<![CDATA[MEGAHURTZ ROBOTICS - Blog]]>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 08:37:52 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[Our very own shining star]]>Mon, 10 Mar 2025 17:44:48 GMThttps://www.megahurtzrobotics.org/blog/our-very-own-shining-star
Cali was presented the Safety All Star Award March 8, 2025
St. Joseph District FRC Event - March 7 and 8, 2025
Calandra Layne, "Cali" to us lucky enough to know her, stepped into the roll of Safety Captain during the 2024 season. The season before that, Cali worked as an apprentice. MegaHurtz has a long reputation of being a safety leader at our events. Over the years, we've received several acknowledgements including the pit safety award three years in a row. (Before it was discontinued) What makes this award so special is that it begins with Cali's peers. Safety Captains nominate other Safety Captains they feel should get special recognition. An event coordinator goes through these submissions and interviews the nominated Safety Captains. Cali was recognized for her attention to pit safety, organization, safety equipment and the special training she has organized for our team. This training most recently included a paramedic that came to our workshop to go over basic first aid and event specific safety concerns and responses.

The FIRST culture emphasizes safety first in all that we do, and it is the Safety Captain's responsibility to ensure all team members are adhering to that principal as well as following all rules and guidelines for the workshop and events the team travels to. Cali inventories and administers our first aid, ensures we have the correct safety gear and PPE, and schedules trainings including CPR for students and mentors. This year, Cali borrowed a glucose monitoring kit and an emergency first aid kit that included a tourniquet for the competition. These often overlooked items can mean life or death when they're needed. Cali's next move is to secure funding for our team to purchase our own kits to have at our workshop and competition safety cabinet.

Congratulations, Cali. Everyone on the team is proud of you and safer because of your efforts!
]]><![CDATA[Stressed?]]>Thu, 14 Nov 2024 14:25:03 GMThttps://www.megahurtzrobotics.org/blog/stressedWho doesn't love a good stress ball?

​You can squish 'em, toss 'em, or hit them with stick! But, how about launching them from a robot?!

For our preseason project this year, the mostly new student members of the team will be designing a stress ball launcher to attach to the small promo robot we built last fall (photo below). After three weeks of designing, (we only meet one day a week) the team is ready to start construction. The overall concept will be a modular attachment that easily (dis)connects to the robot. We'll be able to build additional modules to swap out as the situation requires.

Photo: Fall 2023 promo robot construction

Image of a mentor working with students on a robot.
Be sure to follow our progress through January as we complete the design and build!
]]><![CDATA[2024 Edgewater Poker Run]]>Mon, 23 Sep 2024 22:54:57 GMThttps://www.megahurtzrobotics.org/blog/2024-edgewater-poker-run
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Edgewater Automation presents MegaHurtz with a $700 check. These proceeds from the 2024 Edgewater Poker Run will be used to help fund the 2025 FRC season.
It was a beautiful day, Saturday September 14, 2024. The Annual Edgewater Poker Run rolled into the Steamworks parking lot with a check for $700! Riders from all over the area drove motorcycles, classic and new cars, trucks and a few muscle cars to help raise money for five different robotics teams. The weather was perfect and the kids had a great time. This was the first such event for several of our new members and just a great, fun way to kick off the new year.

Thank you to Edgewater Automation for making this possible!

]]><![CDATA[St. Joseph District Finalists]]>Sun, 10 Mar 2024 15:32:49 GMThttps://www.megahurtzrobotics.org/blog/st-joseph-district-finalists
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MegaHurtz Robotics at the Sweet Shop (Cafe Italiano) in Buchanan on the way home from the St. Joseph District event, March 9, 2024.
No one could have made me believe we were going to be finalists after the rough start we had in day one of our two day competition. In our very first match, we lost, and it was clear there was something not quite right with bot. It wasn't the great beginning we had hoped for, but the best comeback stories always start that way!

There are many challenges to being a FIRST Robotics Team, but that’s sort of the point. Challenge the students, teach them critical thinking skills, engineering principles, and teamwork, and expose them to enough STEAM to keep them engaged and looking forward to their futures in these exciting fields. But, as a very small and fully self funded team, the challenges are exponentially greater. We often don’t get the latest technology. We can’t afford the best equipment and we can’t travel to extra events. We have been very blessed with the support our community has given us through their sponsorships and encouragement. Because of a huge investment in our program by the Fisher Rahiser Group and through our partnership with Lake Michigan STEAMWORKS a couple years ago, we have our own workshop where we hold classes and build our robots. Unfortunately, we still need to raise $20,000 each year in order to build a robot and go to competitions.

Each season, the team applies for as many grants as we are aware of. This season we were very fortunate to receive a grant from TC Energy specifically for expenses related to building the 2024 robot. This $6000 boost to our team allowed us to invest in Swerve Drive. (You can see a video of the REV Swerve Drive on Team 4481 demo here) This type of drive system has dominated FRC competitions for years, but at a price point of over $2400 just to get started, it has always been out of our reach. With the grant from TC Energy, we were finally able to level up our robot designs.

Of course, nothing on the robot is as simple as installing a part. Swerve Drive requires a massive amount of programming, calibration, and testing. We are very fortunate to have a returning team member and FIRST Alumni, Jesse Layne, as our programming mentor. Working with the students, he developed the advanced LabView programming code that makes it possible for our bot to move in any direction while utilizing a Field Forward orientation. The St. Joseph District event was the very first time we’ve ever tested the swerve drive system in competition, which means it was also the first time we’ve had to maintain it during the rigors of each match. It turned out to be a much bigger challenge than we expected. Anyone that builds things will tell you that putting something together is NOT the same thing as repairing it. Especially when you just came off the field and only have 10 minutes before you have to go back out! Things quickly turn into a gamble of what “needs” to be done, how little can we get away with now, and what will definitely need to be fixed later.
Pit Crew Left to Right (Rowan, Jean, and Elliot)
Drive Team Left to Right (Natalie, Elliot, Jordan, Jesse, Logan, and Brett)
At the end of our first day, we had played eight matches and only won two. Half of the matches we lost were directly related to mechanical failures on the bot. The other half was a mix of poor alliance combinations and our drive team working through communication issues. There was absolutely no question that there were a lot of better bots on the field, but we were not living up to what our bot and team were fully capable of. Towards the end of the day, it was apparent something major must have been wrong. Our awesome pit crew, led by Elliot Johnson, went to work examining every part of the bot thoroughly and completely. We found that one of our swerve modules had locked up several times over the course of the earlier matches. They were able to fix the issue causing the lockups, but it was apparent the drive motor had overheated and was shot. It would spin, but only at half the speed of the other three. It was now the end of day one and we didn't have time to swap out the motor before the pits closed.
Day two: Saturday.
The team arrived at 8:00 AM and only had an hour to work on the bot until opening ceremonies. The team didn’t feel they could get the part swapped out fast enough and the robot WAS working, so the decision was made to run it like it was. Somehow, our Driver and Operator duo of Logan Blumka and Jordan Layne managed to win the first couple matches even with our bot being slower and less capable. We were starting to look more like we should have at that point. We were shooting notes, dropping them in the Amp, and moving around the field much better, but still too slowly. At the conclusion of the Qualification matches going into the Alliance Selection, we were ranked 18th out of 38 teams. It was then that the #3 Alliance led by team 3452 The GreengineerZ from Berrien Springs and 4237 Team Lance-A-Bot from Lakeshore felt we had something to add going into the playoffs.

To be honest, I don’t remember every detail of those couple hours. It was intense. We won Round One and Round Two. It looked like we were going to sweep the upper bracket, but then bot failures knocked us down to the lower bracket in Round 3. At one point, we had four teams in our pit helping us repair damage to the bot from gameplay. It all came down to match 13. If we won this one, we’d go to the finals. If we lost, it was an incredible run but we’d be done. Despite the setbacks and technical issues, Alliance #3 won match 13 and earned a spot in the finals. Alliance #1 vs. Alliance #3. I would love to say that the story gets better from here, but that was not how it went. Finals are best two out of three and while the first match was a close loss for us, the second match was a wash. We only had one working bot. Ours failed spectacularly on the field and one of our alliance partners lost the ability to shoot. Competition is hard on robots, but regardless of whose did what, we were an amazing team! We all went home with medals and the title of St. Joseph District Finalists.
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St. Joseph District Event Media Gallery
By: Phillip Place
Lead Mentor: MegaHurtz Robotics
​FRC Team 5056
]]><![CDATA[LOAD IN AT ST. JOE IS TOMORROW]]>Wed, 06 Mar 2024 22:10:44 GMThttps://www.megahurtzrobotics.org/blog/load-in-at-st-joe-is-tomorrowThis season has been tough for us. Our team is made up primarily of seniors and 8th graders. What this has meant is that we have spent every meeting since September, teaching and mentoring the younger members so they were prepared for the 2024 season. This process meant building a robot. It wasn't a season bot or designed for any specific game. It was a simple frame with four drive motors that the student built completely on their own.

Fast forward to January 2024 and the new FRC season. Crescendo isn't a complicated game, but like all FIRST seasons, there are parts to it that require a great deal of thought and work that may not have seemed that way when we first started. There are significant challenges to this type of game piece.
2024 Season Bot "Riv-Et"
This year's robot design is a simple and elegant solution that was completely designed in CAD first. Using this process, we were able to teach the students how to model and test their ideas before construction.

The entire structure was designed and built around the REV Robotics ION building system and components.

We are late getting our robot complete, so our drive team hasn't had much time to practice. We are, however, very excited to get on the real competition field and show what our bot can do!
]]><![CDATA[Plow Day 2023]]>Mon, 24 Apr 2023 16:18:16 GMThttps://www.megahurtzrobotics.org/blog/plow-day-2023
We were fortunate to be invited again this year to the Buchanan Community School Farm for Plow Day! We had the opportunity to meet the next generation of farmer and talk about why robotics is so important now and into the future. We also had a chance to take our drone out for the first time this year!
]]><![CDATA[megahurtz wins 'industrial design' award]]>Mon, 03 Apr 2023 19:56:48 GMThttps://www.megahurtzrobotics.org/blog/megahurtz-wins-industrial-design-award
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​MegaHurtz Robotics makes it to round 3 of the East Kentwood District Playoffs and brings home the Industrial Design Award!

April 1, 2023

So what is the Industrial Design Award? FIRST states that this award, “Celebrates the team that demonstrates industrial design principles, striking a balance between form, function, and aesthetics.” In order to be considered for this award:
  • A team must be able to describe how their robot is elegant, efficient (simple/executable), and practical.
  • The entire machine design, or the detailed process used to develop the design, is worthy of this recognition, and not just a single component.
  • The robot distinguishes itself from others by its aesthetic and functional design. 
Our robot was recognized in particular for its clean electrical layout, intuitive cable and hose management and overall simple light-weight design. The judges also noted our new dashboard system that allows for complete Autonomous Mode code to be built directly on the dashboard and applied to the robot without ever having to recompile code!
The East Kentwood District event was an incredible experience for the entire team. In our first competition at the St. Joseph District event, we had a number of issues with our gripper that we simply could not have identified prior to competition. During that event, we focused our time less on competing and more on testing and redesigning. The field experience was the perfect opportunity to test some ideas and get a real feel for the bot and the game. Coming home with that knowledge and experience, the team quickly got to work redesigning everything but the drivetrain. The motor and gear system for our first stage arm was completely removed and replaced with pneumatic cylinders. The gripper was stripped down to its base components and a new motor driven intake system was installed.
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Version 1 of our gripper. This "Pincer" design worked like kitchen tongs to grab and hold the game pieces.
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Version 2 : This design uses Neo 550 motors paired with a 12:1 gearbox to spin the intake wheels and pull the game pieces in. The cylinder allows us to open for cubes and close for cones.
For the last several years, FRC games have involved some version of a ball. This year was a new challenge for us working with inflatable "cubes" and traffic cones.
Ultimately we discovered that the pincer design did not have enough holding force to keep a cone securely in place. It also required too much precision by the driver to lineup in order to grab hold of either game piece. The wheeled intake system allowed for us to simply bump up against the piece so that it could be pulled in. Utilizing the pneumatic cylinder to open and close gave us the two options for delivery cones. We could simply open the intake or reverse the wheels to spit a cone out.
Overall we are very happy with the performance of the redesigned gripper. Our successes at Kentwood made for the perfect end to the 2023 season!
]]><![CDATA[2023 St. Joseph District event]]>Thu, 16 Mar 2023 21:40:42 GMThttps://www.megahurtzrobotics.org/blog/2023-st-joseph-district-event
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2023 St. Joseph District - Team Photo
Ten students, eight weeks and a lot of pizza! That is what went into this season's Week 2 event at St. Joseph High School. Going into this event we were still two week behind schedule, so we knew we needed to have realistic expectations. We're not going to be the best bot. We're not going to have everything working. We're simply going to do the best we can with what we have. This "resignation" served as an empowerment and the team flourished. By the end of the event, our first-time driver handled the bat as if he'd been doing it for years. Team members each found solid footing in their new roles and everyone gave it their all. The best part: We all had a blast. It was a great weekend and now we're motivated more than ever to work the bugs out to be ready for Kentwood in Week Five!

A Little History

The 2023 season didn't start well. Each year the team works to secure the $20,000 needed for the season. Typically, we don't know if we'll have enough until November which is also the deadline to pay FIRST the $6000 they require for teams to participate. (Yes, we must pay to play) So, once we knew we had enough to register and continue with the season, we start the purchasing process for parts we're going to need to build a robot. It was an unexpected shock to learn that nearly everything we needed was out of stock. In fact, the building system that we've used for years was completely unavailable.

In January of each year, teams from all over the world get together for the big Kickoff. This is the major event where the game is revealed and we all learn what the robot will have to do on the field. During our kickoff we spent a great deal of time brainstorming how we were going to accomplish a build and also WHERE we were going to purchase parts! After review several options, we decided to adopt the Rev Robotics building system. This required purchasing all new pieces and parts, adapter, brackets, etc.. On top of having to completely purchase and learn a new building system, we had to wait up to a week for the parts to arrive each time we ordered. Over the course of the build season, we spent three weeks just waiting on parts!
]]><![CDATA[Plow Day 2022]]>Sat, 21 May 2022 18:57:29 GMThttps://www.megahurtzrobotics.org/blog/plow-day-2022
]]><![CDATA[Muskegon District Quarter-Finalists]]>Mon, 21 Mar 2022 14:25:25 GMThttps://www.megahurtzrobotics.org/blog/muskegon-district-quarter-finalistsMegaHurtz made it to the Quarter-Finals this past weekend, taking double elimination to three matches before being knocked out by the #2 alliance. We'd like to thank our alliance members teams 4855 and 4004 for an amazing run! Sadly, this ends our 2022 competition season but opens our schedules for our next phase in moving to our new workshop! Be sure to checkout all the photos and our season video (coming soon).

Thank you to all our supports and team sponsors. None of this would have been possible without you!
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