The Field, The Tournament, Judging and Advancement - Answer Thread

[Barry]

You'll find the answers to the questions you posted about The Field, The Tournament, Judging and Advancement in this thread.

[Sheldon]

The video shows white lines radiating from the center goal. These do not appear in the manual or the field setup guide. Will there be white lines on the field? If so, how long are they measured from the center of the field.

A: The video was made early in the game design process and is incorrect. There are no white lines on the official field.

[Barry]

My team would like to nominate our team mentors, together in one submission for the Compass Award. Is this allowed?

Hello Team!

While a team may only submit one nomination, the nomination can be for a single mentor, a pair of mentors or a group of mentors. A precedent has already been set for this - in the first season that the Compass Award was presented at the World Championship, it was awarded to John and Marion Brooks - a pair of mentors who truly deserved the recognition.

Good luck with your submission!

[FTC6981]

We have been looking in all of the Field Assembly instructions, drawings, etc. and we can't find ANYWHERE the details on mounting the IR beacons for this year's challenge. They look like the same mounts as last season, but we can't find official confirmation. Could somebody please post dimensions, or instructions for the IR Beacon mounts? We actually destroyed ours from last season. We are using the NEW IR beacons as well.

Thanks!
Hortonville Robotics

[Wil Wheaton]

We have noticed that the kickstand can become locked into the cutout in the base and will not Release by driving into it. In fact, in several cases the robot has spun around facing the center goal assembly and drove up the kickstand and flipped over. On page 13 of the "Field Assembly and Setup Guide", it states (including typo) in step 4 that, "Kickstands are positioned to hold up ball tray with the bottom of the pipe sitting (type, missing language) the base cutouts." When the kickstand is centered in the base cutout it is difficult and sometimes impossible to dislodge even in Teleop mode. It seems to me that the intent of this game element especially during Autonomous mode is to be able to navigate to the kickstand and bump it out of the base and not to have to lift the kickstand out of the base once there. Could the setup instructions allow for the kickstand to be positioned on the outer edge of the base cutout or include a plate under the base to keep the kickstand from sinking into the foam floor. This, or a similar modification/clarification, would allow for a consistent "Release" of the kickstand across venues, during Autonomous mode and quicker release during Teleop.

A: There will be no modification of the setup for the Kickstand. The lower end of the Kickstand should be placed within the circular cutout in the Center Field Structure baseplate.

[Agent Angela Page]

I've notice our the bearing ball casters on the rolling goal are starting to get rusty, making it difficult to roll the goals around.

Will new bearing ball casters be used for each event?

Please see the following recommendation from AndyMark for ball casters that become rusty, as ball caters will not be replaced from event to event:

1. Remove the plastic cap holding in the steel ball by using a flat head screwdriver. Place the screwdriver in the seam between the cap and the plastic base.
2. Pry the cap away from the base until it comes loose and is removed from the base.
3. Remove the steel ball from the socket.
4. Put a small bit of light oil, such as mineral oil, on a rag.
5. Wipe the oily rag over the steel ball, applying pressure to the rusty area.
6. Rust or marks from rust may not be totally removed, but the ball should be smooth when finished.
7. Use a second rag, one that is dry, to wipe the oil from the ball
8. Place ball back into the socket
9. Reattach plastic cap

[Sheldon]

In a reply to an early post on game play there was the following statement:
"The Center Structure is bolted to a plate located beneath the tile floor."
There was another reference to the otherwise unused holes in the bottom of the center structure as being access holes for mounting the center structure.

We have tried to do our due diligence and research this mounting plate but have been unable to find any other reference to it on the AndyMark instructions or other documentation. Maybe we can't read.
Can you give some more specific information about this center mounting plate. How is it incorporated into the floor system? What is it made of? How tightly is the center structure bolted down to the plate so to keep it from rotating. Overall dimensions of the plate and what it is made out of?

Thank you for pointing us in the direction of this information.

A: References to the center pivot plate and isntructions for assembly can be found on pages 5 and 13 of the Field Assembly and Setup Guide.

[Barry]

Are teams allowed to video their judging session?

Thanks for the great question!

A student member of the team may record the Judging session only if:

The team intent is to use the recording for its value as a learning opportunity
The recording process is unobtrusive and is not disruptive
The event organizer allows this at their event

[Agent Angela Page]

We are assembling our field, and at one point in the directions it calls for the use of a standard stapler to staple one piece of plastic to another. We are discovering that the plastic involved is too thick and heavy for a stapler to penetrate -- even a heavy-duty stapler. Is drilling a hole and using a rivet an acceptable alternative?

Drilling a hole and using a rivet is an acceptable alternative, however a washer must be used to secure the rivet in place.

[Sheldon]

How far in each direction do they turn the center goal? Is it a whole 180? or just 90?

A: The total rotational movement between locations 1 and 3 is 90 degrees.