Comments for BFD http://bigfdigger.org Big Freewheeling Digger Sun, 18 Jul 2010 16:30:42 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 Comment on more challenges.. more money.. by Paul Ventimiglia http://bigfdigger.org/2010/07/16/more-challenges-more-money/comment-page-1/#comment-1703 Paul Ventimiglia Sun, 18 Jul 2010 16:30:42 +0000 http://bigfdigger.org/?p=320#comment-1703 Very exciting! I call dibs on "Night Rider" and sequencing red LEDs... Very exciting! I call dibs on “Night Rider” and sequencing red LEDs…

]]> Comment on 2009 Event post summary by Valerie M http://bigfdigger.org/2009/12/02/2009-event-post-summary/comment-page-1/#comment-277 Valerie M Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:17:52 +0000 http://bigfdigger.org/?p=254#comment-277 I too am incredibly proud of the team and the countless hours and brainpower that each of them invested. Each person brought unique skills & vantage points to the table which made it a much stronger team. The only thing that would have made it better would have been for our one team member who stayed behind at home to instead have come to see the robots in action. There certainly was lots of drama through the competition weekend. Each robot entering the box represented an opportunity to have one of ours unseated. And the networking issues were simply an unnecessary nuisance. The challenge was about regolith excavation, not about networking. To have any team trounced for that was inexcusable. Nonetheless, it's not all about winning. It's about applying ingenuity, pursuing a goal until the end, honoring the contributions of everyone on the team as well as that of other teams, and hopefully pushing the technology envelope forward -- advancing the "state of the possible." The true reward is knowing you've done a job well and given it your best. I too am incredibly proud of the team and the countless hours and brainpower that each of them invested. Each person brought unique skills & vantage points to the table which made it a much stronger team. The only thing that would have made it better would have been for our one team member who stayed behind at home to instead have come to see the robots in action.

There certainly was lots of drama through the competition weekend. Each robot entering the box represented an opportunity to have one of ours unseated. And the networking issues were simply an unnecessary nuisance. The challenge was about regolith excavation, not about networking. To have any team trounced for that was inexcusable.

Nonetheless, it’s not all about winning. It’s about applying ingenuity, pursuing a goal until the end, honoring the contributions of everyone on the team as well as that of other teams, and hopefully pushing the technology envelope forward — advancing the “state of the possible.” The true reward is knowing you’ve done a job well and given it your best.

]]> Comment on back home by Ellen http://bigfdigger.org/2009/10/20/back-home/comment-page-1/#comment-184 Ellen Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:59:33 +0000 http://bigfdigger.org/?p=252#comment-184 Can't wait to read your write-up. Congrats again! It was nice meeting you all. Can’t wait to read your write-up. Congrats again! It was nice meeting you all.

]]> Comment on challenge eve by Paul Ventimiglia http://bigfdigger.org/2009/10/16/challenge-eve/comment-page-1/#comment-176 Paul Ventimiglia Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:34:08 +0000 http://bigfdigger.org/?p=248#comment-176 Brute Force looks awesome. Great job at moving lots of Regolith and qualifying! 264 kg is terrifying to me. Good luck with BFD3 Brute Force looks awesome. Great job at moving lots of Regolith and qualifying! 264 kg is terrifying to me.

Good luck with BFD3

]]> Comment on LCROSS Activity Day by Ken http://bigfdigger.org/2009/10/02/lcross-activity-day/comment-page-1/#comment-163 Ken Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:35:32 +0000 http://bigfdigger.org/?p=227#comment-163 I just wanted post a thank you to all our friends/coworkers/family that stopped by our demonstration at the LCROSS Activity Day. We hope you all had a good time seeing our robot in action (instead of just believing us!). And most importantly I want to thank the the LCROSS team for inviting us to the event. Finally, congrats to all the people who worked on LCROSS for their successful mission. I just wanted post a thank you to all our friends/coworkers/family that stopped by our demonstration at the LCROSS Activity Day. We hope you all had a good time seeing our robot in action (instead of just believing us!). And most importantly I want to thank the the LCROSS team for inviting us to the event. Finally, congrats to all the people who worked on LCROSS for their successful mission.

]]> Comment on t minus 2 weeks by doug leppard http://bigfdigger.org/2009/10/02/t-minus-2-weeks/comment-page-1/#comment-159 doug leppard Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:47:19 +0000 http://bigfdigger.org/?p=222#comment-159 We have no video because until friday we had nothing to show. We are so far behind you guys. Even the friday video was not on competition wheels. We were wondering at one point if we would make it, I think we will. So it is not being secret it is more having something to show. We have no video because until friday we had nothing to show. We are so far behind you guys. Even the friday video was not on competition wheels.

We were wondering at one point if we would make it, I think we will.

So it is not being secret it is more having something to show.

]]> Comment on we destroyed our cutter motor by Gene Montleone http://bigfdigger.org/2009/10/04/we-destroyed-our-cutter-motor/comment-page-1/#comment-157 Gene Montleone Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:32:43 +0000 http://bigfdigger.org/?p=233#comment-157 We burnt a motor yesterday. We had a loose screw on the brake and part of the brake got caught in the chain, spiked the current but took out the motor. It was an older model motor with high torque that they don't make any more. Fortunately we had a used spare. We burnt a motor yesterday. We had a loose screw on the brake and part of the brake got caught in the chain, spiked the current but took out the motor.

It was an older model motor with high torque that they don’t make any more.
Fortunately we had a used spare.

]]> Comment on we destroyed our cutter motor by Paul Ventimiglia http://bigfdigger.org/2009/10/04/we-destroyed-our-cutter-motor/comment-page-1/#comment-155 Paul Ventimiglia Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:54:05 +0000 http://bigfdigger.org/?p=233#comment-155 Wow, seeing the cutter and hopper taken off of your robot is scary! Just saw the webcam. Get it back on there soon. Wow, seeing the cutter and hopper taken off of your robot is scary! Just saw the webcam. Get it back on there soon.

]]> Comment on we destroyed our cutter motor by Paul Ventimiglia http://bigfdigger.org/2009/10/04/we-destroyed-our-cutter-motor/comment-page-1/#comment-154 Paul Ventimiglia Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:46:48 +0000 http://bigfdigger.org/?p=233#comment-154 We feel your pain. 3 days ago, we were driving in our testbox, and we only have about 4-5in of sand depth. As a result, because our robot sinks into the sand a lot more than regolith, we tried digging the concrete floor. This caused all of our scoops to bend. They are now bent back, but weakened of course. Testing is killer! We also had to sift out 1000lbs of small rocks from our "sand" (with just manpower) because it would jam up our chains and cause things to almost break. Wouldn't happen with nice fine sand or regolith, but this is what we get... Hope you can bend the shaft back or modify it! We feel your pain. 3 days ago, we were driving in our testbox, and we only have about 4-5in of sand depth. As a result, because our robot sinks into the sand a lot more than regolith, we tried digging the concrete floor. This caused all of our scoops to bend.

They are now bent back, but weakened of course. Testing is killer! We also had to sift out 1000lbs of small rocks from our “sand” (with just manpower) because it would jam up our chains and cause things to almost break. Wouldn’t happen with nice fine sand or regolith, but this is what we get…

Hope you can bend the shaft back or modify it!

]]> Comment on t minus 2 weeks by Paul Ventimiglia http://bigfdigger.org/2009/10/02/t-minus-2-weeks/comment-page-1/#comment-150 Paul Ventimiglia Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:25:14 +0000 http://bigfdigger.org/?p=222#comment-150 Glad to hear things are going well! I knew you could put different motors in for the steering, go Todd. Less PWM is never the answer for that stuff. We are still way behind you guys, but some of us don't have what you would consider "real full time jobs." (must be difficult to be in the real world!) Now we are actually making test runs and filming them, we will Tweet when new things are up as usual. New pictures every few days. Best of luck in the last 2 weeks! Glad to hear things are going well! I knew you could put different motors in for the steering, go Todd. Less PWM is never the answer for that stuff.

We are still way behind you guys, but some of us don’t have what you would consider “real full time jobs.” (must be difficult to be in the real world!)

Now we are actually making test runs and filming them, we will Tweet when new things are up as usual. New pictures every few days.

Best of luck in the last 2 weeks!

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