Leauge Meet 1

By Elm, Anda, David, Fernando, Alyssa, Pavit, Nirjha, and Nalin

Our first league meet of the season proved to be an intense learning experience for our team. Competing in five matches, we walked away with a 1-4 record, but more importantly, we gained crucial insights that will shape our improvements moving forward.

Match 1: 38-5

We secured our only win of the day, though it came with a 30-point penalty awarded to us due to opposing team fouls. While the scoreboard favored us, our performance revealed critical issues. Our robot moved too aggressively, crossing into the opponent's launch zone and colliding with their robot. The flywheel showed promise by launching artifacts, but our accuracy needs work. We also experienced an artifact jam in the flywheel mechanism that we managed to clear during the match.

Match 2: 32-139

Facing a well-coordinated blue alliance, we struggled from the start. Technical issues prevented our autonomous routine from running, and our robot remained stationary for several seconds after match start. The opposing team's defensive strategy effectively blocked our shooting opportunities. Our paddle mechanism stopped functioning, leaving us unable to score. We also incurred two major fouls for contacting opponents in their secret tunnel during endgame.

Match 3: 31-71

We faced several accuracy challenges throughout this match. Most of our artifacts were shot too high, revealing tuning issues with our trajectory. Our positioning strategy also needed refinement; we discovered that shooting the artifacts required us to position at the very back of the forward triangle for any chance of success. An autonomous programming error caused us to venture too far into the opponent's zone, resulting in another major foul.

Match 4: 41-91

We faced significant intake issues. Our belt-driven intake system proved unreliable, especially when driving wasn't perfectly precise. The artifacts needed to be approached in a straight line for successful collection, making "messy" driving particularly problematic. Our overshooting issue persisted throughout the match, continuing the accuracy problems we'd experienced earlier in the day.

Match 5: 36-37

Our closest match ended in a one-point loss. We struggled with consistency, missing our purple preloads repeatedly due to both directional errors and power inconsistencies. Battery voltage may have been a factor as some shots lacked power while others had too much. The match concluded with a major foul when our teammate accidentally opened the blue alliance's gate. A critical missed opportunity came during endgame when our driver, lacking sufficient practice time, was unable to execute the parking maneuver. Those lost parking points proved to be the difference in this razor-thin defeat.

Key Takeaways

Mechanical Issues: The paddle tick configuration needs correction, and our flywheel occasionally jams. Artifact intake and shooting mechanisms require better tuning for consistent power and accuracy.

Programming Refinements: Our autonomous routines need boundary awareness to prevent zone violations. Robot speed control must be improved to avoid aggressive movements and collisions. Also, it takes a very long time to shoot the artifacts because all three parts of the outtake sequence have to be manually done by the driver. Implementing Limelight would also be beneficial since aligning our shots takes too long right now, reducing our scoring opportunities.

Driver Skills: Limited practice time showed during critical moments, particularly in endgame when parking maneuvers weren't executed successfully. This cost us valuable points in close matches and highlights the need for dedicated driver training sessions.