Nadir, named for being the antonym of Zenith, our 2023 robot, was team 484’s CRESCENDO robot. It featured an above-bumper intake that doubled as a speaker and amp shooter, dubbed the 3-in-1. The back mechanism, named the ampapult, served as a more reliable amp scoring mechanism. We utilized two-stage climbers in a box with custom CNCed hooks. This year, we created an alliance with Penn State Great Valley, and they helped us with some of the custom parts on Nadir, including a water-jetted pocketed aluminum belly pan. This is team 484’s first year using AndyMark’s MK41 Swerve Drive, but it certainly won’t be our last. With its sleek black and blue design, Nadir slithered its way to victory and in our team’s memory.
CRESCENDO – The Challenge
CRESCENDOSM was the 2024 FRC Challenge. In this game, two alliances of three robots compete scoring circular rubber notes into the speaker, a high goal worth 2 points, and the amp, a low goal worth 1 point. If two amp notes are scored, teams can amplify, multiplying notes scored by 2.5%. During the first 15 seconds, alliances operate without driver or operator inputs, where points are multiplied by the same percentage. At the end of the match, teams race to the stage and climb on three chains. If possible, they score in the trap while human players attempt to toss the high notes onto the microphone, pegs placed on the top of the stage. The alliance with the most points wins the match! The game manual can be found here.