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How can the dowel be moved when the mousetrap vehicle travels?

Zxcvbnm123 wrote:How can the dowel be moved when the mousetrap vehicle travels?

Why would you want the dowel to be moved while the vehicle is traveling? I'm not sure that I understand your question.

penclspinner wrote:

Zxcvbnm123 wrote:How can the dowel be moved when the mousetrap vehicle travels?

Why would you want the dowel to be moved while the vehicle is traveling? I'm not sure that I understand your question.

Not 100% sure what the question is asking either, but I believe that Zxcvbnm123 wants to move the dowel horizontally with respect to the vehicle during a run so that it starts on the Start point and ends on the VTP while the vehicle itself travels in a straight line between the Start point and CTP? If this is what you mean to ask, cuber did it successfully a while back.

Zxcvbnm123 wrote:How can the dowel be moved when the mousetrap vehicle travels?

I’m not sure if this will make sense but my team had two horizontal beams traveling horizontally under the vehicle. We had a pin(slightly larger than the gap between the beams glued into the top of our dowel rod.

We then had a seperate rod(not the drive arm) attached to the mousetraps on the right side. We tied a string to the end of it(the specific length of the arm matters for overall string length). The string then traveled around a series of hooks until being tied to the dowel. I can’t really describe the positions of the eye hooks without describing the entire vehicle. But essentially, the mousetraps would pull the arm and the arm would pull the string moving the dowel from the left side of the vehicle to the right.

I’m sure the description doesn’t make sense but it’s the best I can do while only being able to type it. Sorry

Dreamz wrote:

penclspinner wrote:

Zxcvbnm123 wrote:How can the dowel be moved when the mousetrap vehicle travels?

Why would you want the dowel to be moved while the vehicle is traveling? I'm not sure that I understand your question.

Not 100% sure what the question is asking either, but I believe that Zxcvbnm123 wants to move the dowel horizontally with respect to the vehicle during a run so that it starts on the Start point and ends on the VTP while the vehicle itself travels in a straight line between the Start point and CTP? If this is what you mean to ask, cuber did it successfully a while back.

That is basically what I want

Zxcvbnm123 wrote:

Dreamz wrote:

penclspinner wrote:
Why would you want the dowel to be moved while the vehicle is traveling? I'm not sure that I understand your question.

Not 100% sure what the question is asking either, but I believe that Zxcvbnm123 wants to move the dowel horizontally with respect to the vehicle during a run so that it starts on the Start point and ends on the VTP while the vehicle itself travels in a straight line between the Start point and CTP? If this is what you mean to ask, cuber did it successfully a while back.

That is basically what I want

I think you are asking how the rack gear system works?
- You attach a crown gear to the front axle (so it rotates with the front wheels)
- Perpendicular to that crown gear and touching it, you would have a regular spur gear at the very front of the vehicle
- This gear is touching a 25 cm rack gear underneath it that would then move as the wheels turn
- The dowel is attached to one end of the rack gear and begins in the center of the front of the vehicle when it is at the start line
- At some point on its way forward, the rack gear would come out all the way so that the dowel is 25 cm out to the right
- The rack gear should no longer be touching the other gears and it should be supported in its end position by something (idk what)
- I'm assuming that this is for a state competition, but if you already know your team will be going to nationals then I wouldn't recommend this approach (a 50cm rack gear would not fit in the measuring box)
- You would have to calculate the ideal number of teeth for each gear based on your axle diameter, wheel diameter, etc.

I don't know if I covered everything because I did not use this system, but this is my understanding of how it works.

MTV<=>Operator wrote: - I'm assuming that this is for a state competition, but if you already know your team will be going to nationals then I wouldn't recommend this approach (a 50cm rack gear would not fit in the measuring box)

Only the wheels have to fit in to 40x40 square so you could use this for nationals.

falcon1236912 wrote:

MTV<=>Operator wrote: - I'm assuming that this is for a state competition, but if you already know your team will be going to nationals then I wouldn't recommend this approach (a 50cm rack gear would not fit in the measuring box)

Only the wheels have to fit in to 40x40 square so you could use this for nationals.

That's true, I didn't realize that. It would still be hard for a vehicle to support a rack gear that extends 50cm out to the side unless it is really lightweight.

How do you keep the cup at the front of the vehicle when the dowel moves away?

MTV<=>Operator wrote:

falcon1236912 wrote:

MTV<=>Operator wrote: - I'm assuming that this is for a state competition, but if you already know your team will be going to nationals then I wouldn't recommend this approach (a 50cm rack gear would not fit in the measuring box)

Only the wheels have to fit in to 40x40 square so you could use this for nationals.

That's true, I didn't realize that. It would still be hard for a vehicle to support a rack gear that extends 50cm out to the side unless it is really lightweight.

Alternatively, you could have a gear rack of similar weight extending out the other side.