Jones 2

Description:

Our robot for the 2023–2024 Crescendo event marked a major leap forward from our rookie year. After coming close to qualifying for states at our first competition, we became more ambitious. With a larger budget and more experience, we were able to experiment with advanced ideas and manage our build time more effectively.

Drive:

Building on what we learned from the previous season, we switched to a swerve drive system. This dramatically increased our robot’s speed, agility, and overall usefulness on the field, allowing for faster navigation and smoother alignment with scoring targets.

Intake:

Our intake system, located on the bottom front of the robot, was designed to collect notes (rings) from the field. It worked by driving over a note while spinning wheels guided it into the robot. Since the intake was positioned on one side, precise alignment was crucial, leaving little room for error when collecting game pieces.

Shooter:

Initially, we designed a shooter that could take notes from the intake and fire them into either the speaker or the amp, with adjustable angles for accuracy. However, due to mechanical and programming challenges, this design was replaced before our second competition. The updated shooter was integrated directly into the robot’s frame, which limited us to scoring only when positioned against the speaker—but in return, it provided excellent precision and consistency.

Climber:

After qualifying for states, we decided—almost at the last minute—to add a climbing mechanism that allowed our robot to attach to the stage chains and earn extra points. This addition proved to be a great success and helped us score significantly higher during matches.

Challenges & Lessons Learned:

While the robot performed very well overall, our original shooter design had to be scrapped because we couldn’t get the motors properly tuned for consistent aim. We also encountered issues with field-oriented control, which we resolved by adding a button command to reset the gyro mid-match. Additionally, our robot cart broke midway through one competition, forcing us to improvise and secure a replacement on the spot. Despite these obstacles, the season taught us valuable lessons about reliability, iteration, and creative problem-solving.