Team Operations:
Team Operations has been focusing their efforts over the last two weeks towards organizing and running a Virtual Robotics-Themed Bingo Night and Blaze Pizza fundraiser. These events were a success, and you can read more on how they went in previous blog posts below. The prizes for the Bingo Night Fundraiser were sent out this week and winners should be receiving them shortly. Now that both of these fundraisers are completed, members have been preparing for the upcoming FRC season by discussing Team Operations duties and passing on knowledge to rookie members in the hopes of returning back to in-person competitions. In addition, Team Operations is beginning to plan outreach events and fundraisers for this summer, so stay tuned for more details and make sure you are all keeping up to date with our socials!

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Intake/Indexer:
The intake/indexer group has been busy manufacturing parts for the final design. With CAD now complete, members can move fully into manufacturing the parts needed to make the subsystem for the robot. Although many parts have already been machined, the group still needs time to finish making final parts. Estimating that will take through the end of next week, the hope is to begin assembly soon.

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Swerve:
These past few weeks the swerve team has been pushing to finish manufacturing the remaining three modules now that testing with one module is completed. This requires a mix of 3D printing and lots of CNC machining. In the home stretch, just 15 parts still need to be machined. Starting initially with 87 parts, great progress has been made so far. Manufacturing and assembly should be completed next week and testing the full drivetrain will begin shortly!

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Control Panel:
In the control panel group, students worked on creating the final version of the sub-assembly. Remanufacturing began for the parts so the final stage of the build was prepared for mounting. Machining the parts with the Velox provided a great learning experience for members. Students were taught how to work with the machine efficiently and safely. The control panel group also began helping intake/indexer build parts and assemble the churros needed for rollers. As well as adding two members to help build parts that needed machining.

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Shooter:
The shooter group has been very busy these last few weeks! The shooter group is comprised of many first-year members which creates a large focus on teaching and training. The members of the shooter group started to learn how to use CAM software, which was used to cut out the parts needed for the final design. Churros were also added to the design for extra support. Once the group finalized the design members began working on assembly. Along with machining parts, the shooter group 3D printed additional parts.

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Swerve: 
These past two weeks, the swerve group has been working mainly on testing. Now that the next iteration of the module manufactured and assembled, they have been working closely with Software to ensure the module works as designed from a mechanical standpoint. Unfortunately, a few issues came up. Belts tend to skip under load, and one of the pulleys has some play and is able to wobble on its V-Groove setup. Members are currently working on alleviating these problems, and are 3D printing replacement parts and new components to fit to the module. Additionally, the group is right back to the testing stand for final evaluation before moving on to manufacturing the other 3 modules.


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Control Panel: 
In the Control Panel group, members worked with the Intake/Indexer group to figure out how to merge the subsystems into one. While discussing, the groups looked at all the mounting options and found that the original design would cause problems integrating the Control Panel system with the Intake/Indexer system. The groups worked together to tweak the design and the new mount is finalized in CAD. Now it will be sent off to the final design review by the entire team. Members are looking into 3D printing new rollers and spacers as they don’t have a final build look to them with the extensions that were added in, a few meetings ago. 

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Intake/Indexer:
Over the course of the past two weeks, the Intake/Indexer group has made great progress. After continuing discussion with the shooter group, the systems are now integrated. Indexer has also been conversing with the Control Panel group about how to mount their system. After the design for the Indexer was finalized, clean-up work for the CAD was completed by adding wheels, pulleys, and isometric patterns to lighten the design. Members have also done the Bill of Materials for the system and are ordering parts for manufacturing.

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Software:
The Software team submitted all of our FRC At Home challenges and has set sights on a new goal: tuning the swerve module for a fully operational swerve drivetrain. The group has been working with a newly fabricated and assembled module that the mechanical group has recently finished, tuning it to pivot and drive at precise angles and velocities. Members used the previous skeleton code that was made for the swerve drivetrain and added additional code to compensate for working with the Falcon 500s (motors). The group is also working to maximize the speed with which the module can change direction. Much time was spent working on the PID values of the module and tuning them so that we can run and translate smoothly. Members have also started working to integrate FRC Dashboard into our systems. Additionally, the Software team has been working with the Mini-Bot to test out a new type of autonomous control that will allow us to easily follow complicated paths with our future robot!

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Shooter: 
With the design review now complete, the Shooter group has been modifying their CAD with final touches. The adjustable hood can now be made as further modifications will likely be applied to it, which leaves the ramp and base plates that hold everything together. Members also spent time learning how to use the Velox and how to cut out new shafts and churros for additional changes. 

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Team Operations: 
Team Ops has been hard at work to ensure that both of our upcoming fundraisers run successfully! Next Thursday, the team will be hosting a Blaze Pizza fundraiser at the Burlington location. We will be posting about this fundraiser throughout the week. Spread the word with any local friends to help us reach our fundraising goal. The team hopes to see lots of orders placed to support the team on 4/22 from 5-9 PM! Additionally, the team has also been spending time planning our Virtual BINGO Night Event! We have created social media posts over the last few weeks. Feel free to share these posts to help us reach a larger audience and gain publicity. The past few weeks we have gathered great prizes to give away to the winners of each round! Student team members have been working hard to make sure the event runs smoothly for all of our supporters. We hope to see you all on May 1st from 6-8PM for a fun night of BINGO! For more information about these fundraisers visit our Facebook Page (FRC Team 4909 - Bionics). 

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Shooter:
​          CAD is nearing completion, with only three main objectives remaining.

1. Find a way to mount the shooter onto the chassis and indexer. The current plan is to try and run a beam under the indexer that touches the shooter plate.
2. Find a way to mount a servo (motor), with a gear to the back of the shooter to allow the adjustable hood to change angles.
3. Get rid of excess material if needed or possible.

Most of the parts must be machined using a CNC. Any parts that could be cut or 3D printed have been made. This consists of churros, hex shafts, the back rollers, the gear that attaches to the adjustable hood, and the bottom plate grips.
Near future plans consist of finishing CAD and machining all the remaining parts. After assembly, the parts will be mounted onto the chassis.

Software:
​          Since our last update, the software team has completed the Galactic Search Challenge. Our current time to complete the full Galactic Search course is 28.53 seconds, out of a possible 120 seconds (lower times are better). After completing the challenge, the software team has shifted their focus to adapting existing code for the swerve drive prototype to use on our upcoming differential swerve drivetrain. Members are also continuing to prepare and finalize our other FRC At Home Challenge submissions.

​Swerve:
​          The Swerve group has been hard at work tweaking the swerve design. After the first version was built, a few key problems came to light. Members have been working to change up the design to use more robust components and make manufacturing an easier and quicker process. The group has only a couple more of these issues to tackle before they will be ready for motor tests. Fortunately, for most of these, solutions are in mind that members are working to implement. Members are hoping to be testing this module very soon, and then work out any remaining issues before moving on to manufacturing the other three identical modules to build a full drivetrain.

Intake/Indexer:
​          With the final CAD for the robot still in progress, the Intake/Indexer group has been quite busy making the final model of our system in CAD over the last two weeks. Although this may not be a challenge, given that members can take a lot of measurements from the prototype, the real challenge comes from integrating the system with other systems. Members have had discussions with the shooter group about how power cells will feed from the indexer to the shooter. In the coming meetings, the group intends to continue dialogue about integrating the intake/indexer system with the other systems.

Team Operations:
​          This past week, Team Ops had been hard at work preparing for the FIRST Innovation Challenge judges interview. Members created a slideshow consisting of a two-minute business pitch and a three-minute presentation, to share our design with two FIRST Judges. Team Ops has also been planning an upcoming Virtual Bingo fundraiser which will take place on Saturday, May 1st. For more details about registration, see our previous blog post. Additionally, we are hosting a Blaze Pizza fundraiser which will be held on Thursday, April 22nd. The flyer for this event can be found on our socials and on the homepage of our website. We hope to see lots of orders placed to support us, and hope to see you all there!

​Control Panel:
​          This week, the Control Panel group worked on a final build of their prototype. After discussion with the Intake/Indexer group, the existing mount was changed to fit their needs. Additionally, the CAD model was changed to accurately represent the prototype. There was a problem with the belt slipping, so a grip tape was added to solve the problem and get more traction. The group also changed the upper assembly to have new 3D printed parts, and Lexan replaced wood to add a sturdier finish. Lastly, a 3-inch wide belt was added to complete the upper assembly. Plans for future progress are to finish the CAD and complete final assembly for the bottom mount.