the speed of the motors.
-The base inside the kit that CRC gave was too small so the team had to build their own base.
-The drills were too powerful which made the whole robot vibrate. Then, they had to take off the motors from the drills for it to be easier to stabilise them on the wood.
-The motors were turning too fast so it propeled the balls very far and high. They had to put a resistance to control the speed of the motors.
-The base inside the kit that CRC gave was too small so the team had to build their own base.