CalGames
Table of Contents:
Summary/Overview
Technical Report
Scouting Recap
[Photos soon.]
Summary/Overview:
Courtesy Vincent Yao
The Funky Monkeys ended up the day with a record of 6-2, ranking 5th. With alliance partners 701 (Vanden Robotics) and 2073 (EagleForce), we were able to win the quarter-finals. Unfortunately, we were eliminated by the first seed alliance (the to-be champions) in the semi-finals. We are proud of what we have been able to accomplish this year at the WRRF CalGames. Our robot was working magnificently for much of the competition, and we were easily able to fix any problems that came up. Our new drive team was able to get some experience, which will greatly help us in preparing for the 2012 season. Thanks to everyone who came out this weekend to support us!
Technical Report:
Courtesy Miles Chan
Technical Issues:
Turning:
The robot was not turning very well because it sank into the CalGames carpet much more than most competition carpet. Our drive team pulled through by shifting to low gear every time we wanted to turn, making it look pretty smooth in the process. We will adjust our center drop for our next similar drive train.
Batteries:
2010 battery is officially no good, we need to start buying batteries. While our current number (the 2011 battery and the two 2009 batteries) is fine during qualification matches, for eliminations we need at least 3 more batteries in order to make sure we have charged ones for each match.
Chain:
Immediately preceding the first qualification match of the day, the chain gremlins struck the robot. One chain run was discovered having run off the sprockets on the axles. The pit crew was unfazed by the distressing find and quickly remounted the chain. The cause was unknown, and the problem seemed to have disappeared.
They struck again after our first quarterfinals match. Fortunately, the lost chain run was not on the two dropped center wheels, so the team managed to survive its elimination rounds. The pit crew then installed a new sprocket on the chain tensioner and a new length of chain in between the quarter and semifinals matches. The root cause of the problem was a wheel that was installed with the shaft not aligned properly. As a result, the chain was able to fall off.
Other notes:
The line driving the minibot deployer unraveled once, preventing us from deploying our minibot in our final qualification match.
A few driver/field comm problems, nothing that really hindered our performance on the field.
Scouting could be made smoother, but we were still successful in producing a good tube scorer in and a minibot scorer/defender for our alliance. This was a good alliance with much depth, and there is not much we should have changed.
Awesomeness:
Our new drive team members upped their game and played well throughout qualifications and eliminations. They displayed speed and consistency, with 5 tubes per match and a minibot we could depend on to work. Vincent, Brian, Lucy, Michael, and Alric did a fine job in matches. Because we played so well throughout the competition, we were able to choose our own fate during alliance selections (detailed above).
Despite not having many technical problems today, the pit crew never became complacent, being diligent about checking the robot wiring, minibot deployer, bumper changes, and getting batteries charged. Pit crew was relaxed yet efficient amidst the rush of teams attempting to get their robots in working states. Our software team never had to change the robot code during the competition due to the long hours they put in before CalGames.
The scout team produced good data and learned a bit about its presentation and alliance selection today, which we can learn from and apply during the next competition season.
Team spirit was at an all time high. Brian even moved himself to dance YMCA.
Good day, good day. 
Scouting Recap:
Courtesy Michael Lin
During CalGames, we had a dedicated group working behind the scenes to analyze and collect data, which was critical to picking an alliance for when we were seeded. On Friday, CalGames had some technical difficulties, which prevented successful matches from being held. On Saturday, the competition went into full swing. Scouting was difficult but we endured the long hours of sitting, filing, analyzing, questioning, and collecting data on other teams.
I received a pleasant surprise of being seeded; this was a surprise because I was stuck in the gym with the scout team scouting the majority of the time and was not able to check or keep track of seeding. However, with our dedicated scouts hard work, we were able to come up with several teams (most of whom were picked before we could pick them) who would benefit our team in our final alliance. In the end we picked team 701 (a team who consistently scored three tubes), and team 2073 (capable of scoring 2 tubes, relatively fast robot, minibot).
The drive team and I were able to come up with a successful strategy for scoring, and we made it to the semi-finals where we met the power house alliance of 254 and 971. Our alliance put up a valiant fight prior to our elimination in these semi-final matches.
