Battery Buggy B

[Gemma W]

Our gears and wing nut/micro switch are on the same axle, and it works perfectly fine. Maybe your car is different, I don't know.

[Epicfail]

Well, our motor cant really turn after its switched off...so it helps us stop.

[Gemma W]

Oh, do you have the reverse circuit braking thing? Or does the motor just stop? "Reverse circuit" is a name I just came up with, so it probably doesn't make sense. Sorry, I think I'm rambling.

[sparkx101]

Can somebody give me a score that will probably get a medal at states. Right now we are at around 5 seconds for ten meters and about 12 centimeters or less off. 6 meters is about 2.5 seconds and 8 or less cm off

[Gemma W]

Depending on competition, that should probably get you a medal. Within ten cm. and three and a half seconds on average for a run should be good. By "on average" I mean over all distances the times averaged.

[Epicfail]

Yea, that sounds like a pretty good score to me. we're way slower, but less off

[abator]

I agree but I know that teams over here in Ohio can go 10 m in 4 sec and be about five cm off. For six I have seen cars go around 2 sec and be almost perfectly on the dot. But you don't have to worry about that if you don't go farther than State.

Also at Mentor Invitational the track was 8 m and the final score of a couple of cars were under 100. Like in the 80s and 90s.

[Gemma W]

Yeah, I doubt we're going to do very well at nationals. We have an average speed and are generally about ten cm. away or more. We still have a lot of testing to do though, so hopefully that will improve once we have.

[Epicfail]

Gratz on Nats...my school only made Nats once, and that was 24 years ago (the team that wins every year was formed around 18 years ago)
our buggy is pretty consitent, how do you align yours?

[Gemma W]

Oh, thanks.

For the angle of turning we align a fixed point on the back a certain distance from the fixed point in front. That is, we make a line from the front to the back and measure a certain distance from that to the back point. If that's what you were asking.

[Epicfail]

oh, thats what we did. we used a binder clip on the front

[Gemma W]

Those black things with the things that bend back? Or is a binder clip something else well known and obvious which I am apparently missing because I'm kind of tired?

[Epicfail]

Those black things with the things that bend back? Or is a binder clip something else well known and obvious which I am apparently missing because I'm kind of tired?

Yup thats the one. we have apaper ruler to measure/remember the exact position

[Gemma W]

Wait, what did you do with the binder clip? Is it your fixed point or something?

[Epicfail]

no, theres a small paper ruler on the front so say, for 6 meters, we put the binder clip at like 5.5cm or something