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Ontario Provincial Championship &
year end update

Week 13 • July 2024

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Before Provincials

During our competition in Waterloo, we encountered issues with notes getting stuck in a gap on the guarding on the robot. To address this, we modified our design. Additionally, to prevent our chain from slipping, we installed chain tensioners to ensure it stayed in place. With these adjustments, we felt confident in our preparation for the provincials.

Day 1

Upon arriving at the International Centre in Toronto for the competition, we were assigned to the Technology division. Alongside approximately 50 other teams, we set up our pit and participated in a few practice matches. During our qualification matches, we encountered minimal issues with our robot and won 4 out of 6 matches.

Day 2

Day 2 of the competition had a lot of really close matches, with some being a difference of as little as 2 points. We won 3 out of our 6 matches, and did not face many issues with our robot. Compared to the many amazing teams there, we were doing quite well. With our high ranking in the qualification matches, there was a high likelihood of an alliance captain picking us on day 3.

Day 3

Our third and final day of the competition began with alliance selection. After teams made tough decisions and compromises, we were picked for the third alliance. Despite the promising conditions so far, our first playoff match had us face a huge obstacle; our breaker shattering. Halfway through our first match, our breaker was destroyed and our robot rendered immobile. Even with the strict time constraints, we were able to replace the breaker before the next match. Unfortunately, our shooter accuracy was off and we weren’t able to secure a victory.

Next Steps

Since we are finished with our competitions for the season, we are now preparing students for the competitions next season. To start we are teaching some students how to make models in CAD programs, meaning they will be able to create designs for parts on our robot. Related to this, we are also attempting to redesign our robot to use a swerve drive instead of a tank base, meaning we will be able to navigate around the field quicker.

This year many of our students will be finishing high school, meaning they will no longer be eligible to be students on the team and some may be back with the team as mentors. Since we will need new programmers next year, we will be teaching some students to program in C++ for the robot. If we are able to accomplish all this, we will have the capacity to build amazing robots quite efficiently next year.

Off-season

Recently, during our off-season, we built a swerve drive for our robot, which we plan to use at this year’s STEMley Cup. Compared to our old tank-based movement system, the swerve drive offers numerous improvements and enhanced capabilities.

The robot is holonomic, allowing it to move and rotate in any direction independently. Its movement direction is not influenced by its rotation, enabling precise navigation around objects. This characteristic also simplifies the autonomous system’s maneuvering, making it more efficient and easier to control.

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The competition at Waterloo

Week 12 • March 2024

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Robot Adjustments

As highlighted in our previous newsletters, our robot encountered unforeseen challenges during the Newmarket competition. In preparation for our upcoming event at Waterloo, significant adjustments were necessary. We incorporated automatic speaker and amplifier functionalities, enhanced the precision of our tracking system, installed new wheels, and bolstered the frame. With these modifications implemented, we are fully prepared for our forthcoming competition.

Day 1

Our initial day at Waterloo proved highly successful. Our robot showcased significant improvement compared to the previous competition, even securing 1st place in several matches. With fewer adjustments needed, we could devote more attention to optimizing our match performance. Notably, our autonomous capabilities matched those of top-tier teams, and our shooting accuracy was exceptional.

Day 2

As the second day of the competition unfolded, we concluded our qualification matches and transitioned into the alliance selections phase. It was with great excitement that we secured the esteemed position of alliance captain for alliance 5. Following thorough deliberation, we extended invitations to teams 4903 and 4617 to join us, which they graciously accepted. With our alliance solidified, we are poised to approach the playoff matches with unwavering confidence and determination.

We won our first playoff match with a score of 77, but unfortunately were not able to secure a victory in our second and third match.

Next Steps

Following our commendable performance at Waterloo, it appears we may advance to provincials in less than a week. Currently positioned 71st, it’s unlikely we’ll drop low enough to be ineligible. With limited time for robot adjustments, our focus is solely on tournament preparation. During Waterloo, our supply of nearly 100 buttons depleted before the opening ceremonies. This week, we aim to print at least 150 buttons, hopefully sustaining us until noon. As team 1114 wraps up their second competition, accessing the practice field may prove challenging. Nonetheless, buoyed by our strong showing at Waterloo, we approach provincials with optimism, recognizing that a robust performance there could propel us to the world stage.

We ended up in 79th place overall and received our invitation to Provincials!!

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Preparing for Waterloo

Week 11 • March 2024

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Tweaking the Robot

After analyzing all of the challenges we faced during our last competition, we have made numerous tweaks and improvements to the robot, ensuring its reliability and performance. First, we have added automatic speaker and amp capabilities, making travelling to both stations much easier. Next, we improved the accuracy of our tracking system and improved our sensor fusion algorithm. The robot also needed a durability improvement, so we put on new wheels and reinforced the climb frame and wheel base.

During the week when we’re not refining our robot, we’re hard at work practicing for our competition, only a few days away. Today we’ll be packing up our robot and getting it ready to be taken to Waterloo on Thursday.

Next Steps

On Thursday, March 21 we are going to attend a competition at Waterloo. This competition is quite important because if we earn enough district points, we may be able to attend provincials. We currently have 21 points and we will need about 50 points to qualify for provincials.

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The competition at Newmarket

Week 8-10 • March 2024

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Preparing for The competition

In preparation for the upcoming competition, there were some crucial tasks to complete on our robot. Just a week before the event, we integrated multi-camera support to enhance our vision system. Since we participate in both red and blue alliances during competitions, the final touches on the bumpers were also a priority.

A recent addition to our robot includes a strip of LED lights running across it! These lights serve a dual purpose during matches, signaling when we are either holding or shooting a note. When not in use for functional cues, they add a captivating visual element, making the robot truly stand out. Take a look!

This image is only to demonstrate the two colours. It will not have both colours during any match as we would be on either the Blue or Red Alliance.)

Day 1

Our inaugural competition day was on Saturday, as Friday primarily served for load-in and setup of our pits and to have the robot weighed and inspected. During the first day of the competition, a significant portion of our time was dedicated to resolving unforeseen issues with the robot. Engaging in extensive trial and error, we implemented on-the-fly problem-solving to enhance our robot’s performance in the demanding environment. Through persistent efforts, we successfully implemented numerous improvements to both the hardware and software of the robot.

Day 2

On the second day, the investments made in refining our robot on the first day yielded positive results. We successfully fine-tuned our autoshot system, bringing it closer to its full potential and significantly improving the overall reliability of our robot. Throughout the matches on the second day, our robot established itself as a strong scorer, effortlessly delivering notes into the speaker.

After completing all 12 qualification matches, we secured the 17th position out of the 32 teams participating in the competition. During the alliance selection for the playoffs, we were chosen by the 8th seeded team to join their alliance. Our first playoff match pitted us against the 1st seeded alliance, resulting in a loss but with a respectable score. Following the loss, we entered the lower bracket of the playoffs, where we came close to victory but were ultimately eliminated.

In between matches, the media team was busy promoting our (somewhat new) mascot, Roady. Roady was a hit with the announcers and other teams, and we got plenty of pictures of students interacting with him.

Next Steps

In under a fortnight, we’ll be participating in another competition at Waterloo University. Equipped with a substantial amount of data regarding our robot’s performance, we are currently in the process of developing solutions to optimize both its hardware and software. This strategic approach aims to elevate our performance, considering the varying environmental conditions, particularly the distinctive lighting conditions observed between the practice field and the actual event. Our team of builders and programmers will be fully engaged in implementing these enhanced solutions to ensure improved performance and reliability.

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Team 6978 Week 7 Update

Week 7 • February 2024

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

The Practice Field

Over the past weekend, we visited the practice field of Team 1114. Within just an hour, we managed to exhaust one of the motors on the practice robot. On the brighter side, our testing of the competition robot showed some progress, although there is still ample room for improvement.

This video is a demonstration of our autonomous program

Media Team Update

In the upcoming weeks, we’ll embark on the task of revamping our website. We plan to update pages with outdated or missing information and give the entire site a more appealing look.

When participating in competitions, it’s crucial to present ourselves effectively. To enhance our team’s visibility, we’ve crafted a banner design that we aim to have printed soon.

Next Steps

In the upcoming week, we’re focused on enhancing the competition robot by installing LEDs and additional cameras. The completion of the practice robot takes precedence, as it provides a platform for refining our offensive capabilities. For the competition robot, we still need to connect a router, for which we’ve 3D printed the holder, and finalize both sets of bumpers. Our strategic plan involves making extensive use of the practice field in the meetings leading up to the competitions.

Our banner to be used at competitions

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