Final Report - Claymore - Grand Valley State University

allowed the robot controller to monitor its position more accurately, decreasing the
amount of overshoot.
2.2 Performance Testing
Several tests were performed before conducting the individual in-class tests. One
of the first tests was to compare the performance of two gearboxes—the Tamiya High-
Speed Gearbox and the Tamiya High-Power Gearbox. The gearboxes were tested
by supplying each with a range of voltages and weight loads, then measuring the
resulting velocities. It was observed that the high-speed gearbox indeed had higher
velocity, but could not handle the required weight loads. However, the high-power
gearbox met our velocity requirements throughout the voltage range, and was also
capable of handling the expected weight loads.
Once a gearbox had been chosen, the robot was tested on the track. It was
observed that the robot bound with the truck and could not move. This was fixed by
enlarging the slot that the pins go through.
The barrel was tested by supplying 85 psi through a ¼” air hose. Initially, the ball
did not have enough velocity to cross the playing field. The barrel was modified by
covering the holes with electrical tape and retested. This modification gave the ball
enough velocity to cross the field and score a goal.
Several tests were performed on the program. Once the program was functioning
properly, there were still several calibration problems. The defensive program was
modified to stop the motor upon reaching the desired destination so that it did not
overshoot. The offensive program was calibrated to find desired shooting positions that
were not blocked by the opposing team’s defensive robot.
2.3 Results of Formal Tests
There were three main in-class tests of the robot’s function. For the first test, the
base of the robot was completed and the robot’s ability to move on the track was
demonstrated. For the second test, the mechanical aspects of both the offensive and
defensive robots were completed. Both robots traversed the path without binding on the
truck and the offensive robot fired a ball with sufficient velocity to score a goal. The goal
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