Got it. We will try running over the location to see if it's common to all mats and get back to you. Checking under the mat is a great idea.
Mark Nottingham
6th Grade Science Teacher
First Lego League Robotics Coach- CCMS Team 31516
Carroll County Middle School
Carroll County Public Schools
(276)728-2382
 
 


On Tue, Jan 5, 2021 at 10:59 AM Skip Morrow <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
It's the area in the "southern corridor", just west of the pullup bar. THere's a tree printed on the mat right there. That's where our robot shimmies to the side each time it passes over it. It feels smooth and like the rest of the mat, but for some reason, just right there the robot can't drive straight. I think I will try sanding the table under it.

As for trying to fix it with programming, it isn't consistent enough to try anything like that.

Thanks for the ideas though!

Coach Skip Morrow

On Tue, Jan 5, 2021 at 10:24 AM Mark Nottingham <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I wonder if this spot is consistent on all mats. Sounds like a pothole. Could the color in that location be causing it? We have 3 teams at my school, 3 mats. We could try running over the same area to see. On the plus side, programming to adjust to this spot would work and since your competition rounds are done on your home mat, well you have home field advantage. Does your team feel comfortable sharing an image of the spot in question?
Mark Nottingham
6th Grade Science Teacher
First Lego League Robotics Coach- CCMS Team 31516
Carroll County Middle School
Carroll County Public Schools
(276)728-2382
 
 


On Mon, Jan 4, 2021 at 8:44 PM Skip Morrow <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of JMU. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
VA-DC Coaches. Hoping someone can help us.

Our robot normally runs very straight. But lately we have been noticing a couple of spots on the mat where our robot will almost always do a short jog to the left of about one cm. The spots are very specific and the sidestep happens with near 100% regularity. Everywhere else on the mat, the robot drives perfectly. We have tried cleaning the wheels many times. The mat seems clean, but there are some wear marks in the problem areas. It sure doesn't feel greasy or slippery or tacky in those specific areas. I am at a loss. I am hesitant to try cleaning the mat with anything, but I'd like to hear if any of you guys have any ideas.

To be clear, it is a very specific spot. We can program in a move tank block, 10 revolutions, and aim the robot to pass over the spot. No matter how far away we are at the start, it will shift at that same spot.  

Coach Skip Morrow
To UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE your settings, please visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-l.html and select "Join or leave the list".
VADCFLL administrative announcements are sent via VADCFLL-ANNOUNCEMENTS-L. Visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-announcements-l.html to subscribe.
To UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE your settings, please visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-l.html and select "Join or leave the list".
VADCFLL administrative announcements are sent via VADCFLL-ANNOUNCEMENTS-L. Visit https://listserv.jmu.edu/archives/vadcfll-announcements-l.html to subscribe.