| | | | | In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Chris Magno writes:
> http://www.teamdelta.com/roboglad/vconv.htm
>
> funnily enough, if you type lego sparky in google it is the FIRST hit.
>
> :)
>
> DO NOT modify your battery box or you WILL be disqualified!!!
>
>
> --
> Chris
So once again, I'm going to reiterate that Rob is a genius
http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/~stehlik/images/robots/projX/series.jpg
Go looking in your own back yard before you go looking elsewhere when you
want to find something.
It looks as if it's modified from the 18 volt converter that Chirs has in
the link above, but Rob uses a wire connector instead of the bottom
baseplate in the original. I can see most of it but I don't know what Rob's
doing for the other end of the wire connector--it's hidden by plates!
Rob, if you read this anytime soon and want to give me some pointers, I'd
appreciate it before I go blowing up batteries and motors ;)
Dave K
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, David Koudys writes:
<snip>
> Dave K
Arrrhgghhhhh!!! My FTP server isn't working and I'm stuck at work!!!!
Grrr!!!!!!
I have absolutely *huge* news and I can't upload pics!!!!
So when I get home tonite, I upload then...
http://sparky.i989.net/mmisc.htm
In the meantime, let me endeavour to try an explanation
!!!Standard disclaimer!!!
I am not responsible for *any* damage incurred to you, your person, persons
around you, the dog next door, or any of your LEGO elements. If you try
this, you do so at your own risk.
That said, here we go:
For clarity, let's use compass directions N, E, S, W.
First get a 2x6 brick or plate, doesn't matter and make sure it lies across
the E-W line.
West East
X X X X X X
X X X X X X
Then take a standard LEGO wire, connect one plate to east end of the 2x6,
with the wire out on the West side.
X X X X O O
===
X X X X O O
Connect the other end of the LEGO wire to the West side of the 2x6, making
sure the wire out is on the West side.
O O X X O O
=== ===
O O X X O O
You should see a 2x2 space between the two electrical plates, with the wire
from the east plate in there, but no worries about that.
There, that's the hard part
Get another wire--this will connect to battery box #1
Connect the battery box wire to the East electrical plate, but only on the
western studs, making sure that the wire out is facing North.
I
I
O O X BIB O
===
O O X B B O
Yet another wire enters the picture. This will connect to battery box #2
Connect the second battery box wire to the West electrical plate, but only
on the eastern studs, making sure that the wire out is facing North.
I I
I I
O bIb BIB O
===
O b b B B O
The last wire, are you ready for it? is the 18 volt out wire and goes right
on top, dead center, with the wire facing either east or west, matters not.
I I
I I
O bIP PIB O
=== ===
O b P P B O
When all is said and done, you should have yourself a nifty looking pyramid
of electrical plates and wires hanging out where they will.
9v in 9v in
I I
I I
O bIP PIB O
=== ======== 18 v out
O b P P B O
As you may have noticed, the 2x6 brick or plate is only for building on--you
don't really need it, but it helps to have a foundation upon which to build.
If you are like me, your battery box wire connector is usually connected so
that the wire goes straight out, as in directly away from the push buttons.
If this is the case, then the battery box switches on both boxes should be
turned on the same way--i.e. both switches pressed on the left side, or both
switches pressed on the right side. If you're worried, get yourself a
little voltmeter from Radioshack and check the voltages.
For non ascii pictures of this mess, see my website later tonite
Oh one more thing--I have no idea if someone else has done this--I was so
thrilled when I reduced the 18v converter to this--but if someone else has
already done this, nicely done!
Dave K.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| David Koudys wrote:
>
> In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, David Koudys writes:
<snip>
> As you may have noticed, the 2x6 brick or plate is only for building on--you
> don't really need it, but it helps to have a foundation upon which to build.
>
> If you are like me, your battery box wire connector is usually connected so
> that the wire goes straight out, as in directly away from the push buttons.
> If this is the case, then the battery box switches on both boxes should be
> turned on the same way--i.e. both switches pressed on the left side, or both
> switches pressed on the right side. If you're worried, get yourself a
> little voltmeter from Radioshack and check the voltages.
>
> For non ascii pictures of this mess, see my website later tonite
>
> Oh one more thing--I have no idea if someone else has done this--I was so
> thrilled when I reduced the 18v converter to this--but if someone else has
> already done this, nicely done!
>
> Dave K.
And, of course, I'd observe that if you build two of these, you can use
them both as inputs to a 36v system, etc.
Basically, if you have N battery boxes, and 3N+1 wires, you can go as
far as you like with this. Until the wires melt.
But hey! I just thought of something:
If you use the smaller 9v boxes you can do this:
Put them nose to nose. I've arbitrarily assigned + and -, but they will
be opposite because of the geometry:
_______________________________
|. . . . . . . .|. . . . . . . .|
| | |
+|H . b b b b b b|B B B B B B . H|-
| | |
-|H . b b b b b b|B B B B B B . H|+
| | |
|. . . . . . . .|. . . . . . . .|
---------------------------------
Add a single wire which loops back on itself like this. Note that on
the left-hand battery box it overlaps two non-conductive studs. If you
fail to do this, it shorts. The other end doesn't matter so much, so
long as you get the orientation right.
A
___I___________________________
|. .I. . . . . .|. . . . . . . .|
| I | |
+|H OIO b b b b b|B B O O B B . H|-
| | ============A
-|H O O b b b b b|B B O O B B . H|+
| | |
|. . . . . . . .|. . . . . . . .|
---------------------------------
Add the 18v output wire spanning the two boxes:
A 18v
___I___________I_______________
|. .I. . . . . .I. . . . . . . .|
| I I |
+|H OIO b b b b oIo B O O B B . H|-
| ============A
-|H O O b b b b o o B O O B B . H|+
| | |
|. . . . . . . .|. . . . . . . .|
---------------------------------
Or, alternatively... use a 2x4 electrical plate like this:
A
___I___________________________
|. .I. . . . .|o o|. . . . . . .|
| I | | |
+|H OIO b b b b|o o|B O O B B . H|-
| | | ============A
-|H O O b b b b|o o|B O O B B . H|+
| | | |
|. . . . . . .|o o|. . . . . . .|
---------------------------------
And then you can do exactly the same trick to merge 4 boxes... but you
can't do 8 as easily.
If you need more than 36v, of course, use Dave's method.
Wires required: For 2 boxes: 2, For 4 boxes: 3 + 2 plates. And you
can't accidentally turn the box on the wrong way.
CAVEAT: This was sketched on paper. Check your work. Or don't do this
at all. I *think* it ought to work, but I haven't built it....
Jeff E
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Uploaded
Have a boo here:
http://sparky.i989.net/mmisc.htm
18 volts! :)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| > In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Chris Magno writes:
> > DO NOT modify your battery box or you WILL be disqualified!!!
I can't resist... Chris, if your rtl 13 robot makes no attempt at climbing
the box, then you WILL be disqualified!!!
> In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, David Koudys writes:
> http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/~stehlik/images/robots/projX/series.jpg
> It looks as if it's modified from the 18 volt converter that Chirs has in
> the link above, but Rob uses a wire connector instead of the bottom
> baseplate in the original. I can see most of it but I don't know what Rob's
> doing for the other end of the wire connector--it's hidden by plates!
Yeah. I started with the 18 volt converter posted on the web and modified
it. I was using my 1x2 electric plates elsewhere, so I had to improvise. It
turned out that using a short wire worked well because the connectors are 2
plates tall to begin with. The wire then replaced the 2x8 electric plate on
the bottom of my converter. And the magical 18v output went straight to the
polarity switch with a 2x4 electric plate. Other than that, I think my
converter is pretty much the same as the one on that website.
> Rob, if you read this anytime soon and want to give me some pointers, I'd
> appreciate it before I go blowing up batteries and motors ;)
Well, you could play it safe and use some weak batteries in your 'booster'
pack. I ran my compressor at about 11-12 V this way. It was enough to make
the motors sing, but nothing too excessive :)
I guess this info is redundant now that you discovered a simpler way to make
the connection. I thought the converter could be simplified when building
it, but I didn't bother trying. I was too busy tweaking my project X robot
at the time.
I'm glad you are playing with pneumatics again :) They are a lot of fun, but
aren't well suited to mobile robots because of all the subsystems required.
If you are looking for good compressor, I highly recommend Jennifer Clark's
design which I have a link to on my eXpedite page. The best thing about it
is that its direct drive (no gears). The configuration is the same as Ralph
Hempel's compressor that offers the best performance acording to Mr. C.S
Soh's tests.
So you've got me curious. Are the pneumatics for rtl 13? I really like the
concept of the game. At first I had no idea how my robot was going to climb
the box. After some more thought, I know exactly how I'm going to do it, and
I even have a name for the robot! Hopefully I can get started over
Christmas. But my firefighting robot may take priority.
Rob
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Rob Stehlik writes:
> > In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Chris Magno writes:
>
> > > DO NOT modify your battery box or you WILL be disqualified!!!
>
> I can't resist... Chris, if your rtl 13 robot makes no attempt at climbing
> the box, then you WILL be disqualified!!!
Resistance is futile! Build a fully functioning 'bot or no banter from you!
One year!!
> > In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, David Koudys writes:
>
> > http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/~stehlik/images/robots/projX/series.jpg
>
> > It looks as if it's modified from the 18 volt converter that Chirs has in
> > the link above, but Rob uses a wire connector instead of the bottom
> > baseplate in the original. I can see most of it but I don't know what Rob's
> > doing for the other end of the wire connector--it's hidden by plates!
>
> Yeah. I started with the 18 volt converter posted on the web and modified
> it. I was using my 1x2 electric plates elsewhere, so I had to improvise. It
> turned out that using a short wire worked well because the connectors are 2
> plates tall to begin with. The wire then replaced the 2x8 electric plate on
> the bottom of my converter. And the magical 18v output went straight to the
> polarity switch with a 2x4 electric plate. Other than that, I think my
> converter is pretty much the same as the one on that website.
>
> > Rob, if you read this anytime soon and want to give me some pointers, I'd
> > appreciate it before I go blowing up batteries and motors ;)
>
> Well, you could play it safe and use some weak batteries in your 'booster'
> pack. I ran my compressor at about 11-12 V this way. It was enough to make
> the motors sing, but nothing too excessive :)
> I guess this info is redundant now that you discovered a simpler way to make
> the connection. I thought the converter could be simplified when building
> it, but I didn't bother trying. I was too busy tweaking my project X robot
> at the time.
Yeah, the innspration hit--first I got the converter down to one 2x4
electrical plate with the 3 wires (2 for battery boxes, one that loops
across the bottom) but then I noticed that hte electrical plate was
redundant and could be removed. The good bit about the 2x4 velectrical
plate is that the 2 battery box wires and the 18 volt out wire can be placed
in a row
I I I
I I I
O bIb PIP BIB O
===
O b b P P B B O
the 2x4 electric plate goes under half of the b's and under half of the B's,
and the P sits right in the middle, whilst the jumper 'cable' is connected
to the bottom of the battery wires in the same fashion as in my previous
diagram. In this situation, the b, P, B are completely interchangeable,
i.e. it doesn't matter which wire goes to the out and which 2 go to the
battery boxes, though you have to be careful which way you switch on the
battery boxes.
> I'm glad you are playing with pneumatics again :) They are a lot of fun, but
> aren't well suited to mobile robots because of all the subsystems required.
Oh wait for it, just wait for it :) (if 'it' indeed, works ;) )
> If you are looking for good compressor, I highly recommend Jennifer Clark's
> design which I have a link to on my eXpedite page. The best thing about it
> is that its direct drive (no gears). The configuration is the same as Ralph
> Hempel's compressor that offers the best performance acording to Mr. C.S
> Soh's tests.
On it--snivved directly from your eXpediate 'bot and elsewhere--two motors,
4 mini-pumps on cams and a pressure off switch--verry nice. Yeah, I'll have
to thank alotta folks if this does work.
The pump switching mechanism is taken from a close scrutiny of your switches
from eXpediate--was tough seeing thru all that black but I managed and now
have the switching set up.
Here's a quesiton--I notice that the pnu switches have the connector on 'em
and that this connector also hits the touch sensor. What I notice after a
while is that the connector 'migrates' up the pnu valve and no longer closes
the touch sensor--did this happen to you?
As well, did you let the motor run the valve past the touch sensor so it
that it then detect the other touch sensor on the other side? Were your
valves always eitehr to the left or right or were there times when you
wanted them centered? I find that to get the pnu switch off the touch
sensor brings it very close to opening the valve one way or the other.
Anyway, ideas 'n stuff.
> So you've got me curious. Are the pneumatics for rtl 13? I really like the
> concept of the game. At first I had no idea how my robot was going to climb
> the box. After some more thought, I know exactly how I'm going to do it, and
> I even have a name for the robot! Hopefully I can get started over
> Christmas. But my firefighting robot may take priority.
> Rob
This is just me goofing around. My artl13 'bot is a plan in my head.
Actually I have two possible ways of completing the task so we shall see
what transpires. I just may end up building both to see if I can get each
idea working. Maybe I'll get pics up when I start building.
Thanks again for the inspration and help, Rob!
Dave K
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, David Koudys writes:
> Yeah, the innspration hit--first I got the converter down to one 2x4
> electrical plate with the 3 wires (2 for battery boxes, one that loops
> across the bottom) but then I noticed that hte electrical plate was
> redundant and could be removed. The good bit about the 2x4 velectrical
> plate is that the 2 battery box wires and the 18 volt out wire can be placed
> in a row
>
> I I I
> I I I
> O bIb PIP BIB O
> ===
> O b b P P B B O
I look forward to seeing the pictures. I have never understood ASCII art :)
> In this situation, the b, P, B are completely interchangeable,
> i.e. it doesn't matter which wire goes to the out and which 2 go to the
> battery boxes, though you have to be careful which way you switch on the
> battery boxes.
Sounds like a definite improvement! I found that if the battery boxes are
switched on the wrong way, there is no harm done, but instead of 18v you get
almost 0v since they 'cancel' eachother. I switched my battery boxes on the
wrong way by accident many times. Thats why I ended up putting those red
1x1's on them :)
> Oh wait for it, just wait for it :) (if 'it' indeed, works ;) )
Looking forward to 'it' :)
> On it--snivved directly from your eXpediate 'bot and elsewhere--two motors,
> 4 mini-pumps on cams and a pressure off switch--verry nice. Yeah, I'll have
> to thank alotta folks if this does work.
Well, Not much of my pneumatic systems were entirely my own work either :)
The only things I can claim to be my own are the valve switching unit and
the red single acting cylinder with spring return.
> The pump switching mechanism is taken from a close scrutiny of your switches
> from eXpediate--was tough seeing thru all that black but I managed and now
> have the switching set up.
Good. Sorry about the black, but it makes up nearly 80% of my parts. I want
to expand my 'pallette', but its not simple. Eventually I will make an Ldraw
model of the valve switcher.
> Here's a quesiton--I notice that the pnu switches have the connector on 'em
> and that this connector also hits the touch sensor. What I notice after a
> while is that the connector 'migrates' up the pnu valve and no longer closes
> the touch sensor--did this happen to you?
Yeah, I had forgotten about that. I just went through a bunch of those parts
until I found a couple that fit tight enough. I think the black ones worked
better. If in need of a really tight conection, you could try this all Lego
hack: Cut some really thin slivers of pneumatic tubing, and place them in
one or more of the 'spaces' around the axle when shoving the connector on. I
did this on the lift arm of eXpedite to fix the two axles used as guides.
They had been sliding out, but after this treatment, they wouldn't budge!
> As well, did you let the motor run the valve past the touch sensor so it
> that it then detect the other touch sensor on the other side? Were your
> valves always eitehr to the left or right or were there times when you
> wanted them centered? I find that to get the pnu switch off the touch
> sensor brings it very close to opening the valve one way or the other.
I never stopped the valve in its center position. The touch sensor was used
as a reference point halfway through the stroke. The code went something
like this:
OnFwd(pneu_motor);
until(pneu_sensor == 1);
Wait(switch_time);
Off(pneumotor);
Since the valves are operated via cranks, this code works for both opening
and closing a given valve. To control the other one, just reverse the motor.
Another reason I had the touch sensors in the middle was so I could hook up
a light sensor on the same port.
> Thanks again for the inspration and help, Rob!
No Problem!
Rob
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Rob Stehlik writes:
<snip>
> I never stopped the valve in its center position. The touch sensor was used
> as a reference point halfway through the stroke. The code went something
> like this:
> OnFwd(pneu_motor);
> until(pneu_sensor == 1);
> Wait(switch_time);
> Off(pneumotor);
> Since the valves are operated via cranks, this code works for both opening
> and closing a given valve. To control the other one, just reverse the motor.
> Another reason I had the touch sensors in the middle was so I could hook up
> a light sensor on the same port.
>
> > Thanks again for the inspration and help, Rob!
>
> No Problem!
> Rob
Hey Rob,
Since the old Technic 24t gear has full rotation off the differential,
And since the valve can be pushed back and forth by said technic gear,
And since the touch sensor is dead center of the valve stroke,
How did the program know which way the valve was going to be thrown by the
gear? I mean, how did the program know if the valve was going to be pulled
to the left or pushed to the right?
Or did you just set up the valve at the beginning the same way every time
and the program took it from there?
Just wondering.
Dave K
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > > > DO NOT modify your battery box or you WILL be disqualified!!!
>
> I can't resist... Chris, if your rtl 13 robot makes no attempt at climbing
> the box, then you WILL be disqualified!!!
>
>
:)
see, now this bring up an interesting point.... is it worse to show up
with a crap robot, OR to show up with nothing at all???
:)
I really have to figure out how to post from my work e-mail.
Chris
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | "Chris Magno" <cmagno@rogers.com> wrote in message
news:3DE6FA39.E6971E0D@rogers.com...
> see, now this bring up an interesting point.... is it worse to show up
> with a crap robot, OR to show up with nothing at all???
>
> :)
To show up with nothing - I've done that so many times now, and I feel bad.
I try to build something and it starts to go dodgy and I get discouraged and
stop.
I can't recall, and I've looked around a bit; is there a rules page up yet
for this "Climb the Mountain" contest?
Iain
PS - Thanks guys for the help about the MLCAD stuff. It's a great program!
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Iain Hendry writes:
> > see, now this bring up an interesting point.... is it worse to show up
> > with a crap robot, OR to show up with nothing at all???
> >
> > :)
> To show up with nothing - I've done that so many times now, and I feel bad.
> I try to build something and it starts to go dodgy and I get discouraged and
> stop.
Shoot. That came out all wrong - I meant to say, it's much better to come
with something crappy that doesn't quite function, rather than nothing. I
meant to indicate that I, myself, have a bad habit of not even bringing what
I had partially working.
Things started out so fun for the bridge-crossing contest (was that 11?), I
had this really awesome design that, after seeing how the contest went, I'm
sure would have been the fastest robot without question (provided it'd hit
the flag - and it was quite accurate, what I had done, so I don't think that
would have been a problem). But I couldn't figure out how to nicely lift up
the flag, or do it elegantly, and I got discouraged and stopped.
I gotta stop doing that.
Iain
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Iain Hendry writes:
> In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Iain Hendry writes:
>
> > > see, now this bring up an interesting point.... is it worse to show up
> > > with a crap robot, OR to show up with nothing at all???
> > >
> > > :)
>
> > To show up with nothing - I've done that so many times now, and I feel bad.
> > I try to build something and it starts to go dodgy and I get discouraged and
> > stop.
>
> Shoot. That came out all wrong - I meant to say, it's much better to come
> with something crappy that doesn't quite function, rather than nothing. I
> meant to indicate that I, myself, have a bad habit of not even bringing what
> I had partially working.
>
> Things started out so fun for the bridge-crossing contest (was that 11?), I
> had this really awesome design that, after seeing how the contest went, I'm
> sure would have been the fastest robot without question (provided it'd hit
> the flag - and it was quite accurate, what I had done, so I don't think that
> would have been a problem). But I couldn't figure out how to nicely lift up
> the flag, or do it elegantly, and I got discouraged and stopped.
>
> I gotta stop doing that.
>
> Iain
Yes, lest we forget the best 'bot at rtl10...
Tiji!!!!!!
I am still very impresed by that 'bot!
Bring what ya got! Especially you, Iain!
Dave K.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, David Koudys writes:
> Yes, lest we forget the best 'bot at rtl10...
>
> Tiji!!!!!!
It was actually Tijs, and it was far from being the best robot at rtl10!
(Tijs Verwest (say: tee-ESSE) is DJ Tiesto, he's one of my favourite. Comes
up with the kind of stuff I really enjoy listening to. Best name the next
robot Ferry*? I was thinking "Cimb" (say: SIM) because I misspelled "climb"
in an earlier post, and thought it looked like an interesting word.)
> I am still very impresed by that 'bot!
I'm more impressed with the real thing. It's incredible to see the
stiffness at the tool plate maintained through those long parallel linkages!
Iain
* - Ferry Corsten. Another Dutch trance artist with a similar flavour. The
best trance comes from the Netherlands. Oh, how funny, because so do the
best flat rides (Mondial BV).
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > I can't recall, and I've looked around a bit; is there a rules page up yet
> for this "Climb the Mountain" contest?
>
> Iain
NO, our web designer is getting lax with the advent of his new job
posting.... We really have to whip him back into shape.
how hard can a rules page be?? he just recycles the old pages and
changes the dates and 3 lines that explain the new game.
> PS - Thanks guys for the help about the MLCAD stuff. It's a great program!
>
>
HEY, speaking of MLCAD, is there a button or feature that snaps the
bricks to a real "click" when i first tried the program a long time
ago, it was possible to build something on screen that would not work in
the real world..... this discouraged me. I was looking for some kind
of "snap too" feature, or whatever it might be called. something that
would only allow me to click a brick in a way that it can only go in the
real world??
Chris
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Chris Magno writes:
> > I can't recall, and I've looked around a bit; is there a rules page up yet
> > for this "Climb the Mountain" contest?
> NO, our web designer is getting lax with the advent of his new job
> posting.... We really have to whip him back into shape.
> how hard can a rules page be?? he just recycles the old pages and
> changes the dates and 3 lines that explain the new game.
Hard enough. Now shut up:
http://peach.mie.utoronto.ca/events/lego/lego-030003-rules.html
Go and look at the rules. A better question: Have you talked to the guy at
Lillian?
Calum
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > Hard enough. Now shut up:
>
> http://peach.mie.utoronto.ca/events/lego/lego-030003-rules.html
>
> Go and look at the rules. A better question: Have you talked to the guy at
> Lillian?
>
> Calum
wow, working for Ma bell has made you Mean!
first, it was settled that it would be march 15, 2003 game play starts
at 2 pm
second.. what do I need to talk to the guy about??
--
Chris
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Chris...Hes just emphasizing the idea that rtlToronto is NOT the
friendliest place on the net. If thats what youre looking for...go
somewhere else (you know, I read that over it sounds a little
mean-spirited...I'll add a happy face then everything will be okay) :)
Bruce
In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Chris Magno writes:
> wow, working for Ma bell has made you Mean!
> Chris
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | "Bruce Sheridan" <bruce.sheridan@cogeco.ca> wrote in message
news:H6Iup7.HJ3@lugnet.com...
> > wow, working for Ma bell has made you Mean!
> > Chris
> Chris...He's just emphasizing the idea that rtlToronto is NOT the
> friendliest place on the net. If that's what you're looking for...go
> somewhere else (you know, I read that over it sounds a little
> mean-spirited...I'll add a happy face then everything will be okay) :)
Like alt.cuddle.
Iain
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | I thought that was a joke, but, I searched it just to be sure. Where the
heck do you find these things?? Actually, I don't think I want an
answer to that. Suffice to say, I will not be reading alt.cuddle.
Bruce
In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Iain Hendry writes:
> "Bruce Sheridan" <bruce.sheridan@cogeco.ca> wrote in message
> news:H6Iup7.HJ3@lugnet.com...
>
> > > wow, working for Ma bell has made you Mean!
> > > Chris
>
> > Chris...He's just emphasizing the idea that rtlToronto is NOT the
> > friendliest place on the net. If that's what you're looking for...go
> > somewhere else (you know, I read that over it sounds a little
> > mean-spirited...I'll add a happy face then everything will be okay) :)
>
> Like alt.cuddle.
>
> Iain
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (between Bruce and Iain, this was said)
-----------
rtlToronto is NOT the friendliest place on the net.
If that's what you're looking for...go somewhere else
Like alt.cuddle.
-----------------
ya know, I think we have the making of a new motto.
I'll goad Calum into doing an amazing logo, and we can iron it on to our
T-shirts.
Everybody say it with me:
rtlToronto is NOT the friendliest place on the net.
one more time
rtlToronto is NOT the friendliest place on the net.
NOW, we can get away with swearing and being rude in this lug. with out
fear of reprisals. (MAN is this gonna start a discussions)
;)
(like Bruce said, if I put the wink-y face it makes it all better)
Chris
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Now, thats a shirt I'd like to have! Do it Calum...I'll take two. I wonder
how our audiences will respond
probably just the way youd like Chris.
Bruce
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | "Bruce Sheridan" <bruce.sheridan@cogeco.ca> wrote in message
news:H6IvqL.M08@lugnet.com...
> I thought that was a joke, but, I searched it just to be sure. Where the
> heck do you find these things?? Actually, I don't think I want an
> answer to that. Suffice to say, I will not be reading alt.cuddle.
> Bruce
http://www.compusmart.ab.ca/bcp/acfaq.htm
Come on. How can you resist?
"Thirdly, be sure what time you are meeting, and have some means of IDing
the other person. Wear red carnations in your lapel, or have a
Winnie-The-Pooh badge on. Better still, you _could_ email .GIFs of
yourselves to each other. [If you need help with this, contact me for
advice]"
"FOTBBCALTM : Falls Off The Bed Because Cuddling And Laughing Too Much"
M-hm.
Iain
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Iain...what are you doing to me...I found myself reading a bit of that.
Now I need to buy one of those programs that kills-off the history of where
you've been on the internet. I assume you use yours very frequently!
Bruce
In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Iain Hendry writes:
> Come on. How can you resist?
>
> "Thirdly, be sure what time you are meeting, and have some means of IDing
> the other person. Wear red carnations in your lapel, or have a
> Winnie-The-Pooh badge on. Better still, you _could_ email .GIFs of
> yourselves to each other. [If you need help with this, contact me for
> advice]"
>
> "FOTBBCALTM : Falls Off The Bed Because Cuddling And Laughing Too Much"
>
> M-hm.
>
> Iain
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | "Bruce Sheridan" <bruce.sheridan@cogeco.ca> wrote in message
news:H6IzEE.9BA@lugnet.com...
> Iain...what are you doing to me...I found myself reading a bit of that.
> Now I need to buy one of those programs that kills-off the history of where
> you've been on the internet. I assume you use yours very frequently!
Believe it or not, I just pulled alt.cuddle out of my... well, you know.
I'm as surprised as you are that it exists. Wow. I didn't search for it
until you mentioned that you had!
Kind of makes you wonder what else is out there, just when you thought you'd
seen it all.
Iain
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Chris Magno writes:
> > > > DO NOT modify your battery box or you WILL be disqualified!!!
> >
> > I can't resist... Chris, if your rtl 13 robot makes no attempt at climbing
> > the box, then you WILL be disqualified!!!
> >
> >
>
> :)
>
> see, now this bring up an interesting point.... is it worse to show up
> with a crap robot, OR to show up with nothing at all???
As much as I love to take shots at anyone who shows up with a crappy robot,
I can honestly say it's always more fun when more robots show up.
Steve
"It's better to have tried and failed, than never to have tried at all."
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Steve Hassenplug writes:
> In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Chris Magno writes:
> > > > > DO NOT modify your battery box or you WILL be disqualified!!!
> > >
> > > I can't resist... Chris, if your rtl 13 robot makes no attempt at climbing
> > > the box, then you WILL be disqualified!!!
> > >
> > >
> >
> > :)
> >
> > see, now this bring up an interesting point.... is it worse to show up
> > with a crap robot, OR to show up with nothing at all???
>
> As much as I love to take shots at anyone who shows up with a crappy robot,
> I can honestly say it's always more fun when more robots show up.
>
> Steve
> "It's better to have tried and failed, than never to have tried at all."
So now I agree with Steve...
I want Iain to show up, even if he doesn't have a working 'bot.
I want Rob to be there 'cause what he does always impresses me.
I want to mock Chris, and I want Chris to mock me, so yes, Chris, I guess
you can show up with a non-functioning 'bot and be subject to much mocking,
though you probably would have gotten a good night's sleep thie night before...
Dave K
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Chris Magno writes:
> > see, now this bring up an interesting point.... is it worse to show up
> > with a crap robot, OR to show up with nothing at all???
> In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Steve Hassenplug writes:
> "It's better to have tried and failed, than never to have tried at all."
I agree with Steve. But, the emphasis should be on trying. If someone sets
out right from the start to build a crap robot that doesn't even attempt to
solve the problem at hand, then I would rather they just leave it at home.
But I love seeing robots that genuinely try to solve the problem, and could
very well work given a bit more time. I am always inspired by Jeff VW's
creations. While they may not always work as planned, they always
incorporate some very unique ideas. I remember Jeff's robot for the bridge
building game. It had a hook attached to a string that would stop it at
exactly the right point when it had driven across the table. Now there was a
unique concept!
Rob
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| I just want to clarify the issues at hand:
The primary objective of the competition is for the local enthusiasts
to build robots and to solve the problem at hand using (hopefully)
innovative techniques so that everyone can develop their skills and
enhance their building skills.
The secondary objective is to have fun in a relatively stress-free
environment. If there was an entry fee, there would be less participation,
and a greater incentive to play dishonest, and the stress level would be
much greater.
We are here to have fun. If Chris wants to make a useless 'bot. Great.
But, I'm sure I (having no built no competition robots yet) speak for the
group when I say it was and is fun to poke fun at Chris for his current
robotic endevors. This isn't to say that Chris hasn't produced some
decent robots in the past.
A couple other things to consider are: individual piece avaiability (well
for some), level of robotic skill (well most of you are pretty skilled
at robot building...there are some (like me) who are pretty well entry-level
when it comes to this, and the level of time available to put something
together (or put it together so that it meets our expectations).
In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Rob Stehlik writes:
> > In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Chris Magno writes:
>
> > > see, now this bring up an interesting point.... is it worse to show up
> > > with a crap robot, OR to show up with nothing at all???
>
> > In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Steve Hassenplug writes:
> > "It's better to have tried and failed, than never to have tried at all."
>
> I agree with Steve. But, the emphasis should be on trying. If someone sets
> out right from the start to build a crap robot that doesn't even attempt to
> solve the problem at hand, then I would rather they just leave it at home.
> But I love seeing robots that genuinely try to solve the problem, and could
> very well work given a bit more time. I am always inspired by Jeff VW's
> creations. While they may not always work as planned, they always
> incorporate some very unique ideas. I remember Jeff's robot for the bridge
> building game. It had a hook attached to a string that would stop it at
> exactly the right point when it had driven across the table. Now there was a
> unique concept!
> Rob
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Benjamin Medinets writes:
> I just want to clarify the issues at hand:
> environment. If there was an entry fee, there would be less participation,
> and a greater incentive to play dishonest, and the stress level would be
> much greater.
Where did the topic of entry fee come into play? When was this an issue in
the thread?
> We are here to have fun. If Chris wants to make a useless 'bot. Great.
> But, I'm sure I (having no built no competition robots yet) speak for the
> group when I say it was and is fun to poke fun at Chris for his current
> robotic endevors. This isn't to say that Chris hasn't produced some
> decent robots in the past.
I think you only get to poke fun at someone unless you've proven yourself
capable of the challenges.
> A couple other things to consider are: individual piece avaiability (well
> for some), level of robotic skill (well most of you are pretty skilled
> at robot building...there are some (like me) who are pretty well entry-level
> when it comes to this, and the level of time available to put something
> together (or put it together so that it meets our expectations).
Piece availability is a non issue really. If you can afford a Mindstorms
and a PC to support it, it's pretty much a given you're in for the entire
deal, whatever pieces you'll need. I don't think we have anyone who has the
sole RIS kit and no other pieces or other items.
The level of robotic skill is an issue we hear a lot but I'm not inclined to
tone down. It's sort of like, we don't watch Food Network to see Chris make
two step chili, I watch it to see world class chefs and how they do their
thing. I can't cook beyond instant noodles and egg salad, but that doesn't
stop me from being encouraged to try. I think a lot of people have come
into the group and gone full throttle up to the level most of the events
are, and that's a good thing. That's why we don't cater to simpler (sumo)
events anymore.
But that all said, that's not the question at hand that Rob is pointing out.
The whole issue is, "Does one show up with a robot half built" or not show
up at all (or show up without the half built robot). Regardless of how many
pieces, how much skill or how little time you had. Those are
inconsequential. The only answer is, yes, show up with the half built one,
because you end up being inspired to try again next time.
Calum
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| > But that all said, that's not the question at hand that Rob is pointing out.
> The whole issue is, "Does one show up with a robot half built" or not show
> up at all (or show up without the half built robot). Regardless of how many
> pieces, how much skill or how little time you had. Those are
> inconsequential. The only answer is, yes, show up with the half built one,
> because you end up being inspired to try again next time.
One very good reason to show up with a half built robot, showed up at
the bridge crossing event.... Jeff E showed up with a robot that could
span the gap, and a hand full of pull back motor cars. And buy some
fluke, Ka-On showed up with a robot that could find the flag and lift
it.... but it could not cross the gap.
when I pointed out that as a pair they had a complete robot, they hooked
up that morning, and in hours had a robot that could enter...
I have other examples of people showing up with a robot but no code. or
people showing up with a robot that was supposed to do one thing (and
did not complete the task) but with some modifications by others in the
room, teams were formed and a different robot was entered and placed!
that's why I can show up with the crap-tastic-2002, not cause I need
more abuse in my life, BUT to roll the dice and maybe, just maybe Iain,
or Jeff, or someone can step in and make it better with parts from
Calums part case.
So for this next game, SHOW up with what you have and maybe with help
from someone we will pair you with the Jeff W, or Greg H and who
knows....
heck show up with a generic robot platform and see what can happen.
what do you have to lose. there is no entry fee, there is no pre
registration..... all you have to do is get your robot to the library
before the game starts at 1.pm all that and you still might win a
PRIZE....
Chris
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Steve Hassenplug writes:
> > see, now this bring up an interesting point.... is it worse to show up
> > with a crap robot, OR to show up with nothing at all???
>
> As much as I love to take shots at anyone who shows up with a crappy robot,
> I can honestly say it's always more fun when more robots show up.
> "It's better to have tried and failed, than never to have tried at all."
I think so too. I like seeing the half built ones. It also gives the
person a lot of encouragement and inspiration to come out for the next one
with something working properly.
Calum
| | | | | | |