Bungee Drop C

[BuildistFromTheNorth]

Just came back from Wright State Invitational and did pretty well...

However, I dont know if anyone else saw, but the way the proctors measured the clearance was very inaccurate. They had a video camera set up but you could tell it didnt work because after a few tests, the proctors rarely looked at it for a true confirmation. Most of the time, the weight dropped, the 3 proctors discussed for a second (literally 2-3 seconds) and told the competitors the scores. On tests that went way above the camera (40's to 90's cm) you could hear them saying "55 to 65? Right?.... ehhh 60 cm") and then would tell the competitors. This seemed very unfair as any kind of error in vision could put an entire team back a place in overall team results. I hope at Nats, they will have a high-speed camera and some kind of mechanism to test if the weight tapped or not (as suggested in the rules, carbon paper or sand).

Also, the way they had the "5 minute setup" was very unprofessional. They never stated that when teams are in line to test, that waiting time IS you setup time, so many teams had to mark measurements within the 5 minute TESTING period, and had to rush to get both tests on time.

I hope at Nats, they will have a high-speed camera and some kind of mechanism to test if the weight tapped or not (as suggested in the rules, carbon paper or sand).

I know that the proctor at Nats already has that all planned out. He even has a really cool rig to take the parallax into account. That was my main concern from the mira loma invite was how the proctors didnt have a tripod or anything for the camera so they were holding it at different heights. If the camera is not at the exact level as the falling mass and the meter stick (or whatever they are using to measure the distance) is not right next to the mass there will be a parallax issue resulting in slightly incorrect results. That being said i felt that at the invite it wasnt unfair because there weren't a ton of teams who were getting extremely close. (1-10cm to the ground) For the most part it was clear what the rankings were

[GoldenKnightB]

We just ran Bungee Drop at an invitational in Pennsylvania and have been to two others. Each invitational has used a different drop rig. One used a pair of vice-grip pliers and the second simply had the kids drop it by hand. I have also heard of a trap door mechanism but I have not seen it. The one that I created had a pin going thru the carabineer. I had a small piece of cardboard that served as a stop to reduce the chance of the bottle accidently sliding off. I put pictures of my rig in the Image Gallery and I would LOVE to see pictures of other rigs. (I tried to put pictures in this post and failed.)

The rig worked pretty well. Everyone had exactly the same drop height and the bottle fell straight every time. A few cords went over the side of the platform instead of the front. Some of the kids had trouble putting the bottle on the rig even though there was an identical rig in the prep area that they could practice on. We used Coach’s Eye to record the drops and determine the distance from the floor based on a recommendation from this forum. It worked well.

I would like to hear from some other supervisors about their experiences running this event.

[iwonder]

Where'd you put the pictures? I can't find them

of course you would think I would be able to get around the image gallery...

[GoldenKnightB]

Sorry but I am having problems uploading pictures. I will post them shortly (I hope). You can always send me a PM and I can email them to you.

[GoldenKnightB]

I have finally posted pictures of our drop rig in the Image Gallery. If you have a different type of rig, please upload pictures to the Image Gallery. If you can't upload them to the Bungee Drop Album just put them in the Upload Album.

[The Dragon]

I have finally posted pictures of our drop rig in the Image Gallery. If you have a different type of rig, please upload pictures to the Image Gallery. If you can't upload them to the Bungee Drop Album just put them in the Upload Album.

So in those pictures is the carabiner the release mechanism?

Is the clamp the piece you use to adjust how much cord you use?

Thanks.

[GoldenKnightB]

I have finally posted pictures of our drop rig in the Image Gallery. If you have a different type of rig, please upload pictures to the Image Gallery. If you can't upload them to the Bungee Drop Album just put them in the Upload Album.

So in those pictures is the carabiner the release mechanism?

Is the clamp the piece you use to adjust how much cord you use?

Thanks.

There is a pin that goes thru the carabiner. Pull the pin to release the bottle. The clamps are indeed the piece you use to adjust the cord.

[The Dragon]

There is a pin that goes thru the carabiner. Pull the pin to release the bottle. The clamps are indeed the piece you use to adjust the cord.

Thanks that makes more sense.

[Jaycze]

Hi, my partner and I are trying to work on an equation for our bungee so we do not have to test so much. Does anyone have any tips to go about creating an equation?

[JTMess]

Hi, my partner and I are trying to work on an equation for our bungee so we do not have to test so much. Does anyone have any tips to go about creating an equation?

I would recommend using graphing software (I prefer Excel). Type in as many data points as you are able to test then graph distance vs mass at each height or distance vs height for each mass. You can use the graphs to extrapolate the data points you weren't able to test.I've found that you don't necessarily need an equation and that, if you do decide to use one, everyone's bungee is unique and thus requires a different equation.