This video requires the latest version of Quicktime 7.
To download click here.
It's Crunch Time! It's getting extremely close to the day we ship the robot. Today, we started work at 6:00 pm today due to a VEX Tournament at Kahala Mall and District History Day held at Mililani High School. Most of the students were gone, but some came to work a little earlier, getting a head start on their work. The construction team continued to eliminate some weight by cutting off the entire top of the robot and made holes where the bumpers are attached. After that, students grinded the rough spots to make it smooth. Weighing the robot after the changes were made, they found out that the weight decreased by 14 pounds! What a huge accomplishment! Now it was time to finalize the lift mechanism that will enable the robot to climb up the tower above the platform. To do so, they attached the arm and winch to the robot. But before they could test the robot, the programming team had to assemble the necessary wires. Now it was time to test to see if the third design worked. To everyone's surprise, the robot was able to lift itself up without any help. Astonished, they gathered around and watched as the robot performed the task several more times. Now, the programming team is mounting all of the electronics onto its right positions on the board. What a relief! The third design is working well; we cut down the weight, and are in the process of completing the wiring.
Day two of Crunch Time and there are still things that need to be completed. We are all hopeful that everything will be done by Monday. Mentors Ms. Souza and Ms. Hirota packed the leis, buttons, and lanyards which we will bring on our trips to the Mainland for competition. For the graphics team, they continued to work on the banner design by collecting pictures. They were able to finish the design and printed it; one less task that needs to be completed before the trip. Wesley Carillo and his team were able to finish the scouting list and printed copies. As for the video team, they continued to work with Mr. Kois on the Chairman’s Award Video. Mr. Kois finalized the script and voiceovers with Mr. Lee and retrieved photos from the photographers. While Mr. Kois fulfilled his part, the students filmed footage throughout the day and interviewed the seniors and freshmen on the team which will be used in the video. In the meantime, the programming and construction team had a very busy day. To inventory the robot, Juniors Chadwick Ulep and Kortney Pao obtained information from the programming and construction team. They needed to list all the parts of the robot, including the electronics.
With the game bonus design completed, the construction team attached the arm onto the robot and added a bungee cord to the arm so that it’ll be controlled while the robot climbs the tower. They also prepared all the tools to be shipped in the crate. While they were busy with that, the programming team labeled all of the parts on the robot. This needs to be done before they remove the electronics board to powdercoat the robot. The programming team also managed to hook up the wires for the arm which enable it to work. Before taking a break for dinner, they test drove the robot to make sure that everything was working properly. Unfortunately, the piston that releases the arm did not work. So they worked on it and were able to fix the problem. Everything is working very well. Now they are in the process of working on the autonomous program. They also weighed the robot. The weight came out to 117 pounds, but now the team is deliberating on what material they will use to cover the robot so that the ball will not go inside. They are hoping that the material used will not make the robot go over the weight limit. There is only one more day left before the robot gets shipped and the team hopes that we will finish
It's the last day to get everything ready before our robot is shipped off, and there is a lot of work left to do. Fortunately, with the supporting help of our mentors, our team should be ready. Our construction, graphics, programming, and documentation team has worked throughout Sunday night. The programming team had to remove the electronics board after installing them so that our robot could be powdercoated. This took a lot of careful work and time, but once it was all removed, the process of powdercoating did not take too long. It gave our robot a good, clean, and shiny red finish with a black coat for our pneumatic kicker. The construction team was in charge of the powdercoating, while documentation and graphics got to work recording all the progress we made throughout the night. They also assisted the construction team by polishing all the parts for the robot. Team 359 literally worked all through the night to the next morning, having to go home to shower and then head off to school. However, with a turn out we got from the students, it was worth it.
After school, the electronics team got busy working on putting the robot and electronics board back together and programmed the robot so it would be ready for our drivers to become very familiar with the controls. This is it, our last day and our whole team is tired and wiped out but we all know that when it comes down to it, we just have to get it done. So we gathered up our strength and eagerly prepared the robot for its shipping. We packed the crate and got all our tools ready. All our members are excited for the trips and competition that are only a week away. This last week had been tough and tiresome, but our robot performance will be successful and proved that our team has put all our effort into not only the robot, but all the aspects that go into play for numerous awards we aspire to win.
Today, Poi Pounder X got shipped off to the mainland for competition! Last night, a handful of construction, documentation and programming students stayed up all night and into the morning the next day, packing the crate and making sure the robot was secure before it was to be shipped off. Later that day during lunchtime, FedEx came to pick up the crate. Members from the documentation, graphics, construction and video team stayed to document this big event and were happy to be able to be in the final photo of build season with our pride and joy. Because Mr. Lee was not at school today, mentors Mrs. Pescaia and Mr. Matsunaga supervised, making sure that the crate was handled safely for its long journey to the mainland. All the students and mentors have high hopes for this year and with the trips only a week away, everyone is excited to see how everything turns out. Go Team 359!
