New and Improved!

Hello and welcome to the new blog for Team 2658: Σ-Motion! If you are new, this is the sanctum where our officers share some of the successes, failures, and lessons learned from ongoing projects and events. The blog originated from Toshko Andreev, a 2658 alumni and ex-president. He gifted us the blog posts for the 2020 and 2021 seasons on another platform (We are switching to blogger for more exciting features!). Now, we would like to share some of the progress on things that we have been working on. 

Following our many successes from the 2021 season, the team has been hard at work in preparation for the approaching 2022 season. Due to the unfortunate circumstances during the season this year, the team has jumped to the idea of building our award-winning robot (Whirlpool) this summer/fall to help develop our hands-on skills.

Whirlpool Breakdown

From the use of our bandsaw and drill press to the use of our mill and CNC router, members of the build team are getting parts done on all levels. As of now, we are finishing some parts of our drivetrain and working on some beams for the "spindexer" mechanism. Because this off-season timeline allows for a lot more people to be hands-on and learn the machinery, we have been taking the time to ensure our parts are done right. This extra time also allows us to test different set-ups for operating the machines. Currently, we are experimenting with the CNC and hope to do some advanced toolpaths with aluminum tubing soon.

Student working on the mill

Students building lumber cart

Cleaning, repairing, and stocking up. These are the main things that the members of the electrical team have been concerning themselves with for the past year. By the start of 2021, the electrical team had already been planning out the components necessary for Whirlpool to be powered and built. Once the 2021 season was over and our team was able to come in person, the electrical members would mainly focus on repairing the 2020 and 2019 robots for preservation and training purposes. Additionally, this would also be the time where the electrical and build team would begin to get the components necessary to actually build Whirlpool. Overall, the electrical team has and is expected to continue making great progress on all the robots for the team. 

Currently, the members of the design team have been hard at work practicing with Solidworks. By first starting to familiarize newer members with the interface, we hope to have many members knowledgeable about the features Solidworks offers. Recently, we competed in the 10th F4 Bi-annual Cad-a-thon in the spring. We finished in 18th place and took home the Judges Award for our outstanding use of COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) parts. The robot was entirely designed by new members and tackles all aspects of the game. Furthermore, through the compilations of practice pieces, mechanisms, and powerpoints over the training season, we hope to make the team the strongest it has been in years.

Barrier Mechanism

Full Robot: "RoberBot"

Intake Mechanism

Cam Kicker Mechanism

After ensuring that both Flipper (2019) and Torpedo (2020) had all of their major subsystems functioning, including climb, intake, and drivetrain, software was able to begin different projects to deepen understanding of the robot and how it functions. Some software members were able to get PID working on the pivot and shooting mechanisms on Torpedo, as well as a preliminary version of vision tracking. In addition, as a side project, software was successful in using a Konami dance pad as a drive controller using an arcade drive mechanism. As of now, software has finished the beginning stages of the code for Whirlpool already, with lots more to come.

The team is also in pursuit of beginning an FLL team at Bernardo Heights Middle School this summer. The FLL student mentors have been working together to help register and plan out the season for the new team. The kickoff for FLL Cargo Connect begins in August so check it out!

Please feel free to leave comments on these posts. We are still trying to navigate this new site, so hopefully, the content will get better over time. Good work to all those coming in person and to those working behind the curtains. Stay frosty y’all.