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I just had someone email me a list of questions on the RCX Drag Racing
competition to be held at BricksWest in a few weeks. I think a lot of other
people might benefit from some of the answers, so I'm posting them here as well.
If you are considering entering a drag racer, kindly let me know by email
(removing the spam block). This isn't an enforced commitment that you'll be
bringing a racer, but it will help me plan the event better. Thanks!
First of all, I've been told that this race can be described as a "Heads Up
on a Pro .500 Tree" if you're into drag racing.
Second, I'm going to add a height restriction on vehicles of 12" at any time
before, during or after the race. I'm all for unique designs on how to build
a robot to do this, but I don't want to see a 20' pole that someone drops on
the track, SteveH!
Multi-car teams are perfectly welcome. Just understand you might end up
having to race yourself, so make sure this is possible.
The rules don't say whether you have to come to a complete stop, or whether
you can go backwards first. The important thing is that enough of your car
needs to pass the finish line to count as having finished, (breaking the IR
beam to get a time) yet no part of your vehicle pass the end of the track (6
inches past the leading edge of the finish line) and that your vehicle
doesn't leave your lane. If you go backwards a bit without this happening,
then you're okay.
I suggest that your code which looks for the starting signal (which is a
yellow light, then 1/2 a second later a green light) include some sort of
timer; if after say .6 seconds of seeing the 'first' increase in brightness
you still haven't seen a second one, you might have missed one of them. With
the addition of the timer your robot can decide whether to go anyway.
Finally, you don't need to start RIGHT at the starting line, if you don't
wish to. "Robots are to be placed on the track as close as they like to the
starting line, without blocking the IR beam."
Note that the track will be available for testing and improving your robots
any time that the pavillion is open prior to the race.
--
David Schilling
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