2023

Dual pneumatic piston transmission system that allows shifting between two drive modes. Each side of the robot's chassis and drivetrain is attached to a Delrin gearbox with a motor-powered 36-tooth gear that interfaces with two shifting 12-tooth pinion gears—one above and one below. These pistons shift in and out in counter-unison, putting the robot into a state where the two motors are either connected to the drivetrain (for an 8-motor drive) or to the ratchet-catapult-intake system. The teeth on the gears are chamfered so they can easily slip into each other and mesh properly.

This system used a motor-sharing setup powered by two motors from the transmission to handle both scoring and collection. A compound gear ratio with a slip gear allowed the motors to wind back a rubber band–powered catapult. As the motors spun in one direction, the slip gear pulled the catapult arm back until it hit a limit switch, which held it in a ready-to-fire position. Once the gear teeth slipped, the elastic energy was released, launching the discs. A ratchet system prevented the catapult from firing early and locked it in place when spinning the other direction. Another ratchet system allowed the motors to spin in the opposite direction, slip, and not power the catapult but instead power the intake.

The same shaft that pulled back the catapult was connected by chain to the intake, creating a unified system. The intake used a 600 RPM roller with soft 60A durometer flex wheels to collect discs and funnel them into the catapult bed. The first stage of the intake is on a pivot to maintain constant contact with the disc as it is pushed up into the catapult bed.