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Batteries not included A team of ten high schoolers from Mt. Bethel Christian Academy that has been around since 2015.
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Summary We are Batteries Not Included, a team of high schoolers passionate about robotics and beyond. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of engineering, FIRST, and teamwork, and we ensure that we learn lessons, both inside and outside of robotics. We strive to apply the lessons we learn in robotics to spread STEM and FIRST throughout our community. As a veteran team of 5 years, we have experienced the full spectrum of the ups and downs that every true robotics team encounters. This has allowed us to go to many great places in our robotics journey; as three-time Georgia state champions, we have attended two world championships. We have won many more competition awards that can be found in section 9 of this notebook. All of these achievements have come from our hard work and dedication, values we consider core to our team. We have still had our fair share of letdowns in our time as a team, however. We consider these letdowns, the 2020 and 2021 World’s Championship cancellation, for example, as motivation to perform better in the future. Then, we can perform at our very best when we next attend World’s. Our robot is the culmination of hundreds of hours of hard work and determination. We would like to highlight the most important aspects of our robot here because there are more in-depth descriptions in our notebook. For example, the key element of our robot is its chassis and drivetrain. Our robot chassis is CNC manufactured from airplane-grade aluminum. Belt tensioners were incorporated into the design process to provide accurate movement in both Autonomous and Driver-Controlled periods. (Pages 5-2 and 5-4) The robot has a wobble goal arm mechanism which allows us to pick up and score the wobble goal during both Autonomous and End Game. It is driven by a worm gear with a motor on it for torque, and we have a ‘V’-shaped arm on the end that the wobble goal fits into. We also have a servo arm on the end of it that closes and secures the wobble goal into the wobble arm. (Pages 5-3 and 5-7) Our robot also has an extremely effective intake, which allows us to intake the rings quickly and reliably. The intake is created almost entirely out of belts; we have a layer of belts touching the top and the bottom of the ring simultaneously. This allows for contact for the ring at all times and helps reduce friction and increases grip on the rings. We are able to drive our intake with just one motor by using gears and chains. (Pages 5-3 and 5-6) We also have a very powerful launcher on our robot, which allows us to launch the rings quickly and accurately into the high goal. Our launcher is a ‘U’shaped design, so the rings can gain momentum while rotating around the green compliant wheel in the middle. This compliant wheel is driven by two 6,000 RPM motors with a 1:1 gear ratio to help provide both torque and speed to launch the rings high and accurately. (Pages 5-2 and 5-5)
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Portfolio Connection to Portfolio: Portfolio
Notebook
Added Information On…
Team Information
1-1
The Team Mission; Bios; and Individual Goals
Science & Mathematics (/ Analytics)
2-7
More Graph Examples and Explanations
Design Process
4-1
Engineering Notebook Entries
Outreach
3-1
Overall Outreach Ideals; Mechanism Details; Expansion on Our Future Plans
Team Plans
2-1
Business Plan; More Budget Information
Game Strategy
2-5
The Drive Teams; Outline of our Matches
Skill Development
2-3
External Influence (Clay Targets); Internal Influence (Training Others)
Mentoring
2-2
Photos of Training and Mentoring
STEM Communication
3-2
More Information on Senator Kirkpatrick
Programming/ Control Award
6-1
The Control Award; Basics of our Code format; Controllers
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Robot Design
5-1
More Photos for Our Current Mechanisms’ Designs
Team Organization & Goals
1-15
Individual Goals
“Digital” Engineering 7-1
More Photos
More Sections: Electrical - 8-1 - Information on wiring organization and what electrical components are used on our robot Awards - 9-1 - The awards we have received since 2016 and how far we advanced each year
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Table of Contents Us
1-1
Mission
Team Members
Coaches
Individual Goals
1-1
1-3
1-13
1-15
Team Plans
2-1
Sustainability
Mentoring
2-2
Skill Development
2-3
Strategic
2-1
2-5
Kickoff Brainstorming & Our Drive Teams
2-5
Game Strategy Diagram
2-6
Math and Science (Analytics)
2-7
2-9
Business
Budget
2-15
Outreach Ideals
3-1
3-1
Meeting Senator Kirkpatrick
3-2
Mechanisms
3-3
Future Plans
3-6
Design Process Generations’ Summaries
4-1
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Robot Design
5-1
Final Robot Diagram
5-1
Chassis/Drivetrain
5-2
Launcher
5-2
Intake/Ramp
5-3
Wobble Goal Arm
5-3
Pictures for Each Mechanisms’ Iterations
5-4
Chassis/Drivetrain
5-4
Launcher
5-5
Intake/Ramp
5-6
Wobble Goal Arm
5-7
Programming
6-1
Control Scheme
6-1
Gamepad 1
6-1
Gamepad 2
6-2
Code Development Process
6-3
Engineering
7-1
CNC/CAD
7-1
3D Printing
7-2
Electrical Wiring
8-1
8-1
Parts Used
8-5
Diagram
8-9
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9-1
2016-2017
9-1
2017-2018
9-1
2018-2019
9-1
2019-2020
9-1
2020-2021
9-2
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Us Mission Our mission is to not only learn about science and engineering, but more importantly it is to become strong critical thinkers, fearless problem solvers, and continuous learners. We seek to selfishly share our passion and knowledge with our community and become AMBASSADORS of STEM, Robotics, and the benefits of FIRST. Batteries Not Included is a FIRST Tech Challenge Competition Team. The team is comprised of students in grades 9-12. Team members are encouraged to LEARN & EXPLORE scientific concepts, including designing, building, and programming strategies to successfully build a robot to use in team competitions. Batteries Not Included consists of ten team members, three coaches, and one official mentor. An alumni of the team, Blake, sometimes helps out as well. The team began in a very crowded 3rd-floor Broadcast room as an afterschool program. However, today the program operates in its own building of Mt. Bethel Christian Academy and meets two to three times per week, with optional practices available each week. The new (and renovated) Robotics building has plenty of room and storage for the team to build MULTIPLE MECHANISMS! Through FIRST, Robotics students are able to: • Learn how to design, build, and program robots. 1-1
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 • • • • •
WORK TOGETHER to solve real-world problems and issues. Experience SUCCESSES & FAILURES in implementing varying design ideas. Use a HANDS-ON APPROACH in utilizing various building tools. Use Java, Fusion 360, and other computer programs to design a competitive robot. Extend STEM to high school students who wish to go ABOVE & BEYOND with their love of math, science, and technology.
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Team Members
Patrick
Competitive Captain, Builder, CAD Designer, Senior Drive Team Driver Patrick is a senior and is in his fourth year on the robotics team. As a member of the Mt. Bethel Christian Academy STEM Program, much of Patrick's high school career has been all about engineering and design. FTC robotics has been his greatest challenge yet in this field and he is excited to come back year after year to innovate solutions to technical obstacles with his teammates. He hopes to study mechatronics in college and become a mechanical engineer. Extracurriculars: Archery Team, Band Fun Facts: He has put more than a thousand hours into robotics over the past four years.
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Madison
Communications Captain, Outreach, Senior Drive Team Human Player Madison is the communications team captain. She is the mentor on the FLL Teams at middle school and FTC club Eight grade Team. She is only the 2019-2020 dean finalist. She is also a leader of middle school life group. Does track cross country and tennis. Fun Facts: Only female Dean’s List finalist 2019-2020 Extracurriculars: Tennis, Cross Country, Track, and Model UN
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Thomas
CNC Machinist, Builder, CAD Designer, Senior Drive Team Mechanisms Thomas is a senior at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy. He joined robotics because he loves technology and building. He is constantly tinkering, and won’t hesitate to make a joke or two during practice. Thomas can see a robot in its final stages, even before the first mechanism is built. Fun Facts: Expert card thrower Extracurriculars: Archery, Clay Targets, Tennis, Boy Scouts (Eagle Scout)
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Gavin
Builder, Senior Drive Team Coach Gavin is currently a senior at Mt. Bethel, and has gone to Mt. Bethel since 1st grade. This is Gavin’s third year on robotics, and initially joined robotics because he likes building things. Even though Gavin hasn’t participated in other FIRST events before, he is still able to learn and have fun. Extracurriculars: Archery, Clay targets, E-sports club Fun Facts: Can solve a 3x3 Rubik’s Cube blindfolded.
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Kush
Programmer Kush Sharma is in the 12th grade at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy and has been a part of FTC Robotics since the 11th grade. He is also in the STEM Honors Program since his freshman year. He joined the Robotics team because he is interested in engineering, building, programming, and teamwork. Even though he hasn't had much programming experience before, he hopes to learn a lot from his coaches and mentors. He practices Martial Arts and is a member of the Archery team. Extracurriculars: Martial Arts, Archery, NHS, International Club Fun Facts: He is a 2nd Degree Black Belt
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Christian
Builder, Website Manager, Underclassmen Drive Team Human Player Christian Villarreal is in the 10th grade and has been at MBCA ever since 4th grade. Before officially joining the FTC team in the 9th grade, he was an assistant to the team in 7th and 8th grade. He also did FLL for a number of years as well. Fun Facts: Knows how to operate a Digital Audio Workstation Archery, Music Production Extracurriculars: Archery, Music Production
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Andrew Gaines
Outreach Andrew Gaines is in the 10th grade at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy. He works in the outreach team and helps where he is needed. Andrew is entering his second year of being on the BNI team. Andrew is a part of the MBCA Honors stem program and also took an intro to the business course during his freshman year. He is an avid golf player and hopes to be a part of the potential golf team this year. Extracurriculars: Golf Fun Facts: Cooks exotic and exciting foods
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Eva Burba
Engineering Notebook, CAD/ CNC, Underclassmen Drive Team Coach Eva is a 9th grader at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy and has been a part of Batteries Not Included since the 8th grade. She is looking to pursue an Architectural Engineering major in college and apply there what she will have learned while on Batteries Not Included. Eva is also a part of the STEM Honors program at MBCA and has loved learning about schematics and design. Extracurriculars: Soccer, volleyball, basketball, and International Club. Fun Facts: Eva loves to surf and paddleboard.
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Ben Kendrick
Builder, CAD developer, Underclassmen Drive Team Mechanisms Ben Kendrick is in the 9th grade. On the team, He is a builder and CAD developer on BNI. This is his second year at BNI. When he is not at robotics, he is playing lacrosse or wrestling. Extracurriculars: Robotics, lacrosse, wrestling Fun Facts: His favorite candy is snickers.
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Joshua Williams
Extracurriculars: Clay targets, robotics
Programming Joshua Williams is in 9th grade. He joined BNI because he is fascinated by robotics. When Josh was 3, he started using R.C. vehicles and when he was 6, he started flying drones. Josh is a firstyear programmer. Fun Facts: Josh loves scuba diving.
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Coaches
Coach DuVal
Head Coach Coach DuVal is the Technology Director at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy, and this is his 3rd year coaching the Mt. Bethel Christian Academy Robotics Team. He enjoys reading, hanging out in the great outdoors, playing video games (mostly action RPG games), and playing with his cat, Rose - the best cat ever! Fun Facts: Would like to move to and live in Cinque Terre; yes, It’s a real place
Coach Acker
Programming Coach Coach Acker worked for General Electric for 20 years before joining Mt. Bethel Christian Academy as the Middle School Technology Teacher. He enjoys tinkering, home improvement, gadgets, home automation, and College Football. Fun Facts: He has two cattle dogs, Poppy and Meadow.
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Coach Burba
cats (literally and figuratively). Fun Facts: She is crazy good at organization.
Logistics Coach Meridith is a part of the Mt. Bethel Christian Academy administration. She coaches the Middle School FLL teams. For Batteries Not Included, she is critical to keeping our team on track. She is the herder of
Mr. Meadows
Mentor Mr. Meadows is a physics and math teacher at the Mt. Bethel Christian Academy upper school. He also coaches cross country and leads the E-sports club. Mr. Meadows has little robotics experience but looks forward to helping and learning from the students this robotics season. Fun Facts: This is Mr. Meadows's first year at Mount Bethel and as a robotics coach.
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Individual Goals
Patrick: I want to build a competitive robot that will allow us to win Georgia State Championship once again. Also, I want to create an environment in which team members support each other and can work seamlessly together to ensure that our Robotics program can continue to be successful in future years. Madison: I want to be able to pass on my knowledge to the underclassmen to better prepare them for when I leave. Thomas: I would like to become a better driver and learn more about how to improve our intake and launcher overall. Gavin: I want to prove to myself that I still got it, that I didn’t peak last year, and I can still do better this year. Kush: I want to thoroughly learn writing code in Java including functions, methods, etc. I want our team to have a great robot by the end of the season. I also want us to have the a lot of fun by the end of this season. Christian: I want to learn as much as I can and strengthen the relationships between my teammates and others. Andrew: I want to finish the current Outreach builds we have worked for so long on and put them into service as soon as possible. I also want to create a successful virtual event with Schenk, so Outreach will be able to expand its library of events for the future. Eva: I want to learn how to efficiently keep track of everything that is happening on the team at once (from all sub-teams) because it will help with the Engineering Notebook. Ben: I would like to get more knowledge and experience building and driving the robot. I would also like to get as much info out of the seniors before they leave for collage. Josh: I would like to have a better understanding of how the code works and improve my driving skills by the end of the season.
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Team Plans Sustainability As stated in our Engineering Portfolio, there is a chain of Robotics that runs through our school to spark interest and keep our team thriving with new members every year. This year, we gained a new 9th Grader, and there are already may 8th Graders (from Fix-Its, STEM Gems, and BotForce) that want to join in 2021. Our chain is made up of five teams in our school with 54 members in grades 5-12. The flow chart below (and in the Engineering Portfolio) shows this chain. Fifth Grade EagleBots
STEM Gems (FLL) BotForce (FLL)
Fix-Its (8th Grade FTC Club)
Batteries Not Included (HS FTC)
Inside the team, we train each other if one of us is already more knowledgeable about a tool/program/idea than another. This ensures that we will all leave the season with equal knowledge about FIRST, Robotics, marketing, and Gracious Professionalism.
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Gavin and Thomas (Senior Builders) training Eva and Ben (Freshmen)
Madison (Senior Outreach) training BotForce (FLL (Middle School))
Kush (Senior Programmer) training Josh (Freshman Programmer) 2-2
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Skill Development From Outside Influence: Clay Targets On the outside, the Clay Targets and Robotics teams may look like a team where people shoot shotguns at tiny orange discs and a team where people build and program robots to succeed in competition. However, as a member of both the Clay Targets and Robotics teams at Mt. Bethel, I can say that there are definitely some similarities between the two. One of the things that I have learned at Clay Targets is focus. In order to shoot well, you have to be extremely focused on both timing and form. This also applies to Robotics, and because of Clay Targets, I now have better focus. I am able to be more focused at Robotics and as a result, accomplish much more, as well as finish things on time. Which prior to that, I had very poor time management skills. A second thing that I learned at Clay Targets and applied to Robotics is being a good teammate. In my opinion, one of the more appealing aspects of both Clay Targets and Robotics is while they both have their own competitive nature to it, both teams also involve being good teammates to both your team and the opposing team. At Clay Targets, if you are at a meet, and you miss a shot, it is not uncommon for a member of an opposing team to come over and tell you where you are missing and help give you advice. This is also true of Robotics, it is quite common for older teams to help out younger teams by giving them 2-3
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 advice and explaining different building techniques, it also works the other way with younger teams helping older teams, and teams coming together to help each other out. In my experience, Clay Targets and Robotics definitely have some similarities that allow students to gain knowledge that they can use anywhere. From Internal Influence: Training Sometimes members do not have anything to do, so they watch the builders' building process and learn from their mistakes. Also, watching other people's building styles helps us learn more ways to build. Asking questions often is how we grasp knowledge too; we learn through each other's questions, and when we do not have the answer, we go to outside resources such as our teachers and Google.
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Outline of Matches:
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Strategic Kickoff Brainstorming: During the Kickoff of this season (in September), we got together as a team to brainstorm immediately while watching the video. As the video progressed, we took ranked what missions were the most important to see what we should be able to do reliably by the first meet. We researched what should be included in the Portfolio and Notebook as well. Our Drive Teams: Our game strategy is to have multiple drive teams. This year we have two drive teams because of COVID-19. If one team member of one of the drive team gets COVID, the whole drive team has to quarantine. However, the other drive team can stay and drive. Another reason is that most of our team is seniors, so we have senior and freshmen drive teams. This prepares the team for when all the seniors leave, since the freshmen drive team will have some advice and practice under their belts. For the League Tournament, we are going down to one drive team, so they get lots of practice and become amazing at driving. That drive team will be the seniors (because they have more experience and it is their last season), but the freshmen drive team will also continue practicing just in case the seniors cannot make it.
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Math and Science (Analytics): There are 5 graphs that we use to evaluate our progress… First, is our general score graph. This is to show how well we progress throughout the season. In the graph, we see the scores were extremely volatile in the beginning, but 2-8
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 by Remote Meet 3 our scores stabilized, and we began to steadily climb upwards. (1) Our next graph is our Autonomous scores graph. This graph shows us our autonomous scores over time. Programmers use this graph to evaluate how our progress is going with autonomous. (2) Our next graph is our TeleOp scores graph. This one shows our TeleOp scores over time. This one is used by our drivers to see how our driver skills are developing over time. (3) Our next graph is our TeleOp plus End Game scores graph. This is like the previous graph except it gives our drivers a more complete view of their skills as it shows all of the points scored by driver control. (4) Our final graph is our End Game scores graph. This one is like the previous graph except it only shows endgame scores. This is to show how our drivers are doing in the End Game. All of these graphs are extremely useful and helps us understand what needs to be done in every competition. (5)
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Business For the 2020-2021 season, Batteries Not Included implemented their core values and strategic goals. The team used a framework that they had already created to achieve their goals this season; team values are centered around being L.E.A.D.E.R.S. To showcase these values and realize these goals, the team developed a business playbook for this year and beyond.
•LEARN how to design, build, and program robots. •EMBRACE Gracious Professionalism and share this spirit • • • • •
with the community. ADVOCATE for STEM & FIRST within school and surrounding community. DEVELOP interpersonal skills, team work, public speaking, and communication skills. EXPERIENCE both successes and failures with design and build ideas. REPRESENT FIRST values through mentoring and volunteerism. SHARE FIRST values, SHOW our passion for STEM, and SERVE our community.
✦ LEARN… Work together to successfully build and program the competition robot per FTC regulations, requirements, and criteria. • The first goal is to learn about robotics and how best to compete in the FIRST FTC league. We are developing handbooks, flyers, guides, diagrams, and 2-10
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 operating procedures. These allow us to teach others outside of our team and community about FIRST and what we do. ✦ EMBRACE… Be competitive within our league and beyond while Learning from other teams’ experiences, especially those with well-developed programs and robots. • Through Gracious Professionalism and cross-team cooperation, the team grows from its experiences and learns from fellow FTC teams. Once we begin traditional events, we plan to partner with some local teams to hold SCRIMMAGES, in which we will all discuss how to improve our programs and robots to accommodate other teams’. • The team plans to expand this partnership with other teams and share practices and our “lessons learned.” • To become more competitive, we have constantly used a CNC MACHINE and FUSION 360 (CAD) to make custom parts. These allow us to build custom designs that are not possible with the standard kits found online. We plan on continuing to grow our digital and engineering skills to make our robots more competitive for these season and future seasons. ✦ ADVOCATE… Grow our program to encourage more students to join the MBCA Robotics Team in the future 2-11
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 and continue to develop the program with increased team responsibilities/jobs. • We are expanding our focus beyond just the competition challenges. We expanded our team to include other students who couldn’t make the commitment to join the team… similar to a ROBOTICS CLUB. These students are still a part of the team and can now actively pursue a love and passion for robotics. • To grow our program and promote a general sense of STEM appreciation, we will continue our Outreach within the MBCA community. In order to continue to evolve, one of our outreach mantras is “LOOK BEYOND MBCA.” In this, we plan to spread to Schenck, an Atlanta school, to spread our team’s influence and robotics to dyslexic children. ✦ DEVELOP… Seek to develop the younger students’ knowledge and grow their experience with robotics and STEM. Continue to develop and host programs, activities, and camps to share our love of STEM and Robotics with younger students. • We are also now exploring AFTER SCHOOL classes for both elementary and middle school where we can teach about robotics, engineering, and STEM. • In addition, the team is actively seeking to mentor new FIRST teams and show them some of its best practices. We are mentoring many FLL Teams that are 2-12
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 connected with our school and hope to expand our mentoring into other schools. ✦ EXPERIENCE… This year, we experienced numerous failures and had to rework plans as part of our engineering design process. Through this trial-and-error, we have practices and procedures to mitigate risk. • We now have spare parts and supplies ON OUR SHELVES that can readily mitigate issues that occur in the build process. We have procured extra batteries, controllers, gears, phones and other critical components. • We have designed a simple WOOD ROBOT to help troubleshoot programming issues without impacting the main competition robot. It also allows us to simulate an actual competitive match with two robots. • We are CROSS-TRAINING members in order to mitigate delays caused by absence and availability. Cross-training also allows us to institutionalize the expertise and knowledge from our juniors who will graduate in a few years. • We developed team SAFETY PROCEDURES that will enable all future team members to safely participate in FIRST. ✦ REPRESENT… Educate and engage our school community, as well as students elsewhere in our community, about technology and engineering. 2-13
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 • We are working to create a BOX CLAW for once we can hold SOCIALLY DISTANCED EVENTS that coincide with CDC guidelines. • Encourage students to participate in Outreach programs within our school and community, participate in school sporting events, and seek opportunities to share about Robotics programs in smaller school communities. ✦ SHARE… In order to continue to share our passion for STEM, advocate for FIRST, and serve our community, we work to secure funding for not only our competitions but our team activities and Outreach events. • Last year we secured numerous local sponsors. This year our school recognized the value that we bring to our students and to our nearby community. Accordingly, the school is now fully funding our program. • The students have started to contribute more and more to finding sponsors and grants. This, along with our other sponsors’ contributions, has allowed us to purchase supplies for a dedicated Outreach robot. We’ve currently received funding from REV ROBOTICS.
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Budget = $48,875. As of 12/8/2020, we have $31,604.99 left. Income: $3,850 (Student Fees) $10,000 (Anonymous Season Sponsor) $35,000 (Mt. Bethel Christian Academy’s Annual Fund (Corporate Sponsor)) $25 (REV Robotics) Expenses: $7,000 (Coach Stipends) $1,508.36 (Robot & Parts) $1,347.44 (Fees) $445.47 (Tools) $6,674.44 (Facilities) $294.30 (Marketing) Expenses
Income
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Outreach Ideals This year has impacted everyone in one way or another. This impact has especially been felt by the outreach team. Due to the pandemic, our usual activities and plans are all but meaningless as of this time; but like all challenges, we have learned to overcome. Our team has had to rethink the way we do outreach due to COVID. This challenge has given us invaluable experience that we may not have had otherwise. The outreach team is built around physical interaction, Thus, not having the opportunity to interact and reach out to the community has been a hard adjustment for us. Fortunately, we remember the words of Walt Disney: “Around here we don’t look backward for very long, we keep moving forward opening up new doors and doing new things because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” This is what our outreach team has been doing all along. We have had to become more creative to overcome this problem. This year has brought many challenges for all of us but as Walt Disney once said “ All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” We have many plans for our future, all of which are the culmination of our knowledge and experience. We have taken our kick in the teeth in stride. We do not look back but keep looking 3-1
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 forward because we have a vision for the future. In this vision, we see bridges across the earth and we see them built on our actions now. Our plan for the future is to grow our team and our reach. We want to spread the love and joy that our team experiences and we want to offer our hands in service to the community. By providing this service, we build a better future for this planet. Like last year’s challenge, we want to build a future based on our shared experiences and grow in the knowledge of how we overcome the challenges. We want to build a future for those behind us because we take to heart the phrase “What past is prologue” (Shakespeare, The Tempest) because we know what we do now shapes the future. Meeting Senator Kirkpatrick She took time out of her busy campaign schedule to present the team resolutions, and we informed her all about our Robotics team.
Senator Kirkpatrick arrived at our campus at the Upper School where our Robotics room is. She was the cosponsor of Senate Resolution 916 along with Senator 3-2
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Jordan. We were recognized for our third year qualifying for worlds, being state champions for three years, and having Dean’s Finalist team member Madison. Senator Kirkpatrick presented us each a copy of the resolutions, which she personally signed. We talked to her about our team and FIRST, emphasizing on how much FTC has helped us improve as people. We showed her our previous competition robots from the past years. We explained how the game is played, the field, and all about FIRST Tech Challenge. Then, we showed her our workshop room where she told us about her important work in the Senate. We all stood around a table and listened to her explain how she has impacted our community and the State of Georgia. She told us about the laws she sponsored and assisted in getting passed. She also explained how we could become a page, or an intern for the Senate, and other ways we could make a difference in the legislation. Further, she had a Q&A time, and we discussed more about her job and our robotics team, Batteries Not Included. Mechanisms Main Outreach Bot We have been working on this outreach bot this year to replace our old one. This one has a smaller profile in comparison to our old one. In addition, we can move it on any terrain because of omni wheels, which gives us the best mobility in the field. We switched from using chains to belts for our motors. We have four of them to improve speed and carrying capacity. We are planning to put a wooden 3-3
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 platform on it for space for project additions. We have rebuilt our chassis to be more maneuverable and plan to make add an interchangeable base for each easy switch with each design. We are also Main Outreach Bot looking into using a quick change rail system to improve our efficiency. We expect to have this robot online and moving by the end of March at the latest. Old Outreach Bot We also have our old outreach bot that is only missing chains for the motors on the wheels. We are planning to replace this with the new outreach bot but still have it wired up and assembled should we need to use it again. Boxclaw This has been one of our main focuses this year for Outreach. We have put together the base skeleton of the claw design, and we are working on the finishing touches. Now, we simply need to CNC the claw from wood and assemble it to have all moving parts ready for use. After this, we plan to mount acrylic on all sides with LEDs to hold 3-4
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 whatever we fill the claw with and make the appearance exceptional. We expect to have this operational by late April.
Boxclaw
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Slingshot We do have the slingshot assembled and ready to be mounted if necessary. This is an older project that we have improved on some this year. We replaced our catapult design with a slingshot to offer better accuracy and more power for when it is being used. Future Plans
Slingshot
Schenck School We plan to outreach with Schenck School where we can engage in virtual and interactive meetings. This school helps give dyslexic students learning tailored to their needs, but they do not have a FTC team. Thus, they do not know much about Robotics, so we hope to broaden their horizons and maybe create a FIRST team for them! Candy Machine We also are creating a candy machine claw to go outside our building and attracted people to Robotics. This will help spread FIRST to those who might think they are uninterested, and it could change their minds! Design Contest We also are doing a design contest with the students from our school who will submit their design for us to build for an event. We will pick one or combine ideas from some of them and create and present the build to the school. Like the Candy Machine, this will help bring knowledge about STEM to those outside our building. 3-6
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Design Process Our robot design has undergone a number of iterations, which the team refers to as “Generations.” These Generations are customized to both the robot and the mechanisms which allows us to keep track of any changes we have made. Each mechanism has different generations from each other, but the entire robot has overall generations. With each competition, the team has learned from its failures and successes to improve the robot’s design.
Generation 1 • Compact LED Chassis & Drive Train with Mecanum Wheels • Autonomous Wobble Goal Arm • Flywheel Launcher • 9-wheel Intake with Ramp • Launches on the opposite side as the intake
Generation 2 • Supported and Sturdy Wobble Goal Arm • Flywheel “U” Launcher with Ring Storage that can tilt from the ramp’s angle to the launching angle and back down • 12.5-wheel Intake with Ramp • Launches on the same side as the Intake
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Generation 3 • Intake with 3 compliant wheels and 14 belts • Flywheel “U” Launcher with a more optimal magazine • Autonomous launches three rings, scores both wobble goals, and parks (for all randomizations)
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Generation 1 Generation 1 was between the first notebook entry, which signifies the start of our season, until the 21st of November. Generation 2 Generation 2 is our current generation, and it started on the 21st of November and ended on December 9th. Generation 3 Generation 3 happened after the 9th of December to March 20th-27th, our League Tournament.
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Robot Design Final Robot Diagram
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Chassis/Drivetrain Our current chassis consists of 4 CNC cut aluminum plates with GoBilda mecanum wheels between them. Our drive wheels were driven by belts and 3D printed pulleys connected to our GoBilda drive motors. We have tensioners between our wheels and motors to keep the belts taught so we don’t have any inaccuracy in autonomous or driver control. We have thin GoBilda U-channels bridging the gap between our two side-plate pairs which keep the chassis stable and rigid. These channels Our space inside our robot is large enough for us to add our launcher, intake, and have a stable place to mount our wobble goal arm. Launcher Our launcher is a magazine launcher system. We have a magazine that can store 3 rings at a time. The magazine changes angles. One angle is to receive rings from intake and the other angle is to launch them. The launcher is powered by a double motor system. These motors are GoBilda 6000 rpm motors. This allows for double the torque on the flywheel than if we just used one. The launcher path is circular to allow for maximum contact with the flywheel when launching. All of these factors allow for a great launcher.
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Intake/Ramp Our current intake generation intake is comprised almost entirely of belts. We have belts on both the top and bottom of the intake that help fully possess the rings and get them to the right place. We have compliant wheels on the front row of belts that allow us to grasp the rings with more force. We are driving the belts with one motor using gears and chain to allow the top and bottom belts to spin in opposite directions. There is also a redirecting arm in the intake that allow the rings to go properly into the magazine. The axles to the intake are held in place by some CNC’d brackets, and are mounted to the robot with custom-drilled holes on the chassis. This makes the intake super sturdy and it is not going to move while driving around. Wobble Goal Arm Our Wobble Goal Arm is very effective. It is operated by a GOBUILDA motor that raises it up and down. To create more torque, we added a worm gear. This is highly beneficial and allows us not to worry about weight and torque while driving. It also has a servo that acts as a clamp and grabs the wobble goal. The “hand” of the arm is surrounded by rubber to allow maximum grip. The arm is also long enough to reach over the wall with ease. Our wobble goal arm is very reliable and effective and gets us consistent points in auto and Tele Op.
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Chassis/Drivetrain
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Launcher
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Intake/Ramp
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Wobble Goal Arm
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Programming Control Scheme We use an Xbox 360 controller for Gamepad 1 and Gamepad 2.
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Gamepad 1 Gamepad 2
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Code Development Process In the beginning of the season, during the first few meets, the autonomous pathing was rudimentary and not developed enough. We only programmed the robot to drop one wobble goal into each zone using our first generation wobble arm mechanism which was to the right of the robot. We did this on “Blue Left” which is the left location when looking at the field with the target zones on the far side. Because the arm was to the right of the robot, and the camera was fixed behind it, we made the robot drive backward instead of forward. Then, we would drive forwards onto the launch line after dropping the wobble goal. After this pathing, we moved on to “Blue Right” which is the other robot location to deliver the wobble goals. The robot would strafe left in the beginning, to avoid hitting the rings, then drive backward to drop the wobble goal, and drive forward to park on the launch line. The third generation of auto pathing still included driving backward into the target zone, however, because the wobble arm mechanism was not to the right anymore, the wobble goal would have to be placed in front of the robot. To do this, we implemented the use of angles in our gyroCorrection method to ensure the best wobble goal placement. Afterwards, the robot would drive toward the second wobble, pick it up, drop it in the appropriate zone, and park on the launch line. 6-3
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 The present generation of autonomous pathing includes complex levels of driving and implementing functions and methods. We still start on Blue Right however, we do not strafe nor do we start the robot out backwards. It drives forward, strafes to the left, and scores the three rings already placed in the robot using a LauncherOn and LauncherOff method to turn on the launcher motors and use the servo arm pusher to push the rings into the launcher. The power is measured in RPM (revolutions per minute) and currently the RPM of the launcher motors in autonomous is 1650 which we find ideal to score consistently in the high goal. After scoring the rings, the robot angles itself, using the gyroCorrection, to drop the wobble goal, and goes to pick up the second wobble goal, then finally park on the launch line.
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Engineering CNC/CAD To become more competitive, we have regularly used a CNC Machine (a Shapeoko 3XXL) and Fusion 360 (CAD) to create custom parts. These allow us to build custom designs that are not possible with the standard kits found online. We plan on continuing to grow our digital and engineering skills to make our robots more competitive for these season and future seasons. We have utilized this CNC machine for six intake brackets that hold the axles in place for the intake, a plexiglass foundation for our launcher, and side plates for our drivetrain.
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 3D Printing As mentioned in the Portfolio, we also use our CAD program, Fusion 360, to create 3D printed parts. Because of this, we have created a custom optimal launcher that uses a flywheel and a vertically moving magazine (to store the rings). The outside of this launcher is 3D printed walls that are connected to the aforementioned plexiglass foundation. These walls ensure that the rings are launched in the correct angle, so they score reliably. Along with this custom launcher, we have created more 3D parts including REV sprockets for our intake and pulleys for the drivetrain.
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Electrical Wiring A crucial part of building a successful robot is being able to actually power motors, servos, and anything else on the robot. None of this would be possible if there were no wires. Wiring the robot is a very important part of an FTC robot. On our robot we have to have wires on all of our motors, servos, REV Hubs, camera, and our battery. All of this is powered by our 12-volt battery, which we have a custom 3-D printed case to house the battery. The battery powers our REV Hubs, we have a REV expansion Hub, as well as a REV control Hub. The Control Hub allows us to connect wirelessly to our driver station without having to have a second phone actually on the robot. Both hubs, the expansion and control, are mounted on the robot and are connected together with a wire, allowing them to communicate with each other. All motors, servos, cameras, LEDs, and anything else that needs to be wires are connected to the hubs one way or another.
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 The wires are either connected directly to the REV hubs or are connected to a servo power module or an XT-30 power distribution block which those are connected to the ports on the REV Hubs. The servo power module evenly distributes power amongst servos. The servo power module is plugged in to the XT-30 power distribution block for power, and servos are plugged into one side of it, and other cables are coming out of the other side to plug into the REV Hubs.
The XT-30 power distribution block helps distribute power amongst XT-30 cables, such as the battery wire, the grounding wire, or even the servo power module. The REV Hubs are also connected to each other with an XT-30 power cable, which gives them each power. The battery is plugged into one of the slots on the one of the REV Hubs, and the XT-30 distribution block is plugged into the other slot on the other REV Hub. This allows us to plug in our grounding cable, as well as our servo power module, and anything else needing to be plugged in.
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Anything else like motors, and the cables coming out of the servo power module are plugged directly into the REV Hubs. We can determine which port they need to be plugged into by checking the configuration on the phone, and if it is not already configured, we just pick a random port that works, and configure it.
We also sometimes use encoder wires on our motors, we use these to tell the program how many rotations our motors are doing, and helps us in both auto with the drivetrain, as well as Tele-op with the launcher. These wires attach directly to the motors, and then the other side to the REV Hub, next to the corresponding motor wire. Although it sounds nice and easy, one crucial aspect of wiring a robot is wire management. Sure, if you wire the robot correctly it will be able to move and intake and launch, but wires will surely get in the way of things and sometimes become unplugged or even break altogether. Here at Batteries Not Included, we use a very scientific way to organize our wires, that is of course with zip-ties.
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Zip-ties are a very effective way to manage wire chaos and becomes easy to undo if we need to replace a wire. In order to do this, we first have to figure out where the wires can go to not get in the way of anything. Then we find a logical path for the wires to take to get to the correct place. Finally, we find good places to zip-tie the wires to. We use random screw holes, x-rails, and really anything we can get a zip tie around to help contain the wires. We also zip-tie the wires to each other sometimes to make it easier to find for instance, the motor wires on the drivetrain. The majority of the wires are stored underneath the robot, but sometimes it gets more complex on moving parts such as the wobble arm. This year we have a wobble arm on our robot that flips down in order to pick up the wobble goal. This arm is made up of a motor and a servo. The motor is hard-mounted to a horizontal GoBilda x-rail which is mounted to the robot. This means that the motor does not move location, and wiring the motor is as simple as all of the other motors. The trick however, is the servo, which is at the end of the arm that flips down. To properly wire this servo we have a servo extension cable coming from the servo power module and ziptied to the x-rail.
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 From there we plug in the servo cable to the extension cable and use electrical tape to hold it in place and to ensure that is doesn’t come unplugged during a match. This allows the servo to have just enough wire to be able to let the arm flip up and down, without having too much or too little slack in it. In order for everyone to know where everything is wired, we have printed out pictures of REV Hubs and Servo Power Modules and labeled them to make configuring the phones easier. It also helps us troubleshoot if there is a problem with one of the servos or motors. Parts used Servos: Unique devices used to help move things around on the robot. They have a cable attached to the servo, but the female end needs to be plugged in. Motors: Devices used typically on the drivetrain of a robot. They can also be used for other things such as intakes and linear lifts. Motors have a red and black wire attached as well as a port to insert an encoder wire. Sensors: Epic devices used mainly for autonomous to detect the color or distance of the object that is in front of the robot. There is a cable that you have to attach to the sensor and then to the robot. Cameras: Device used on the robot during autonomous that is more reliable than sensors to detect the amount of rings on the field. There is a USB cable attached to the camera itself and the other end needs to be plugged in. We commonly use a Logitech camera. 8-5
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 REV Expansion Hub: Essentially the “brain” of the robot, all wires on the robot eventually lead to the Expansion Hub. On the expansion Hub, there are ports for motors, servos, sensors, batteries and more. There are typically 2 Expansion Hubs per robot. REV Control Hub: Device on the robot that can take the place of a Robot Controller phone. Servo Power Module: Device used to distribute the power among servos in order to prevent power draws. There are 6 input and an output slots for servos and a positive and negative plate on top to attach a wire to give power to the module. Battery, Phone, and Power Button: A battery is used to give the robot power and the phone is used to talk to the driver station phone to receive directions on what to do. The power button either gives or does not give the robot power, depending on which way the switch is flipped. XT30 Power Distribution Block: Component that is plugged into the REV Hub in order to add additional Servo Power Modules or grounding wires. Ultra USB Hub: Super epic device used to power both the phone and the camera, as well as plug into the Expansion Hub and prevent disconnections. Encoder Wire: Encoder wires are wires that attach to both the motor and the REV Hub to tell the program how many rotations it is making. Encoders are typically only used on a few motors per robot and are usually requested by the programming team. 8-6
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Grounding Wire: Also known as a grounding strap, a grounding wire is used to conduct electricity throughout the robot. One end of the cable is plugged into the REV Hub, while the other end is screwed into part of the chassis. Servo Extension Cables: These are used to help reroute servo wires from one side of the robot to the other, they are also convenient to use on parts of the robot that move, like linear lifts and such. Anderson to JST VH Cable: Essentially a motor to REV Hub adapter, it is used to connect a motor to the motor slot on the REV Expansion Hub. Tamiya to XT30 Adapter: Adapter used to plug the battery into the power switch in order to gain power on your robot. XT30 Extension Cable: This extension cable is used to connect both REV Hubs together to let them both have power. 3-Pin JST PH Cable: Cable used to connect the two REV Hubs in order to let them talk to each other. Zip-ties: Maybe not a tool, but it will be your best friend when it comes to cable management. On Captain Hooke (our robot for last season), we had 118 zip-ties. Electrical Tape: Tape used to help support two connected wires. Ex: a servo wire to a servo extension cable. Soldering Iron: Heating device used to melt metal in order to connect two wires that have been cut. Wire Strippers: Used to strip wires to be soldered, or to strip wires to attach to the top part of a servo power module.
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 Servo Power Module
XT30 Power Distribution
Encoder Wire
Ultra USB Hub
Anderson to JST VH
XT30 Extension Servo Extension Tamiya to XT30
3-Pin JST PH Cable
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 DiagraM
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Awards 2016-2017 Won: • Motivate Award at the Qualifiers • Finalist Alliance at the Qualifiers Advanced to: Qualifiers
2017-2018 Won: • Inspire Award at the League Tournament • Winning Alliance at the League Tournament • Winning Alliance at the Championship Tournament Advanced to: Worlds
2018-2019 Nominated: • Control Award (2nd Place) at the League Championship • Design Award (2nd Place) at the League Championship • Innovate Award (2nd Place) at the League Championship Won: • Inspire Award at the League Tournament • Winning Alliance at the League Tournament • Design Award at the Championship Tournament • Winning Alliance at the Championship Tournament Advanced to: Worlds
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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED 10219 2019-2020 Won: • Design Award at the League Championship • Finalist Alliance at the League Championship • Winning Alliance at the State Championship • Collins Aerospace Innovate Award (3rd Place) at the State Championship Advanced to: Worlds
2020-2021 In Progress
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