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illusionist wrote:

Saje_Willis wrote:Where are u placing the paper clip at the front or the back of the chasis

I do not have the rules on me, but if the rules do not prohibit the placement of the paper clip, then it's up to you. But please read the rules first. There is no best place to put it. If your vehicle is consistently going past the point, then it would be better to maybe put the paperclip in the back.

You are required to have it on the front. I thought this was a good idea until reading the rules again.

illusionist wrote:Well, what we did:
Attach two toothpicks on your vehicle, one at front, and one at back. Then we used string to mark center of the track width. Then, just align the toothpicks to the string (this is assuming that your vehicle travels perfectly straight).

If not, you can use the side scope-thingy from a telescope and simply attach that to your vehicle, then use a marker or something to mark the middle of the track width at the finish line. Then, just look through the sight and line your vehicle up with the marker.

thanks very helpful

To add to the theme on which mousetraps are better in the long run if I remember correctly, it’s been almost a full two years, that while Tomcats lose their advantage in pulling power quickly at a point, I think 14-20 trials, that they level off and become just as consistent as Victors. Victors are by far the better brand of the two for consistency. Even reading the package for the Tomcat traps says that they are made for single use and because of that the wood and materials that the traps are made from are lacking in durability. The spring will really dig into the wood in the Tomcat traps after repeated trials for some and others takes more trials, I'm not in expert in telling woods apart but I don’t think that company keeps to one type of wood in their production.

Victors you can re-use time after time and the condition of the trap will not change very much at all between trials.

lenkagamine wrote:

chalker7 wrote:

lenkagamine wrote: Thanks! I missed that section. I still can't find a good mousetrap though... mine is weak and can't support the weight of the arm. Any suggestions?

Two options, first try to find some stronger mousetraps. Generic ones that come in kits and such are probably weaker than name brand ones you can purchase at hardware stores. Second, I imagine your arm is too heavy; you want it to be as light and stiff as possible. Also, the length of the arm can seriously affect the vehicle. You might want to shorten the arm. What are you using for a material and how long is it?

Thanks for the help! I was able to figure out the arm problem now... but now i have this other problem... My back axle's completely crooked!! *sigh* oh well, time to build another one, i guess.

Recommendation: use carbon fiber rod for your arm and your axel problem could have been caused by if it’s your drive axel the pull form the traps especially if you have long axels.

Hey do you all prefer to use a rigid or slightly bendy rod? I feel like I am losing energy with the bendy rod that I used...

gorf250 wrote:Hey do you all prefer to use a rigid or slightly bendy rod? I feel like I am losing energy with the bendy rod that I used...

Should make no significant difference, the rod when it bends is storing energy from the mousetraps that have been activated. Assuming that you use the full mousetraps energy your arm that bended should be strait at the conclusion of the run and the energy used in bending the rod initially is released [used in unwinding string]. The more bend a rod has can help improve accuracy slightly as well, if anyone else has ever noticed that given the power of the traps someone uses and the mass of the vehicle at start a vehicle may tend to jump a little if you use a stiff rod. So a bendy rod will allow for a smoother transition from stationary to moving reducing the jumping effect I mention previously.

Note: your rod must be un-bended to begin the run, the way I have always interpreted the rules make it clear that all energy must come from the mouse traps. Having a bent rod to start will gives you an advantage because there is albeit small amount of extra energy that did not originate from the mousetrap.

Do any of you guys know how to reduce wheel wobble? My CDs are out of control!ಠ_ಠ

we had the same problem..... we switched to dvds and they work better.

Also... The rules say the trigger has 2 be vertical?

SirBobo wrote:Do any of you guys know how to reduce wheel wobble? My CDs are out of control!ಠ_ಠ

Last year, we had a similar issue, and to fix it we used washers when attaching the CDs to the axles. We found these rubber washers at Home Depot, that matched the inside diameter of our CDs and the outside diameter of our axles. We glued the CDs to the washers, then the washers to our axles. This basically eliminates wobble, so long as you glue them firmly and ensure that the CD is perpendicular to the axle (90 degrees).

illusionist wrote:

SirBobo wrote:Do any of you guys know how to reduce wheel wobble? My CDs are out of control!ಠ_ಠ

Last year, we had a similar issue, and to fix it we used washers when attaching the CDs to the axles. We found these rubber washers at Home Depot, that matched the inside diameter of our CDs and the outside diameter of our axles. We glued the CDs to the washers, then the washers to our axles. This basically eliminates wobble, so long as you glue them firmly and ensure that the CD is perpendicular to the axle (90 degrees).

Thanks a lot!

No problem, here's one like what we used, but you could always use something similar. the washer