Gravity Vehicle C

[Cheese_Muffin_Man]

Does anyone have any ideas on a braking system? I built my vehicle, but I need to incorporate a braking system, but don't know what.

[_HenryHscioly_]

this'll/should work easily as long as you use a threaded axle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJwFtkFSuJM

[Balsa Man]

I will soon be running this event at a regional tournament and I want to be sure of this. Does the 8 minute time stop when the team alerts the supervisor they are ready to do their run? Then the supervisor measures the vehicle height, the team runs the vehicle, and the supervisor measures the distance score. Then the 8 minute countdown resumes and the team is allowed to retrieve their vehicle.

The only "time out" (for supervisors) is "the time used for assessment and measurements." Time should begin when they've placed their ramp at the start area. Confirm they are ready to begin set-up. Tell them when time starts. Any aiming/alignment (e.g., going down-track, setting aiming rod to align with, bringing it back to start area) is part of the 8. Likewise, setting up vehicle on ramp ready to launch. They should tell you when it is ready for height measurement. Time stops while you do that; tell them when ready to proceed- time re-starts then. Time stops again when down--track measuring staff go in to measure distance from target point. Competitors should remain in start area until called down to get their vehicle. Time re-starts when they are told they can go down-track to get their vehicle.
Using a little sticky note, putting a corner right under the tip of the paper clip works great to capture where pointer is at stop. For them to be able to make necessary adjustments for 2nd run, they need to be able to see the location of their clip point relative to the target point (and measure both length off and left/right off distances). After they have done any measurements, the sticky note marker can be picked up.
Time continues to run while they do measuremeents, come back to start area, re-set vehicle on the ramp for 2nd run. It stops again when they are ready for height measurement, and then re-starts when measurement done, and they are free to launch run #2.

As a practical matter, for those that have a fixed (as opposed to adjustable) launch mechanism- so height remains the same, height measurement could be done at check-in, and save the hassle of stoppong/re-starting timing at each run (because the measurement is going to be the same). But if the launch height can be adjusted, measurement at each launch will be needed.

Hope this helps.

[Cheese_Muffin_Man]

this'll/should work easily as long as you use a threaded axle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJwFtkFSuJM

Thanks!

[jacobxc]

What do the rules mean by a non horizontal position?

My ramp towards the top is horizontal, but when the vehicle i laid flat out on the ramp, in the launch position it isn't completely horizontal, is that acceptable.

Also just to be clear to trigger the release of the vehicle, you must touch the release mechanism with the pencil?
Can you touch ANY part of your car/ramp/mechanism with the pencil?
In the rules it says you may not touch ANY PART but it does nto specify if you can with the pencil or not.

Yes.
Yes, as long it is before you start to count down.

[declansander]

Does anybody know how far the gravity vehicle is supposed to go before stopping?
Thanks!

[_HenryHscioly_]

distance will be announced by the event supervisor after all teams have impounded..
it'll be helpful if you read the rules a couple times

[BNBB]

distance will be told at competition, depending on what state

[BNBB]

my car keeps leaning right, how can i fix this?

[iwonder]

The easiest method would be to aim the car to the left at the start, or you could angle one of your axles to corrector for it(that's probably why it's turning, because the wheels aren't aligned).