Designing for FLL

with Lego Mindstorms

Hints and Tips
Presented by:

Team Unlimited, FTC0001

unlimited.syraweb.org
We acknowledge the efforts and copyrights of FIRST,
LEGO Education and LEGO with regards to the contents
of this workshop. Without their generosity, the FIRST
LEGO League would not exist!

Introduction

FLL season basics

NXT system basics
NXT robot chassis design
NXT robot navigation issues
NXT robot manipulator design
Questions & Wrap-up
NXT/G coding is beyond the scope of this workshop
2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

FLL Challenges
Each fall, a new themed challenge
The 2011 FLL challenge : Food Factor
Past challenges
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999

Body Forward
Smart Move
Climate Connections
Power Puzzle
Nano Quest
Ocean Odyssey
No Limits
- Mission Mars
City Sights
Arctic Impact
Volcanic Panic
First Contact

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

FLL Challenges
Challenges include a series of robotic missions
Carried out on a custom mat on top of a 4 x 8 playing
table, bordered by 2 x 4s
Read all FLL Challenge documentation thoroughly!
Usually 8+ individual missions
Missions goals scored by object positions at end of 2.5
minute competition round
Technical presentation about the teams approach to the
challenge and their robot
Research Project presentation, as assigned
Core Values, as presented and/or demonstrated

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

FLL Accounting
Team Registration - $225.00 for 2011 season
https://gofll.usfirst.org/

Food Factor Field setup kit - $65.00

Basic LEGO Mindstorms NXT kit - $420
Can use retail or educational kit, reuse each season

Useful, not required

Extra NXT DC battery $54.95
Extra NXT DC charger $24.99
Extra NXT light sensor $17.95
NXT color sensor - $34.95
Spare NXT motor - $18.95

Each tournament will have a team registration fee

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0 kit

This essential and reusable core set is the recommended
package for teams who are newcomers to FIRST LEGO League.
NXT NXT/G Educational Software with a FLL Team license.
1 Intelligent NXT Brick
1 Rechargeable DC Battery
1 DC Battery Charger
3 Interactive Servo Motors (rotation sensor built in)
2 Touch, 1 sound, 1 light and 1 ultrasonic Sensors
1 USB computer to Brick cable
7 Connection cables of various lengths
3 Lamp bricks
3 Converter cables
1,000+ LEGO elements
2 Storage Boxes with Sorting Trays for organization
Can order at registration p/n 979792
2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Useful Building Resources

Building Robots with LEGO Mindstorms NXT
David Astolfo, Mario Ferrari, Guilio Ferrari
Great overall reference for Mindstorms
robotics
Winning Design! LEGO Mindstorms NXT
David J. Trobaugh
More specific to addressing challenges
http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/fll/
http://www.techbrick.com/Lego/LEGO2011/
Resources/index.html
www.syraweb.org links and resources
Many LEGO and FLL web resources available
Use Google keyword searches
2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

LEGO NXT components allowed

LEGO electrical parts limited to :
One NXT microcontroller
Only 3 NXT Motors/with integrated rotation sensors
Total quantity brought to the competition table!
Cannot add in extra motors in detachable modules!
We really mean it!
Also, no pull-back mechanical motors

Maximum of 6 LEGO-manufactured sensors

Touch, light, color and ultrasonic sensors

Cables allowed as needed

All LEGO non-electric components are allowed

In any quantity BrickLink Marketplace

LEGO pneumatics are allowed

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

NXT, motors & sensors

NXT (NeXT)
4 Sensor inputs (plus rotation sensors on motors)
3 Motor outputs
LCD and control buttons

Sensors
Touch
Light
Sound
Ultrasonic

Motors

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot systems block diagram

Chassis
Computer
(microcontroller)
Motors
Power
Sensors
Communications/co
ntrol

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot systems NXT Controller

Sensor ports - four input ports to
attach sensors - 1, 2, 3 & 4.
Motor ports - 3 output ports to
attach motors - A, B & C
USB port for code loading
NXT Buttons
Orange button : On/Enter /Run
Light grey arrows: Used to move
left & right in the NXT menu
Dark grey button: Clear/Go back
LEGO attachment points
Loudspeaker

Specifications
32-bit ARM7 microcontroller
256 Kbytes FLASH, 64 Kbytes RAM
8-bit AVR microcontroller
4 Kbytes FLASH, 512 Byte RAM
Bluetooth wireless (Class II V2.0)
USB full speed port (12 Mbit/s)
4 input ports, 6-wire cable digital
3 output ports, 6-wire cable digital
100 x 64 pixel LCD graphical display
Loudspeaker - 8 kHz sound quality.
Power source: 6 AA batteries

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot systems NXT motors

Your robot is able to move
using up to 3 servo
motors.
Turning speed is from 100170 rpm
NXT servo motors have an
integrated rotation sensor
Two motors can be
synchronized so that your
robot will move in a
straight line

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot systems NXT power

Batteries are placed inside of the NXT microcontroller
Flash memory programs not lost when battery removed
6 AA cells or 1 Lithium Ion rechargeable battery
Two different battery packs, AC or DC charger

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot systems NXT sensors

Sensors are used to provide
information about the environment
to the microcontroller

Light

Light sensor used for line tracking, a

color with filter
Touch
Touch sensor used to sense collisions
Ultrasonic sensor sense proximity
(distance without touching)
Color sensor sense colors, line
tracking

Color

Ultrasonic
2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Bricks & Beams

Standard LEGOs bricks, hold together by friction only
LEGO Technics standard beams, hold together by
friction and/or pins
LEGO Technics studless beams, hold together by pins

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Liftarms & Pins

Studless beams also
come in bent shapes
Some connectors are
crossed for axles,
others round
Pins are different
lengths & tightness
the light grey ones will
rotate in the holes

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Axles & Angle Connectors

Axles can be used for more
than just connecting
wheels.
With angle connectors, light
frameworks can be built

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Gears & Drive Trains

Gears are designated by # of teeth
Motor speed starts at ~ 125 rpm
Smallest (8t) & largest (40t) give a 5 to 1 ratio
Gearing down (small to large) increases torque (power) and
decreases speed
Gearing up (large to small) decreases torque and increases
speed

Spur Gears

40

24

16

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Technic Gears
Spur gears
8t, 16t, 24t, 40t

Crown gear
Double bevel gears
Single bevel gears
Worm gear
Clutch gear

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Technic Gear trains

Gear up/gear down
Up for speed
Down for torque

Idler gears
Only first and last gear
affect ratios

Single stage gearing

Ratio between # of teeth

Multi stage gearing

Multiplicative
3:1 plus 3:1 becomes 9:1
2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Worm Gears, Bevel Gears & Pulleys

Worm gear w/gear rack
equivalent of 1t gear
High torque
Difficult to back drive!
Crown & Bevel gears
Use to change angle of
rotation (90)

Pulleys bridge distance

Low torque capacity (bands slip)

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

LEGO Wheels
Avoid tracks
Low friction/high slippage
Motion/turns not easily reproducible

Large wheels go farther per revolution

Friction varies with different tires
Consider how well they pivot for turns, as well as straight
forward motion

Wheel-axle support
More support less wiggle/sag
Support from both sides is best

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Wheel Stability

1. Not Stable

3. More Stable

2. Stable

4. Most Stable

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot Design and Construction

Planning what does the team want to achieve and
how will they achieve it? Let the kids do it!
Design iteration
Brainstorm (what to build)
Design (how to build it)
Build it!
Test it!
Repeat until its perfect (or good enough)

Trade-offs: Good, Quick, Cheap pick two (at most)!

Quality Schedule Budget

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot Design Considerations

Size navigate obstacles on board, motor power
Ruggedness maintain structural integrity
Center of Gravity avoid tipping with slopes, sharp
turns or stops, or in collisions
Chassis style
2 wheel
Balancing skid is usually fine if no ramps to climb

3 wheel
Caster wheel can change robot course (supermarket carts)

4 wheel
Usually one pair is without tires to slide while pivoting)

6 wheel
Larger than most FLL robots, smaller base this season
2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

General Robot Chassis Design

The chassis (body) of the
robot is built using LEGO
Technic components.
It should be stable and
rugged, so it does not fall
apart under use.
Remember after it is built,
you still need to get to the
battery compartment on the
bottom of the
microcontroller.

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

General Robot Chassis Design

Two basic designs (many that are more complex)
Differential Drive
Tank-like steering, one motor connected to each side
Powerful, easy to turn in place
Can be a challenge to go straight

Steering Drive
Car-like steering, one motor to drive a pair of wheels,
another motor to steer
Less power (steering motor doesnt add drive power), hard to
turn in place
Not often used in competition

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot systems NXT motors

Each motor has a built-in Rotation
Sensor to control the robots
movements precisely. Rotations
are measured in degrees or
rotations [+/- one degree].
1 rotation = 360 degrees, if you
set a motor to turn 180 degrees,
it will make half a turn.

Slack in the internal gear-train

makes precise movements difficult
to reproduce exactly
The built-in Rotation Sensor in
each motor also lets you set
different speeds for your motors
[set different power parameters in
software].

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot Chassis Design

Differential Drive - dual wheel pivot

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot Chassis Design

Differential Drive - single wheel pivot

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Navigation Design Issues

Wheelbase narrow turns easily, wide goes straighter
Like fighter jets, stability is less maneuverable

Weight heavy yields less tire slip

Weight placement affects balance, ability to turn

Wheel support flexing of axles makes erratic motion

Support from both sides, if possible

Batteries constant power levels are key

Replacement batteries are key

Match motors for performance

Build jig to compare rotation speeds
Works best if you have many motors to choose from
2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Navigation Design Issues

Wall following
Horizontal guide wheels, approach wall at shallow angle

Line following
Use the light generated by the light sensor itself
For greatest accuracy, box light sensors to eliminate (as
much as possible) ambient light
Calibration can help to reduce the effect of changes in
external lighting, but is hard to eliminate
Light sensors tend to hunt pivoting on one wheel (instead
of two) tends to be less jittery and make faster progress
Take advantage of knowing the proper course for the
mission not a general-purpose line follower
2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Navigation - Design Issues

Uncalibrated light ranges from ~30 to ~70, 50 is a good
center of the midrange
Look for a range, look for < & >, not equal to a single value

Single light sensor line following

Following a grey value between the black line and the
white border

Dual light sensor line following

One follows the black line, the other follows the white
border

Triple light sensor line following

The middle one follows the black line, the outer ones
follow the white borders
2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Navigation - Design Issues

Reorientation after turns
Squaring against walls can restore a known angle
Push for a time, or use twin touch sensors
Contact surface of robot and wall must be smooth
Movement to a fixed point should be careful not to base only on
rotations a timer can save the robot from never arriving at the
final distance value

Dual light sensors can be used to align along a line on the mat

Arrival
Touch sensors can detect impact
Ultrasonic sensor can detect an approach without contact
Successful designs tend to use a combination of movement
controlled by rotations and timers and sensor-based movement
2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Demo robot from Winning Design book

used for examples

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Demo robot enhancement

Adding an attachment connection
Snap-on or slip-on
Use long black friction pins
They dont pull out easily when the
attachment is removed

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Demo robot enhancement

Adding a third motor on reverse end
Snap-on / snap-off
Cable to motor port A

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot Manipulator Design - no motors

Simple pusher design bulldozer
Flat surface
Snap-on or slide-on
Move game elements independently or in a container

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot Manipulator Design - no motors

Simple plow design
cowcatcher
Angled surfaces
Snap-on or slide-on
Move game elements out
of robots path

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot Manipulator Design motors optional

Fork and Hook
attachments
Can be combined with
power assist
to lift or sweep

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot Manipulator Design motors optional

Object trap
Box opens only inward
Capture objects to return
to base

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot Manipulator Design - with motors

Only three motors
allowed in FLL
Two are used for
propulsion
Third motor is best
attached to chassis
Attachments would be
designed to connect to
the fixed motor

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot Manipulator Design - with motors

Carabineer arm
Passive clip open/close
Spring or band tensioned
Principle can be used for grabbers. etc.

Powered arm to raise/lower

attach to motor
with axle

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot Manipulator Design - with motors

Lifting hook attachment
Vertical pivot from
attached motor
Similar design could
pivot horizontally as a
grabber

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Robot Manipulator Design - with motors

Forklift attachment
Uses worm gear, resists being back-driven

Gearing is often used in powered attachments

Can provide extra torque or slower motion
Simultaneous motion (grabber arms coming together)
Can redirect angle of motion

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Testing FLL Robots

Test robots in mission environment
Table/mat/mission objects
Properly oriented and secured

Time missions
Speed is important, but consistency is even more critical
Only 2.5 minutes total, include in-base time

Modify design one change at a time

Too many variables can confuse issues
Dont change code before you verify battery strength
Weak batteries cause performance issues

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Practicing with FLL Robots

Practice in mission environment
At first, just the individual mission
Then, in combination with others
Time in base for change-over is critical
Best to practice in assigned pairs

Plan for contingencies

When to grab robot and try again (or move on)
One of pair can follow robot down-field (quick grabs)
Alternate plan in case of difficulties

Murphys Law (and its many corollaries)

Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the
worst possible time, in the worst possible way
Murphy was an optimist!
2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop

Questions & Wrap-up

Resources linked at our Sharon Youth

Robotics Association website
Including this presentation

www.syraweb.org/Resources.htm

2011/12 FTC TETRIX Hints and Tips Workshop