The day started off with the conclusion of the qualification rounds before lunch and the main event which began at 1:00. As the previous day, the team decided that with the difficulties we had with our arm (although functional and still capable of scoring at the highest level) and with the lack of a mini-bot deployment system, that we would stick to defensive play.
Some Vigilant colleagues arrived minutes before we hit the field in our final qualification round. Unfortunately, we had a problem with the battery and the robot was lacking power despite a full charge. This was disappointing for the lack of performance as well as it being what we we’re certain was going to be the only opportunity to show off our bot to the ’Vigilant brass’. But to our surprise and great excitement, we made it to the quarter finals. The team immediately got to work on tweaking what we could. By this point there wasn’t much we could do that hadn’t been done the two previous days, but we decided that as we weren’t using out bot to score we would disconnect all electronics for the lift and arm systems in an effort to maximize the potential of our battery.
Our bot was paired with two relatively strong bots which were happy to have us as a defender. Our robo-trio fought our way through the quarter undefeated and moved on to the semi-finals with great excitement.
In the semi-finals our trio was up against a team lead by bot 2051, undisputed best bot in our division run by a team with many years of experience and several regional championships under their belt. We focused on blocking this bot in particular, but their superior speed made this difficult at best and we lost the first round. Given this challenge ahead of us on the game field, we stripped as much of the lift system and arm and anything else that could be removed from our bot so as to lighten our load and give us a little extra speed. Unfortunately, 2051 was still a fair bit faster than we were and we weren’t able to match their speed and we were eliminated in round two.
This concluded Henri-Bourassa High School’s 2011 participation in the First Robotics competition. Still in good spirits for getting further than any other Quebec team, we packed up our robot, dismantled our pit and went out to celebrate.
It’s been another long day, albeit a little shorter than yesterday. It was still a good 14 hrs from the time I left this morning to the time I got back to the hotel. The qualifying rounds are largely done and will conclude tomorrow before lunch.
Update on our robot: Our hook at the end of our forklift-arm wasn’t functioning well, so we replaced it with something much simpler. Although we can still score on pegs of all levels, we decided that our robot is best served as a defender or as a support to our more aggressive teammates. This also means that chances of us continuing beyond the qualifying rounds are slim. But the team doesn’t seem to mind. It’s unfortunate that our driver only began to figure out the best way to play defensively after most of the points have already been tallied.
Over the course of the day, our robot performed well and didn’t suffer the mechanical problems so many of the other bots had. Although we worked on the minibot and deployment system in the limited time between matches, we weren’t able to complete it. This isn’t overly disappointing as there are only a very small number of robots which have managed it properly. Some teams kept their robots so simple that the only thing they can do is play defence (no autonomous mode, no ability to score, no minibot)!
During the official competition tomorrow, the two most impressive robots to watch 1114 and 2054. These two not only perform with remarkable speed and accuracy under user control, but their autonomous modes go well beyond that of all the other robots in that they are able to consistantly place the tube in their claws at the beginning of the match on the highest peg and then go in search of a second tube on the ground and virtually always place it on a different peg at the same height before the 15 second timer is up!
Day one is done and it had it’s ups and downs over the 11 hours we spent at the Mississauga Hershey Center. The status of the Henri-Bourassa robot: the arm is having difficulties due to a combination of design and programming issues. Autonomous mode isn’t going to happen. The minibot may or may not make it into the final robot, but we’ve passed inspection and are ready to begin tomorrow’s qualifying round in whatever shape we start in. We can do additional work through the qualifying round.
Walking around and looking at the other robots was a little frustrating as it was apparent that so many of them had many more man hours of build time available, greater funding for parts, larger resources and facilities…and in many cases a fair bit more experience. But that’s isn’t the case for all of them as some are having difficulties even functioning while others haven’t managed to pass inspection yet.
The atmosphere is pretty good as each team is willing to help out the others regardless of the status of their own robot.
After they kicked us out of the robot pits at 8 PM, we all went for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.
Now, 15 hours after I left the hotel this morning, I’m back and am now ready for a good night of sleep! Tomorrow is another day.
Tips on what to check to see if your bike is in need of a tune-up
Like all mechanical devices, regular maintenance will help to ensure bike will run smoothly for decades. Just as neglect can see even the most expensive bike wear out in less than a season. Below is a series of simple things to check without the need for any tools (short of a ruler).
Brakes
Check that your brakes are tight enough by depressing both brake levers. If you are capable of squeezing either/both lever far enough that it touches the handlebars, your brakes are too loose and they need to be tightened.
Make sure your brake pads are properly aligned to your rims (does not apply if you have disk breaks). Watch your brakes open and close as you engage the breaks. Do the brake pads on both sides of the wheel touch the rim at approximately the same time? Is your break pad touching the center of the rim? Unless you answered ‘yes’ to both of these questions, your brakes need adjusting.
Wheels
With the wheel off the ground, give it a good spin and watch the rim at its closest point to your brakes. If you see the space between the rim and the break getting bigger and smaller, it may be time to have your wheel trued (the act of making the wheel straight). If the wheel spins without rubbing on the breaks, then it’s only slightly out of adjustment and can be safely ridden. However, if it rubs against the brakes on one or both sides of the wheel, it needs to be trued.
When the wheel is spinning it should not generate any vibrations in the bike. If it does or when it’s spinning you notice that is slows down quickly, the hub is too tight and needs to be adjusted.
With your bike in a standing position, firmly grip the tire and try to wiggle the wheel from side to side. If you feel it rocking back and forth or any looseness, your hub is too loose and needs to be adjusted.
Headset
Apply the front break tightly and rock the bike back and forth. If you feel anything loose or shaking, your headset is too loose and needs to be tightened.
While the front wheel is off the ground, grab the stem at its lowest point (just above the headset) and gently turn the wheel fully to the left, fully to the right and repeat a few times. If you feel any roughness, resistance or stiffness, the headset is too tight and needs to be loosened.
Bottom Bracket
Shift the front derailleur to the lowest/smallest gear and with a rag/cloth/paper towel/etc… pull the chain off the smallest gear and let it hang on the bottom bracket. Grab the crank arm at point it’s connected to the bottom bracket and slowly rotate the crank arm around. If you feel any roughness or resistance (should spin freely), the bottom bracket is too tight and needs to be loosened.
With the chain still off, grab both crank arms near the pedals and wiggle them back in forth in unison (push the Crank Arms in the direction of the blue arrows, then the green & repeat several times). If the Crank Arms shake around at all, the Bottom Bracket is too loose and needs tightening.
Chain
As you use your bike, the chain will slowly stretch (a well lubricated chain stretches much slower). A certain amount of stretching is ok, but if your chain stretches too far it will wear out other components and when it comes time to change the chain you’ll have no choice but to replace the components that wore out due to this stretched chain. To check if the chain has stretched, take an imperial ruler and place the zero mark in the center of one of the pins in the chain. Measure out 10” and if your chain is in new or near new condition the 10” mark will fall in the center of another pin. If it falls off center of the pin but not near the edge, your chain has stretched but still has some life left in it. If it’s near the edge of the pin, bring your bike to a professional so to be accessed. If the 10” mark is outside the pin, your chain is badly stretched and further components will need to be changed along with your chain.
Shifters and Derailleur
While slowly riding the bike, shift through all the gears one at a time. After each shift does the chain move to another gear? If it doesn’t shift, falls off the gears, takes a few moments to shift or makes a continuous clicking noise before/after the shift, the derailleur(s) need to be adjusted.
Like all mechanical devices, with proper maintenance, the majority of the mechanical components of your bicycle will last you a life time. But left unattended a component that’s too tight or too loose will wear out, cost more in repairs, reduce the efficiency of your bike and diminish the smoothness of your ride.
Although these simple tests are a good indicator or the condition of your bike, many of the components can only be conclusively diagnosed through some level of disassembly of your bike. Therefore it is always recommended to get your bike a full tuned-up (avoid the basic tune-up that adjusts your brakes and shifters/derailleur alone) at the beginning of each season.
Be sure to regularly lubricate your chain and keep your tires inflated to the pressure marked on the tire sidewalls.
