Shepp GeekTech – A Tech Geek’s Blog

I found this on the forum this morning:

“The dirt pieces are Bonus Objects, worth 5 points each in the dirt trap, and 3 points each everywhere else on the table.

If the dirt does not make it into the trap, they are only worth 3 points. Unless they are in the ref’s pocket when they are worth 0 points.

Having the dirt get stuck in the net is not a limitation of the model like the release mechanism of the atomic motor. It is fully expected that some dirt will be bounce in wild directions or get stuck in the net. Now is the time for your team to brainstorm a solution to this interesting problem.”

Just had a reply from Scott Evans on the question that came up on Saturday. The question was did we have to bring the dust container to the marked area on the mat before we could dump the materials into it. As we said on Saturday, we don’t even have to deliver the container at all if that’s part of your strategy. There are points awarded for the dumper being empty, you just won’t receive any points for delivering the container. The only way you won’t get points for having the dumper empty, is if there’s one piece left and the referee takes it because of a touch penalty.

There is one thing I forgot to mention at the Orientation meeting about the NXT software. It seems to be easier to program than previous versions, but there’s one major thing to keep in mind. It requires a minimum 256 megs of RAM to operate! I installed it on a P4 with 256 megs, but when the software is running, it’s quite slow.

Challenge 2006 – Nano Quest – Orientation meeting

Our first orientation meeting for the 2006 season will be held on Saturday, September 23, between 2:00pm and 4:00pm at O’Donel High School in Mount Pearl. The meeting will be in the Learning Resources (Library) room.

I will ask that we keep this first meeting for coaches/teachers only (no students). We will be including them in the next meeting.

BTW, the meeting is open to teachers in the Eastern District that are interested in Lego Robotics.

The FLL Forum is now open and your codes should work. I find it a great place to find answers to common questions, and other concerns that other teams have. You will find, however, that the best place to find out things is by following the American links.

Challenge 2006 – Nano Quest – Orientation meeting

Our first orientation meeting for the 2006 season will be held on Saturday, September 23, between 2:00pm and 4:00pm at O’Donel High School in Mount Pearl. We will be discussing this year’s challenge and any other issues that teams bring forward. I realize that not everyone will be able to attend this meeting so please let me know if you are planning to attend. For those of you who cannot make it I will email out any details that are important that may have been discussed at the meeting.

Thomas

Here is a new twist for this year:

Fairness Bonus

For 20 bonus points, an RCX robot must earn points in any 3 missions, or an NXT robot must earn points in any 6 missions.

Source: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/default.aspx?pid=23720

Stain-Resistant Fabric

Mission: Test some stain-resistant fabric. The robot must deliver the dirt trap to its location mark and completely dump out the tester’s dirt dumper. The dirt trap at its mark is worth 15 points, and the dirt dumper when empty is worth 15 points. The dirt pieces are Bonus Objects, worth 5 points each in the dirt trap, and 3 points each everywhere else on the table. When removing dirt for a Bonus Loss, the referee takes stray pieces first, then pieces from the dumper, and pieces from the trap last.

Source: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/default.aspx?pid=23720

Nanotube Strength

Mission: Lift the truck by a thin cable of carbon nanotubes. The robot must move the truck onto the lift frame and activate the lift. The truck completely on the frame is worth 20 points. The truck and frame supported completely and only by the cable is worth an additional 20 points.

Source: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/default.aspx?pid=23720

Smell

Mission: Transfer molecules from the pizza toward the nose. The robot must get pizza molecules completely off the paper plate for 5 points each, and transferred to the yellow or black areas of the person’s head or neck for an additional 10 points each.

Source: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/default.aspx?pid=23720