Standard software suite for team laptops

When setting up new laptops for the team, Triple Helix installs the following suite of programs.

All laptops

FRC driver station laptops

Triple Helix strongly endorses WPILib’s Driver Station Best Practices guide for driver station laptops.

FRC software development laptops

All software required for an FRC driver station laptop, plus:

FRC mechanical design / CAD laptops

TORC development laptops

REV MAXSwerve wheel tread jig

In fall 2022, Triple Helix created a working drilling & marking jig to prepare replacement strips of treads for the aluminum 3″ MAXSwerve Wheel used on the 3″ REV MAXSwerve module.

This jig produces treads with the correct hole spacing for 3-ply black neoprene tread material (McMaster-Carr p/n 5994K1) such that the tread installs tightly on the 3″ diameter x 7/8″ wide billet wheel. Triple Helix found this working hole pattern through four rounds of guess-and-check iteration, and also by drawing on our past experience with the similar tread jigs we made for SDS wheels.

Drill bushings (McMaster-Carr p/n 96511A666) can be pressed into the fixture to ensure that the jig will remain usable for a long time, however users should note that they will need to grind a flat into these bushings since the screw placement is very narrowly spaced.

Onshape document

SDS MK4 swerve wheel tread jigs

Triple Helix designed and fabricated a set of drilling jigs to prepare replacement strips of treads for the Swerve Drive Specialties MK4 and MK4i swerve module. These jigs reproduce the hole spacing for black neoprene and blue nitrile tread material shared by SDS’s Patrick Woolfenden here; treads prepared using these tools install tightly on the nominal 4″ diameter x 1.5″ wide MK4 swerve wheel. Triple Helix used our 130W laser cutter to cut the components of the tread tools from 1/4″ Delrin sheet.

Onshape document

Assembly instructions:

  • Laser cut the top and bottom plates from 1/4″ sheet.
  • Laser cut the spacer plate(s) to match the thickness of the tread material.
  • Drill and tap the holes around the perimeter of the bottom plate to 8-32.
  • Drill the corresponding holes on the other 2 plates to provide clearance for an 8-32 fastener.
  • Install drill bushings (McMaster 96511A666) into the top plate such that they are flush with the lower surface.
  • Assemble the drill jig with SHCS 8-32 x 5/8″ LG fasteners.

2020 summer project: vision aiming testbed

During the summer of 2020 Triple Helix designed and built a testbed for developing software code to accurately aim a turret on a moving robot base. This first generation uses an unpowered base on casters, with a camera and laser pointer on a geared pan/tilt. The goal is to be able to automatically hold the laser spot stationary on a vision target while manually rolling and spinning the mobile base. If successful, this can be the basis for future turret style shooters for Triple Helix to use in competition.

Video

GrabCAD repository

GitHub repository

Accessible archery

This spring, Triple Helix once again partnered with a Virginia Commonwealth University occupational therapy doctoral student to develop assistive devices for people in the Hampton Roads region. The team created this accessible bow mount for Camp Bruce McCoy, a residential summer camp for adults with a brain injury in Chesapeake, Virginia.  This device will enable single-arm operation of a recurve bow which will be mounted in the shooting gallery at the camp.  The team provided both right-handed and left-handed versions of the bow mount to the camp.

The bow mount is fabricated from laminated sheets of 1/4″ clear polycarbonate.  Triple Helix cuts this material on our 80-watt laser cutter, but these parts can alternatively be fabricated with more common shop tools (e.g. jigsaw, hand drill).  The bow mount enables the user to aim the bow in both the azimuth and elevation directions before shooting an arrow.  The bow can be installed at any height, enabling archery practice for both standing and seated users.

STEP file