The Code Red "Perspectus" #5
My initial work as treasurer was, I’ll admit, a little hectic. I wasn’t sure of what to do, and I wasn’t entirely prepared for the volume of work that I had to do. With a bit of time though, I have been able to adjust to my duties. I have learned to handle odd hours, and to communicate with companies. By keeping an organized binder, I am able to effectively deal with varying paperwork. I actually like my job too. I like to think of taking shipment inventory as opening birthday or Christmas presents- though fasteners and motors aren’t much for presents. Overall, I am confident in my abilities, and in the ability of Code Red to handle the financial pressures of an expensive build season.
I started out this year working mostly with the CAD team, in addition to my normal treasury duties. CAD was, to be blunt, chaos. Parts were modeled incorrectly. Other parts were modeled correctly, and then rejected when it came time to build their physical counterparts. Massive changes on the physical frame necessitated time-consuming overhauls of the CAD assemblies. This was frustrating beyond belief for me. When I work on something, I do not like seeing it go to waste. The situation with the frame was especially vexing, as no meaningful modeling could be done on several systems due to the lack of dimensions. Fortunately, there were people on the team who stepped up and put in a great deal of extra effort. Ben deserves extra note for his final frame assembly, as does Joon for his kicker mechanism. David and the Setters, despite a multitude of save-related errors, were able to complete the model of the arm. With the assistance of the mentors, the CAD team is now well on its way to a completed mode; you can see some of the results online.
With the CAD situation under relative control, I have turned my attention to the physical assembly of the robot. Working on the frame, and developing the kicker has been very satisfying. A week or so ago, I was pulling my hair out while trying to direct a floundering CAD team. Now, I think we might just be on the right track. The frame is being assembled lighter and more effective than before, and the kicker has been re-designed for increased effectiveness. Mr. Brower’s original prototype kicker will soon be ready for its refinement into the final component. The electronics systems are beginning to take shape, and the programming is ready for testing as physical systems come online. We still have some difficult days ahead, but we WILL finish.
- Benjamin
