Robo-Cross B

[olympiaddict]

Without igniting another of the debates about costs of robotics events - in my experience (with Robot Arm) if you plan ahead, you can build robots that are extremely successful, for far less than buying a Vex kit. I don't disagree with Mr. Anderson that it is possible to do it for $100, and I would certainly be impressed seeing the robot he mentioned. But really my point is this: many teams spend a bit more than $100, some spend far more, but a huge number (at least in Robot Arm) choose to buy a Vex kit as the option with the lowest barrier to entry conceptually, or the assumption that Vex is the cheapest option, but that is not true. My robot arm cost less than any applicable vex kit and was able to get perfect scores with time to spare, built with Hitec servos, arduino, and parts from Lowes. It's a little tougher in the very beginning not using a kit, but there are uncountable resources all over the internet to help. It will also be cheaper if you design and plan ahead, and it will have far more potential in the long run.

[UQOnyx]

Hey all,
Just to clarify, I want to state that I agree with all of these points. I just wanted to address to everyone the common costs of this event. Of course there are extremely efficient ways to construct for this event. However as a teenager with no income, it is very easy to dip into someone else's pocket (hi mom!). Many many times you will end up buying something that won't even be implemented in to the final product. I wanted to emphasize how easy this is and how important having a crystal clear endpoint in mind is. I mentioned vex simply because of how well rounded its kit was and how for those with less experience, VEX includes everything needed so you don't have to worry about buying individual servos or cables or batteries which may be daunting and confusing for new students. A large amount of money was spent last year because of my uncertainty about buying a product so I decided to buy both. However, as others stated, in the end, creative solutions were what got us the most points.

Apologies for any misspellings or any past confusion. I happen to be typing on a very tiny phone screen so I may have missed something .

Thanks!

[Robo-cross]

Now I'm almost positive that I'm getting a vex

Which vex should I get

[1nxtmonster]

While VEX certainly has the ability to perform well, it comes at a fairly high cost. I used a raspberry Pi last year in my bot which was built out of legos. All in all I spent around $200 to get the pi, motors, motor control board, and bluetooth dongle to connect to PS3 controller. The results were pretty good; I placed 3rd at states with it. It does however take some time to build a robot from 'scratch' and i would recommend starting now while you have plenty of it.

[retired1]

Personal opinion. You can get the older vex transmitter and receiver at Ebay or Amazon relatively cheap. I got 1 for $40 and another one for $50 including shipping. We have the old brain box but those are available also from time to time. They will do everything that you need for this event. The new stuff is really nice, but it does not do anything more than the old one FOR THIS EVENT. The "game boy" style transmitter is a tiny bit more comfortable but not worth the massively higher cost.

If you dig around in the Vex site there is some less capable stuff for a bit less than the top of the line. It tends to be buried, so you have to dig. There are 2 different options. One is fairly new and the other one is 2-3 years old.

At nationals last year, there were only a few new vex material, so the old is fine.
The teather type control is definitely the cheapest, but it is a bit harder to coordinate 2 people running it. Flea markets are a good source and sometimes there is a good deal on line.

[treeling]

What kind of time and scores are you guys getting?

[1nxtmonster]

So in the rules (I think) it says that you get

a 2x bonus for any object in jug on side

a 3x bonus ford any object in jug upright position

and a 2x bonus for any object who has one of itself in the other jug

So do these multiply? For example if you have a ball in one jug and a ball in the other jug (both upright) do both objects get a x6 bonus?

[Unome]

So in the rules (I think) it says that you get

a 2x bonus for any object in jug on side

a 3x bonus ford any object in jug upright position

and a 2x bonus for any object who has one of itself in the other jug

So do these multiply? For example if you have a ball in one jug and a ball in the other jug (both upright) do both objects get a x6 bonus?

Yes, I was wondering something similar when I looked at the rules. What is the maximum score anyway?

[mjcox2000]

So in the rules (I think) it says that you get

a 2x bonus for any object in jug on side

a 3x bonus ford any object in jug upright position

and a 2x bonus for any object who has one of itself in the other jug

So do these multiply? For example if you have a ball in one jug and a ball in the other jug (both upright) do both objects get a x6 bonus?

Yes, I was wondering something similar when I looked at the rules. What is the maximum score anyway?

By my calculations, 651 if the time is 0 (or 471 not counting the time bonus). Big difference from last year's 183.

[Unome]

So in the rules (I think) it says that you get

a 2x bonus for any object in jug on side

a 3x bonus ford any object in jug upright position

and a 2x bonus for any object who has one of itself in the other jug

So do these multiply? For example if you have a ball in one jug and a ball in the other jug (both upright) do both objects get a x6 bonus?

Yes, I was wondering something similar when I looked at the rules. What is the maximum score anyway?

By my calculations, 651 if the time is 0 (or 471 not counting the time bonus). Big difference from last year's 183.

Yes, it seemed very different.