Programming for Kicker

[Tanner]

Just thinking aloud here so I can share with Max, Cat, and David.

Um, ok so the kicker right now is a few step process, but tomorrow (Sunday) we're going to try to shift into neutral and release from there. Either way, here is how the process might be.

Non-Shift:
Assuming we start from a kick we will:

• Engage sail clutch
• Start rolling up rope
• Kicker hits limit switch, motors stop
• Motor backwinds, releasing rope
• Sail clutch disengages

Shift:

• Engage sail clutch
• Engage shifter
• Start rolling up rope
• Kicker hits limit switch, motors stop
• Shifter disengages (rope may need to be released from tension)
• Sail clutch disengages

Overall, they are both kinda similar. The hard part will be getting the system to "wait" a bit before releasing anything so we don't break anything or cause no fire at all.

Um, something else I wanted to say. Oh yes! Dad suggested that we bring the system up to the limit switch, reset the encoder that will be mounted on the shifter motor. Doing that it will a) ensure that we always go to a specified point and b) allow us to goto a specified point or power at will every single time. Yeah, it will take a bit more time, but it is really the only place we can accurately goto that is dependable.

I think that is it.

-Tanner

[Sunny]

Um, something else I wanted to say. Oh yes! Dad suggested that we bring the system up to the limit switch, reset the encoder that will be mounted on the shifter motor. Doing that it will a) ensure that we always go to a specified point and b) allow us to goto a specified point or power at will every single time. Yeah, it will take a bit more time, but it is really the only place we can accurately goto that is dependable.

I think that is it.

-Tanner

Since we're trying to get variable kick, bringing the kicker back up every single time seems kinda against what we're trying to do. If you bring it up all the way to the top, there's no way to let it back down without kicking it or disengaging the "releaser" without disengaging the shifter.

- Sunny

[Tanner]

Since we're trying to get variable kick, bringing the kicker back up every single time seems kinda against what we're trying to do. If you bring it up all the way to the top, there's no way to let it back down without kicking it or disengaging the "releaser" without disengaging the shifter.

Well, there isn't really anywhere else to accurately know where the kicker is from the robots point of view. When the kicker is all the way armed, we know where the kicker is and where the tension is at. When it is in the kicked position (i.e. - after we kick a ball), we don't really know where it is or how much the rope is wound up.

It's not the best idea, but as long as I/we figure out how to keep the most of the tension off the motor at all times, we should be good.

-Tanner

[freds]

Once at full power, the encoder count is known.

The drivers have to be thinking ahead of time. If they want a less powerful kick, then they select a toggle switch or something for preset kick powers. When selected, the software, release the clutch, spools out the rope, for the needed encoder counts, energizes the clutch, despools 500msec, places in neutral.

SMOP - small amount of programming