Pitsco Tetrix Robot Build

Posted on by
Reply

One of the professors at the university where I work has connections over at Pitsco and has been involved with their robotics by using their products in his classes, preparing future educators for elementary classrooms. He also uses this opportunity to put together a small competition where his classes take on students from surrounding schools. Each year this robot competition gets bigger and more schools want to come to play. A couple years ago I stumbled into the action and as the event grows – and robotics spreads through the nation like wild fire – more people are required to make it run smoothly. The first year he gave me a Tetrix kit and said, build a robot, we’ll put together a team. I was pumped of course. I built a robot, my team consisted of two kids about 5th grade age, and we dominated, taking first. But my robot hasn’t held his title in subsequent years – and I’ve considered that it might be because it was specialized for that first event and they’ve changed just slightly each year. If you visit youtube you can watch some of the FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) competitions and see how highly specialized the robots are. They are given a new game each year and build their robots accordingly. Our event is a little different. Our robots have to move around a variety of small objects and we all use 4 channel remotes. The FTC robots run on far more than 4 channels and require programing to operate in autonomous mode using sensors and lots of cool technology. Our event allows just about anyone to come out and play by not requiring that level of technology or funding. And this gives you an idea of why I am building my bot the way I am. Speaking of which, let’s get to the bots. We are moving balls, water bottles, MREs, all sorts of things. We don’t have to lift the objects but not all of them are very easy to move around just by pushing them. Still, simple designs often work best. But I add one more element to my robot design. I want them to be different just to give the other teams ideas. So what tends to happen is my robot is good at certain things and not good at others because I build it to meet certain goals. There are many variables and I can’t cover them all but, low robots don’t get high centered on many objects and can move them just by trapping them and pushing them. However, low robots tend to struggle with bumps and ramps and if they do get high centered it’s a bigger problem. High robots do great with bumps and ramps, just like a 4×4 truck, but if they aren’t high enough, then there is the possibility of getting high centered on objects while pushing them around. We won the first time by being fast. I noticed that robots were slow most of the time and I wanted speed. We were able to run around the field and grab up everything in sight while others snailed around trying to get lots of objects in a single pass. There was lots of time for my speed to work. This last year speed didn’t dominate because the rounds were only 9 minutes. There was enough time to grab up a bunch of stuff and drop it into scoring zones all at once, but NOT enough time to keep going back and forth picking up a couple objects and taking them to the scoring zones. Lessons learned, we took 5th. Plus we had as many as 4 robots on the field at once so grabbing a bunch of objects and making a big score worked well because while you were scoring, of course other teams were grabbing up what they could too. There wasn’t a lot left and many of the objects were difficult to get to. In our event, the driver is not able to actually see where the robot is and has to rely on navigators who can see. Time has to be well managed. So I need a robot who can move lots of stuff but I am still hung up on having a small, fast robot that can navigate obstacles well. The issue is that a small robot can only hold so many objects. You also run into issues when the objects your robot is pushing hit ramps before your wheels do. If your wheels hit bumps first, then the robot will roll over them. If objects hit bumps before your wheels, then you often get jammed up. Add new problem. I want to put a body on my robot – apparently on the thinking that intimidation will help me win. The body requires me to put all my switches, receivers, and controllers on the bottom so that I can access them easily. The problem here is that the bottom is where the objects get trapped. So what you see in the pictures are my robots. The robot on the right is my old robot. I am rebuilding his front end to accommodate more objects. Right now it has a burned servo and the wires are just going everywhere. I am building a gate which the servos will lift up and down. This set-up allows larger objects to get in under the gate and you can see that the area where the servos are mounted is fairly low. It should probably be lower but as I talked about already, the objects are going to hit bumps before the front wheels do. I may change it completely. Now the new robot is on the left side of the images. Right now it has nothing on it. You can see that inside I have a little chunk of frame hanging down that is about 1/16th of an inch from the ground – that is LOW. But the wheels will hit before it does so it cannot cause me to jam up. BUT, the servos will still be mounted ahead of the front wheels which means objects will still be trapped in front of them. What I would like to do is have the box to trap objects AND the servos, behind the front wheels. The problem this can cause is that the front wheels ramp up over a bump while the objects stay on the floor. Now they have more room to get under my robot which means I should have only 1/16th of clearance all the way around behind the front wheels. This would be a perfect design I think. When the wheels hit a bump and lift the robot, only the height of that bump will be added to the clearance under the bot. There isn’t much I can do about that. With 4 channels I can run pan and tilt which means the pincers I put up front could grasp and lift. The problem with that is I need 4 servos- 2 for grasping, 2 for lifting. This would allow me to pick up odd shaped objects and lift them off the floor. I don’t have 4 servos. Might be time for some online shopping. In any event, I could put all my guts on top of the robot and cover them with the body while hoping nothing goes wrong. I am planning to make it really easy to get the body on and off though, so it’s not like it’ll be impossible. Anyway, enough speculating, here are the bots as they stand. I’ll keep posting updates as they progress. I’ve got lots of time.

The new bot on the left just starting to take shape.

New Problems for an Old Rival

Posted on by
Reply

For just a little pot stirring fun and because I’ve found new inspiration in the Ford vs Chevy battle that is of course, ages old, I present some evidence for the Ford club. It stirs up for me every time I see the new Mustang ad which you can watch at this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiyhXf_KVc0. What do we see in this ad really? We see so many things, none of which Chevy has going in even the slightest way today. Firstly, we see a car that appeals to so many people in so many different ways. Obviously that’s the heart of the ad. But how does it do that? It does that through starting life as a rock star almost 40 years ago, and remembering its heritage today. Each version of the car has its own appeal but no matter which you get, it is still a Mustang. It is the only throw-back design car that manages to also be current at the same time. It has what cars used to have and that thing very few cars have today. It takes all these different facets and combines them to become more than just a car, more than just an object, more than a cliche. It is automotive culture. It tells enthusiasts that the people over at Ford get it. Rather than diluting an icon, Ford embraces it and the Mustang reflects this. To me, the ad is saying, we hear you, we see you, here is your Mustang …. and we dig bad girls. Or, a little evil never hurt anyone. People who drive black cars understand. Everyone’s got a little go fast in there somewhere. Society has leeched your soul but every time a fast car roars by it stirs your shriveled inner animal and you remember for a second what it feels like to be alive.

And then there is Clarkson. Aside from the fact that he’s a member of the greener side of the automotive culture fence where finger nails are a little cleaner, he’s certainly got an entertaining outlook on cars that like to go fast. Here is a nice little video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wigJCybfUQY&NR=1&feature=endscreen that further makes me want to be a Ford guy.

Which ever side of the field you’re on, video like this just makes life better. Driving cars like these probably makes life complete. I know driving my Mustang is absolute happiness and I don’t even have to understand why – that is how happiness is defined and how you know it is happening. You feel like a child and don’t really care if that bothers other people. In fact, you’re kinda glad it does. Turns out that happiness actually involves irritating other people or evoking a deep burning jealousy in them. Chevy would like to do that and for some people, no doubt, a Camaro gets the job done. I can say with certainty that if I had one, I’d probably feel like a child, irritate others and maybe evoke that jealousy thing, which would ultimately result in my happiness. But when you see that pink Mustang change with a roar into a glistening black GT500 sex machine, it makes you want to slap the person next to you as punishment for witnessing that much bad ass at the same time as you. Whatever the Camaro does, whatever it looks like, no matter how hard it tries, it can never be a Mustang. While I think the Corvette is a work of genius as of 2012, no matter what it looks like, no matter how hard it tries, it can never be a Ford GT. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Fictional Fire Arms, The G.L.A.S. Project Pt1

Posted on by
2

This project has been on going for awhile and is simply spurred by my interest in guns. Truthfully, it wasn’t actually a “project” per se but each one of these drawings goes quickly and is a fun way to create something without hours and hours of time invested. And so, it is officially a project. The core concept is pretty straight forward; how would I arm a fictional military force? That’s simple enough and there are lots of weapons to choose from. But I wanted to take it one step further by applying parameters to each design. If you dig deep, there are lots of very well written articles detailing the so-called “M4 controversy” and of course hundreds of open forums filled with opinions on both sides of the fence. I’ll be writing this assuming the reader is familiar with the notion. It became apparent very quickly that there is significant misinformation available, and that the controversy itself is actually very complex. It tends to be more than simply the cartridge or the weapon even though those two aspects alone can provide one with hours of reading material. There is, mainly standing between both sides of the argument, the system itself. The complexities and monetary obligation of making a change in our military as large as fielding a new weapon to every man and woman, and the added difficulty of individuals who have interests in keeping things the way they are. These seem to be the greatest hurdles and I cannot draw my way over them, so the first step is to realize that I’m creating fiction and that’s where it ends. I choose to ignore the logistics and focus only on the concepts. I do have a zen answer for the logistics, and it goes something like this; the greatest nation on Earth – just get it done. But, as I said, that’s not what this project is about.
So, why mention the controversy if the project does not aim to solve its greatest problem? Well, the rest, the cartridge, its associated weapon system, and the problems they are accused of having create excellent parameters for a project like this all by themselves. I’m relatively familiar with the cartridge and the system but it’s really not necessary in order to see some pretty solid arguments for and against them both. For one thing, the AR platform, in all its very wide array of variations, is overwhelmingly popular outside the military. It must do something correctly. A couple quick points to begin understanding the complexities of the controversy are that weapon maintenance and harsh environmental conditions are something most people outside the military (or similar) do not have to deal with and have no good method of truly grasping without significant amounts of data or personal experience, yet have a huge impact on weapon performance. Secondly, historically, military weapons and equipment are simply attractive to the general public. There is the cool factor. So is the gun popular because it does something right or is it the romance of the thing? Maybe a combination of both. My point is, and this is just one example, that it’s a complex issue.
My first concept is directly conceived with these issues in mind. Keeping in mind that I want to outfit my own fictional armed forces, I decided to look at the military’s needs and how they have affected the M4′s performance. The needs are simple. We’re dealing with confined spaces inside buildings and caves and the long barrel of the M16 wasn’t getting it done. This is an excellent time to shed light on yet another complexity; the carbine sized M16 has been around since Vietnam – what happened and how is this debate anything new? At any rate, the .223/5.56mm cartridge was designed for 20 inch barrels and there is where the problems begin. Understanding that the .223 is a varmint cartridge, we know it was specifically designed to be a small projectile, moving extremely fast in order to reach critters at extended ranges. In order to push any projectile to higher velocities requires barrel length. Without getting into the science of it, the bullet is in the barrel longer, providing time for the powder to burn and pressure to build. What Mr. Stoner discovered was that this little projectile, moving that fast, had a tendency to get really unstable when it crashed into soft stuff like people and it worked by causing significant damage on the inside and often, without exiting the target – great if you’re saving coyote pelts or if you don’t want bullets passing through bad guys and hurting innocent by-standers. And as an added benefit, the individual cartridges are much lighter than full sized rifle loads which means the boys can carry more of it around and poke more holes in bad guys. Take away barrel length and you can see how much of those benefits you begin to loose – most of them, save the weight issue. So, we need little cartridges that are easy to carry around and a short gun to work inside tight spaces. Long barrel, short gun – it’s a contradiction. How can we make this work if we must continue using the 5.56mm cartridge? Well, you’ve heard of bullpup rifles and if you look at it in this context, I simply cannot see another solution. So theoretically, it sounds solid. I can potentially have a barrel long enough to make the 5.56 a man stopper again, while also keeping the rifle as short as the M4. All benefits retained. But wait, lots of people don’t like the bullpup design and now we get into those annoying complexities again along with a handful of draw backs specifically associated with the bullpup design. In my design I’ve addressed as many of the issues as I could dream up and at the end of the day, in order to continue use of the 5.56, many of the draw backs simply don’t outweigh the benefits. In fact, the initial benefits are actually compounded with the addition of several others. Most importantly, the longer barrel provides the user with extended range. In the same way that we might want a short system for confined spaces, we also need range to get on targets in mountains, urban over-watch, or other terrain with extended line of sight. This system now overlaps into the designated marksmen concept with very little or no alteration to the system. Remember the cartridge was designed from the onset for extended ranges and certainly ranges that average shooters can effectively work at. Should a fire team need to engage targets in an urban environment from roof tops, but then suddenly find themselves in the buildings working room to room, everyone on the team can be effective rather than individuals with specialized systems.
And so after much research I landed on the AUG for my basis. There are a couple main reasons that outweigh most of the others. Firstly, the AUG and British L85 are probably the two best supported and developed systems and both are issued to various armed forces which indicates that they are field tested and approved. But for the AUG, I see more adaptability and it is a very simple, no extra junk kind of design. The barrel is also user changeable without tools which means the gun has not only the potential to overlap other roles, it is adaptable as well to push it further into one role or another. Visit my dA page to read even more and get into all the little details.

Ol’ Marais River Run Door Prizes

Posted on by
Reply

So for the River Run we give away a couple door prizes. Basically, if you registered a car your name goes in the pot. It covers our vendor space, gives me a chance to be seen and introduced to everyone at the show during the prize drawing, and gets our work out there. Past winners love coming up to see their cars in my display and hopefully they spread the word of mouth to others. Right now I’m working on a ’50 Nash and I just finished up the final touches before I move to the background and figured I’d take a break and post. We never know what we’ll get to work on and this one is a portrait of the car in its current state. No design work here.

Bath tub Nash

2011 Ol’ Marais River Run After Action Report

Posted on by
Reply

2011 Ol Marais River Run Ottawa Kansas


Was a rainy weekend but one, the rain was long over due for this area, and two, rain isn’t enough to stop these folks. (BTW, I don’t know the guy in the neon coat.) In just the years I have been visiting and attending as a vendor it has grown into quite an event and it’s one of the best in Kansas without question. Vendors come to support this show from just about every state surrounding ours and a few that are even further, and I think that really says something. Anyway, my display isn’t flashy but those of you who know me aren’t surprised by that. I like to keep it low key and fly under (or maybe above?) the tire kicker’s radar. It doesn’t always work and that’s fine but if you were at the show and you are visiting this site and reading this post then we probably spoke and I talked to lots of cool people who have lots of cool ideas that we would be grateful to be a part of. What I love about shows like this and what I want to do in this business are directly connected. People from all walks of life attend this event. They’ve got low budgets, they’ve got big budgets. If you’ve visited the old site you’ll remember “affordable creative solutions for the home town hot rodder” and I always want that to be the core of what we do. I want to be able to get involved with car enthusiasts who are creative, hard working, craftsman who simply don’t have the big budget, regardless of the reason, and help them build a car that still turns heads, but more importantly, fulfills the dream of the person behind the wheel. That part of the deal just isn’t ever going to go away from what I do. I have no plans to become rich or famous – rich isn’t going to turn me off, but fame isn’t my bag. I’m looking for those projects that I can really connect with and my dream is to be able to choose only those sorts of projects and do a handful each year. After just a single show, I’m looking at more than just a handful and that’s great news because it’s the right place filled with all the right people and I’m going to have a great time with my brother, brainstorming and drawing and probably a little cussing, getting these projects done. I was talking with a few folks from a local shop and that conversation is partly to blame for this windy post. They talked about their goals for the project they’re working on and I heard some stuff that kind of parallels my own goals … at least from my perspective. A single conversation isn’t enough to know someone most likely but it seems pretty simple to me. Creative people have to have projects. Maybe this is a little insight for future customers into the mind of one of the O’Dell boys but what the hell, it’s a blog, isn’t that what I’m supposed to do with it? These guys want to work on high end projects because it’s required, I think, to accomplish the level of creativity that will satisfy them until the next one. For me, when I close a project it is very difficult to come back and rework it. I have to move on. It may not be easy to see but I am always trying something new with each drawing, always experimenting and growing. The people who own the cars and pay to have them built have their own purpose, their own driving forces, and I can’t probably fathom them all, but I feel like I can grasp in my own way, the driving forces behind the builders. It requires financial freedom and owners who can provide it, and that’s simply the nature of the world. As an artist it’s a little easier. I can fire up the computer and just start building my next project. In a couple weeks I can start the next one. We all do different things, there are many kinds of craftsman, but we all need our projects. This overlaps heavily in the car world. Car’s are an extension of ourselves and the first thing a creative car enthusiast is going to do is mold the car into an even more personal, unique extension. Craftsman enjoy creating and that usually involves our hands. The automobile can certainly be fairly called hands on. I want to work with the people who’ve got grime under their nails and whether it’s the shade tree mechanic or the guys in the pro shop, they’re not all that much different. Me though, I’ll do my best to stay in the background off camera. And that’s just me. Obviously I represent a new generation and it’s not the nostalgia that attracts me to the world of cars. I wasn’t there, I’ll never fully understand the memories and the way things were in “those days”, and that doesn’t keep me up at night. What it does mean is that I understand that people love cars for a lot of different reasons and if we can’t understand one another, it’s no big deal. I appreciate the love of cars, doesn’t matter the reason.

2011 Ol Marais River Run Ottawa Kansas

Posted on by
Reply

The Ol Marais River Run is coming up much faster than I am usually ready for. It’s a great small town car show that brings in over 1,000 cars every year and has consistently grown year after year. It happens in Ottawa Kansas and this is the 25th so I’m expecting it to be even bigger and better. I’ve been a vendor for several years, 5 or 6 anyway, and I’m gearing up to go again this year. I wanted to put something together last minute, as usual, but I didn’t have time to work on the cars on my list so I dug through the old files for something to breathe new life into. This Camaro was actually client work and it seemed like a good piece to try out a few new tricks and freshin’ up for display. This was good practice for up coming projects because there are several things I got right and a few things that I will improve upon next time. The first two that jump out are that there is no evidence of a driver, and second I think a little lean would help make it more dramatic. I don’t think I totally sold the feeling of motion but overall I’m happy with the way it looks. The layout has a good full feeling and the colors worked out nicely without much effort. Compare it to the original (bottom) and tell me what you think. Thanks for looking!

Running the Cones