Project LiftOff

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Project Liftoff at NHRL September 2022
Project Liftoff - February 2022 (rev 6.0) Pictured before Motorama Robot Conflict
Project Liftoff - September 2021 (rev 5.0), pictured before the September 2021 event. The bot went on to go undefeated, winning the 3lb division with 4 KOs and 3 judges decisions.

Project Liftoff is a 3lb MeltyBrain (a robot that moves using translational drift) as its entire body spins at 2000 to 4000 RPM.

Project LiftOff does not use an IR-beacon. It has dual IR-sensors in it that can be used to sense how far objects are in every direction; these can be used by the driver-controlled versions (Project LiftOff and Flip-N-Cut), and are required by the autonomous version (DeepMelt).

Dual directional LEDs (on top/bottom and front/back) are used to indicate direction relative to the Bot (not the earth/cage). When the Bot is "tuned" these LEDs do not drift, but will change direction as the Bot ricochets around the cage. The driver must learn to drive the Bot relative to its "front" (the green LED) just like most other Bots.

As of Nov/Dec 2022, Project Liftoff is in it's 7th design iteration.

Project Liftoff - March 2019 (rev 1.0)
  • Rev-1.0 : March 2019
    • Processor: Arduino Nano
    • Accelerometer: common MPU 6050 (+/- 16g 12 bits)
    • Receiver Interface: standard RC-PWM into UART
    • Motor Control: OneShot125 via PWM manipulation @ ~800Hz
    • External Sensors: none
  • Rev-1.1 May 2019
    • switched from 8" Aluminum rings to 9" AR-500 ring with tooth (and hand cut HDPE)
      • this AR-500 tooth proved to be too pointed and became embedded in arena wall several times
Project Liftoff - May 2019 (rev 1.1)
Project Liftoff - August 2019 (rev 1.2)
Sir Pops A Lot (derivative) - August 2019 (rev 1.15)
  • Rev-2.0 : 2020
    • Processor: Teensy 4.0
    • Accelerometer: none… used motor eRPM telemetry from ESCs via bidirectional dShot
    • Receiver Interface: RC-SBUS into UART
    • Motor Control: dShot600 via SPI manipulation @ 8000Hz
    • External Sensors: active IR
    • CNC'd HDPE body
    • New 8" AR-500 ring and tooth (with a more blunt tip)
Project Liftoff - July 2020 (rev 2.0)
Flip N' Cut (derivative) - July 2020 (rev 2.05)
Project Liftoff - September 2020 (rev 2.1)
  • Rev-3 : 2021 Same electronics as Rev-2; improved algorithm, wheel orientation, and return to accelerometer (see March-2021 picture below).
    Project Liftoff - March 2021 (rev 3.0)
    • Processor: Teensy 4.0
    • Accelerometer: H3LIS331DL (+/- 400g 16 bits)
    • Receiver Interface: RC-SBUS into UART
    • Motor Control: dShot600 via SPI manipulation @ 8000Hz
    • External Sensors: active IR
    • changed to 4S (from 3S)
    • Other Details:
      • Switched to a "Motor Pod" that is sandwhich'd by two clam shell HDPE halves.
      • Put wheels in-line with weapon tooth (what was Jim thinking).
      • misc. software improvements (algorithm simplified)
  • Rev-4 : 2021 (May-2021 and July-2021) Same as Rev-3 except:
    • Quest for a more durable motor...
      • May-2021: created a custom motor with internal thrust bearing with "no-name" motors (internal thrust bearing still failed by the third fight).
      • July-2021: Put a thrust bearing inside a PropDrive motor
        • Combing a PD-2826 stator with a PD-2830 motor-can gave the needed room. Could do the same thing with a PD-2830 stator and a PD-2836 motor-can (the PD-2836 is really a 2834, 4mm larger than the PD-2830).
        • This motor sacrificed power for durability. It was durable... however, it changed the failure point to the set screws and motor axle.
    • Wheel Axis returning to 90 degrees from weapon
      • when wheels are inline with the weapon, the hockey-pucking is far worse.
    • Making weight distribution fully symmetric...
      • a large counter-balance weight opposite (single tooth) weapon increases hockey-pucking... an impact causes the tooth to stop, but the other side of the Bot goes flying due to its own momentum.
      • change to fully symmetric two weapon teeth, allowing us to avoid a large counter balance weight.
    • changed to full round HDPE body
      • prior HDPE cut-outs were to save weight
      • prior circular AR-500 weapon ring kept wall collisions "safer" and minimized pinning risk, and allowed us to hollow-out the HDPE.
      • re-design and re-cut of HDPE shell.
    • weapon ring changes
      • make weapon ring narrower to decrease weight to offset increase in HDPE
      • remove bolt holes from weapon ring (to maximize its strength)
    • Project Liftoff - Side profile (rev 6.0)
      July-2021: first usage of titanium wheels. Thank you to Joe Fabbiani (Smeeeeh) and Calvin Iba (Lynx) for sharing the idea and showing the way - see Lynx May-2021 competition.
  • Rev-5 : Sept-2021 Same as Rev-4 except:
    • Major Motor redesign
      • Switched from PropDrive 2830 to PropDrive 2836.
        • more power.
      • Changed to a Hub Motor wheel attachment
        • 6mm dead axle
        • two 626 bearings (1000+ pounds of dynamic load)
        • custom machined aluminum inner (motor-can) and out (wheel) hubs
          • done on home CNC machine (0.2mm layer height)
        • titanium wheels (via send-cut-send)
        • no more set screw failures!
        • Thank you to Brian Boxell (Eruption) for giving us some direction, encouragement, and help on Hub Motors.
    • Yet another AR-500 weapon ring re-design
      • Needed to find 80+ grams to offset the increased weight from the above Hub Motors.
      • Same 0.25" AR-500, but...
        • via send-cut-send.
        • Previous 326g (almost a full round circle) to 241g (almost rectangular)
        • Still no holes, very tapered/narrow in the middle.
    • Both the above required a re-design of HDPE shell.
  • Annotated Image of Sept-2021 Project LiftOff internals. The accelerometer and RC receiver are on the underside of the PCB.
    Rev-5 Issues that we had hoped to address for Nov-2021 :
    • In the "first attempt" of CNC'ing aluminum I made several mistakes that led to slight defects in the motor hubs (leading to non-alingment in the Hub Motors that were used... rubbing/friction/added heat/lost power).
      • Over-clamping & un-even clamping.
      • Slight alignment issues with double sided parts.
    • We never (software) tuned Project LiftOff... we were making hardware fixes until midnight on Friday.
      • The controls were upside down and backwards all day on Saturday.
      • The IR object/wall detection was never used since it was so misaligned.
    • Possibly make some ESC changes to improve drift performance.
    • Continue to ponder how to avoid "hockey pucking".
    • "Save the Arena Floor" upgrade...
      • We will modify the software to take advantage of the wheel telemetry information we have (via bidirectional dShot) to avoid "spinning our wheels".
      • This will not only stop us from ripping apart the arena floor (like a saw blade), but:
        • It will be much quieter.
        • It should enable us to spin up much faster (using static friction instead of dynamic friction).

  • Rev-6 : February-2022 Same as Rev-5 except:
    • Major Shell Redesign
      • After failures during the December finals, we have decided to move away from UHMW or HDPE as shell materials. These materials were too prone to failure around the metal ring.
      • The outer shells are now printed out of TPU plastic.
      • Smaller batteries
    • New AR500 weapon options
      • Long reach weapon, made of stacked 1/8" AR500.
        • via send-cut-send.
        • Allows us to play the reach game with other horizontals, and keeps big wheel bots away from our chassis.
        • Welded together, questionable structural integrity.
    • New PCB iteration
      • Smaller
      • Lighter
      • Bluetooth to remote external devices
        • Functional, but requires an add-on board that is hard to fit in 3 pound bot.
        • Provides battery, temp, and speed telemetry in real time
      • Smarter layout, better components.

  • Rev7 changes (Sept/Nov/December 2022)
    • Changed shell layout to allow...
      • rotated hub motors so wheels are outward (instead of inward).
        • This provides a better "gear ratio", giving more torque to spin up (but decreases the final speed).
      • New PCB layout to accommodate...
        • multiple accelerometers, fewer parts, different parts
      • Better machined Inner/Outer Hubs
      • Thinner Titanium wheels.
    • Software improvements for better drifting
    • (Finally) did revision 1 of autonomous software

Robot Facts

The first appearance was at the March 2019 NHRL event. The very first version used an 8" diameter aluminum pipe cut into two 1/2" thick slices with a notch cut out for the AR500 tooth (with two bolt holes).

Since then, Liftoff has used several laser or waterjet-cut AR500 steel rings. These rings have been sandwiched or otherwise mounted to CNC'd UHMW/HDPE or 3D printed TPU bodies that contain the primary electronics and battery. This has proven to be a durable, and adaptable construction method.

Driver Andrew Kazmer (mostly) Jim Kazmer (sometimes)
Weight Class 3lb
Body Material TPU, HDPE, AR500
Weapon Meltybrain Spinner
Weapon Drive NA
Drive 2 x Propdrive 2836 1200kv, 1.55" Titanium "Cleat" Wheels
Power 2x4S 450mah LiPo
Minibot - 1lb Titanium wedge, TPU body










Statistics

Info

  • Rank: #63 in 3lb.
  • Last 5 fights: WLWWL
  • Current streak: L1 (1 KOs/KO'd)
  • Longest winning streak: 7 (4 KOs)
  • Longest losing streak: 3 (3 KO'd)
  • Avg fight time (seconds): 134.2

Record

Year Events Fights W L % KOs KO'd
2018-19 3 68 6 4 0.600 4 4
2020 3 68 4 6 0.400 3 4
2021 6 68 12 8 0.600 8 3
2022 4 68 13 8 0.619 5 5
2023 1 68 3 1 0.750 1 0
2024 1 68 2 1 0.667 0 1
All-Time 18 68 40 28 0.588 21 16


Events

Date Fought as Reached Place Fights W L KOs KO'd
March 9, 2019 Project LiftOff Losers 2 3 2 1 2 1
May 10, 2019 Project LiftOff Losers 5 4th 6 4 2 2 2
August 10, 2019 Project Liftoff Losers 1 1 0 1 0 1
July 18, 2020 Project LiftOff Losers 3 4 2 2 2 1
July 19, 2020 Project Liftoff Losers 4 4 2 2 1 1
September 19, 2020 Project Liftoff Losers 1 2 0 2 0 2
March 20, 2021 Project LiftOff Losers 3 3 1 2 0 0
May 15, 2021 Project Liftoff Losers 3 3 1 2 1 2
July 24, 2021 Project Liftoff Winners 4 2 1 1 1 0
September 18, 2021 Project Liftoff Final 1st 7 7 0 4 0
November 13, 2021 Project LiftOff Winners 2 1 0 1 0 1
December 18, 2021 Project LiftOff Losers 4 4 2 2 2 0
April 23, 2022 Project LiftOff Elimination 4 4 2 2 2 2
September 17, 2022 Project Liftoff Elimination Round 5 4 2 2 1 1
November 12, 2022 Project LiftOff Elimination Final 3rd 7 5 2 2 0
December 17, 2022 Project LiftOff Elimination Final 3rd 6 4 2 0 2
March 18, 2023 Project LiftOff Round 5 4 3 1 1 0
March 2, 2024 Project LiftOff Round of 32 3 2 1 0 0


Opponents

Opponent Fights W L KOs KO'd Last Meeting
Eruption 3 2 1 1 1 December 17, 2022
Lynx 3 0 3 0 2 December 17, 2022
Judge's Dream 2 2 0 0 0 September 18, 2021
SawMurai 2 1 1 1 0 July 24, 2021
Polywog 2 1 1 0 1 December 17, 2022
Chubby Unicorn 2 1 1 0 1 December 17, 2022
Wasp 2 0 2 0 2 May 10, 2019
Jack Rabbit 2 0 2 0 0 July 19, 2020
Caldera 2 0 2 0 0 December 18, 2021
Razor Storm 1 1 0 1 0 September 18, 2021
Booooring 1 1 0 1 0 September 18, 2021
Be Careful What You Wish For 1 1 0 1 0 September 18, 2021
Dark Princess 1 1 0 1 0 September 18, 2021
Crisis (II) 1 1 0 1 0 September 17, 2022
HiveLighter 1 1 0 1 0 November 12, 2022
Professor Hex 1 1 0 1 0 November 12, 2022
OffTrack 1 1 0 1 0 May 15, 2021
Kill Joy 1 1 0 1 0 May 10, 2019
Bad Bot 1 1 0 1 0 May 10, 2019
Maw 1 1 0 1 0 March 9, 2019
Cookie Monster 1 1 0 1 0 March 9, 2019
Black Havoc 1 1 0 1 0 March 18, 2023
BB2X 1 1 0 1 0 July 19, 2020
Yes 1 1 0 1 0 July 18, 2020
Starchild 1 1 0 1 0 December 18, 2021
Voxel (3lb) 1 1 0 1 0 December 18, 2021
Scab Armour 1 1 0 1 0 April 23, 2022
Arr See Saw 1 1 0 1 0 April 23, 2022
Murple 1 1 0 0 0 September 18, 2021
Ablation 1 1 0 0 0 September 17, 2022
Red Hawk 1 1 0 0 0 November 12, 2022
War? Hard! 1 1 0 0 0 November 12, 2022
Nitro Hornet 1 1 0 0 0 May 10, 2019
Foiled Again 1 1 0 0 0 May 10, 2019
Black Adder 1 1 0 0 0 March 20, 2021
Black Beans 1 1 0 0 0 March 2, 2024
Ghastly 1 1 0 0 0 March 2, 2024
Kamino 1 1 0 0 0 March 18, 2023
Plot Twist 1 1 0 0 0 March 18, 2023
Oops!.. I did it again.. 1 1 0 0 0 July 19, 2020
Sepi01 1 1 0 0 0 December 17, 2022
Komodo 1 1 0 0 0 December 17, 2022
Cybot 1 0 1 0 1 September 19, 2020
Shreddit Bro 1 0 1 0 1 September 19, 2020
Spartan 1 0 1 0 1 November 13, 2021
Wumbo 1 0 1 0 1 May 15, 2021
SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE 1 0 1 0 1 March 9, 2019
Jack Move 1 0 1 0 1 July 19, 2020
Crisis (I) 1 0 1 0 1 July 18, 2020
Maelstrom 1 0 1 0 1 August 10, 2019
Hurt Caboose 1 0 1 0 1 April 23, 2022
Hound 1 0 1 0 0 September 17, 2022
Fully Defined 1 0 1 0 0 November 12, 2022
Stoneforge 1 0 1 0 0 November 12, 2022
Silk 1 0 1 0 0 March 20, 2021
Onna-musha 1 0 1 0 0 March 2, 2024
Voxel v.1 1 0 1 0 0 March 18, 2023

Click "Expand" to see this table.


Full Fight History

Date Opponent Round Result By Points Fight Length (s) Video
March 9, 2019 SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Winners 1 Loss KO -1.21 191 https://youtu.be/kkKFOXhK-N8
March 9, 2019 Cookie Monster Losers 1 Win KO 1.11 87 https://youtu.be/NZ0MGYfzH1A
March 9, 2019 Maw Losers 2 Win KO 1.00 110 https://youtu.be/GYPio_R9Nbw
May 10, 2019 Wasp Winners 1 Loss KO -1.00 37 https://youtu.be/FXrn5Pc-kpM
May 10, 2019 Bad Bot Losers 1 Win KO 1.00 36 https://youtu.be/Nk_Ww_wjG0g
May 10, 2019 Kill Joy Losers 2 Win KO 1.00 35 https://youtu.be/slhqf76B28Y
May 10, 2019 Nitro Hornet Losers 3 Win Judges Decision 1.00 240 https://youtu.be/w6PuIMEVgPA
May 10, 2019 Foiled Again Losers 4 Win Judges Decision 1.00 240 https://youtu.be/KbC85bAwS1s
May 10, 2019 Wasp Losers 5 Loss KO -1.03 22 https://youtu.be/wcSgpkXklus
August 10, 2019 Tiny Huge Winners 1 Loss Forfeit 0.00
August 10, 2019 Maelstrom Losers 1 Loss KO -1.31 153 https://youtu.be/_ErE7kddM80?t=1738
July 18, 2020 Crisis (I) Winners 2 Loss KO -1.13 61 https://youtu.be/l3PcB1StgFc
July 18, 2020 SawMurai Losers 1 Win KO 1.00 150 https://youtu.be/K2yvU7pGh7w
July 18, 2020 Yes Winners 3 Win KO 1.00 55 https://youtu.be/sa132eFm5yQ
July 18, 2020 Jack Rabbit Losers 3 Loss Judges Decision -1.29 240 https://youtu.be/MEa9t6DcClc
July 19, 2020 BB2X Winners 2 Win KO 1.00 74 https://youtu.be/8wpOl1d6RNU
July 19, 2020 Jack Rabbit Winners 3 Loss Judges Decision -1.15 180 https://youtu.be/a5t4JmN0osI
July 19, 2020 Oops!.. I did it again.. Losers 3 Win Judges Decision 1.00 180 https://youtu.be/EPlzbLuOrVk
July 19, 2020 Jack Move Losers 4 Loss KO -1.00 92 https://youtu.be/dGqAdWRw-fc
September 19, 2020 Shreddit Bro Winners 1 Loss KO -1.00 50 https://youtu.be/43yxPZlrikE
September 19, 2020 Cybot Losers 1 Loss KO -1.13 71 https://youtu.be/hUkh1w0jhno
February 6, 2021 Drum Go Dum Winners 1 Loss Forfeit 0.00
February 6, 2021 Horvoc Losers 1 Loss Forfeit 0.00
March 20, 2021 Black Adder Winners 2 Win Judges Decision 1.00 180 https://youtu.be/MjKsedVz4zI
March 20, 2021 Silk Winners 3 Loss Judges Decision -1.00 180 https://youtu.be/y-SpTxTiP_8
March 20, 2021 Caldera Losers 3 Loss Judges Decision -1.08 180 https://youtu.be/-EwCzRLXJVo
May 15, 2021 OffTrack Winners 2 Win KO 1.00 87 https://youtu.be/R2w6HwN-8A4
May 15, 2021 Lynx Winners 3 Loss KO -1.00 43 https://youtu.be/5elaqlzA60k?t=16348
May 15, 2021 Wumbo Losers 3 Loss KO -1.14 137 https://youtu.be/5elaqlzA60k?t=24734
July 24, 2021 Unhinged Winners 1 Win Forfeit 0.00
July 24, 2021 Bumble Hooves Winners 2 Win Forfeit 0.00
July 24, 2021 Eruption Winners 3 Win KO 1.07 124 https://youtu.be/_X_fSdJPJvQ
July 24, 2021 SawMurai Winners 4 Loss Judges Decision -1.00 180 https://youtu.be/KxIHvfQ52mA
July 24, 2021 Bone Collector Losers 6 Loss Forfeit 0.00
September 18, 2021 Be Careful What You Wish For Winners 2 Win KO 1.00 124 https://youtu.be/McNXHRM9n4I?t=1600
September 18, 2021 Booooring Winners 3 Win KO 1.16 112 https://youtu.be/McNXHRM9n4I?t=13369
September 18, 2021 Razor Storm Winners 4 Win KO 1.00 35 https://youtu.be/McNXHRM9n4I?t=20200
September 18, 2021 Murple Winners 5 Win Judges Decision 1.20 180 https://youtu.be/McNXHRM9n4I?t=25276
September 18, 2021 Judge's Dream Winners 6 Win Judges Decision 1.21 180 https://youtu.be/McNXHRM9n4I?t=28269
September 18, 2021 Dark Princess Winners Semifinal Win KO 1.43 73 https://youtu.be/9yJIdpltHgg?t=831
September 18, 2021 Judge's Dream Final Win Judges Decision 1.46 180 https://youtu.be/9yJIdpltHgg?t=9587
November 13, 2021 Spartan Winners 2 Loss KO -1.30 162 https://youtu.be/ds70uaP__A4?t=7671
November 13, 2021 Pinevictus Losers 1 Loss Forfeit 0.00
December 18, 2021 Voxel (3lb) Winners 1 Win KO 1.19 84 https://youtu.be/3Vdh8qNF0ww?t=8046
December 18, 2021 Starchild Winners 2 Win KO 1.07 162 https://youtu.be/3Vdh8qNF0ww?t=11622
December 18, 2021 Lynx Winners 3 Loss Judges Decision -1.00 180 https://youtu.be/3Vdh8qNF0ww?t=17567
December 18, 2021 Caldera Losers 4 Loss Judges Decision -1.03 180 https://youtu.be/BkGCy7H9FPk?t=3959
April 23, 2022 Arr See Saw Undefeated 1 Win KO 1.00 148 https://youtu.be/wf528BQr0eA?t=5768
April 23, 2022 Scab Armour Undefeated 2 Win KO 1.00 147 https://youtu.be/wf528BQr0eA?t=12098
April 23, 2022 Chubby Unicorn Undefeated 3 Loss KO -1.06 78 https://youtu.be/wf528BQr0eA?t=18456
April 23, 2022 Hurt Caboose Elimination 4 Loss KO -1.00 179 https://youtu.be/wf528BQr0eA?t=28455
September 17, 2022 Crisis (II) Undefeated Round 2 Win KO 1.02 128 https://youtu.be/HXstJoqMM-c?t=8052
September 17, 2022 Ablation Undefeated Round 3 Win Judges Decision 1.00 180 https://youtu.be/HXstJoqMM-c?t=22172
September 17, 2022 Hound Undefeated Round 4 Loss Judges Decision -1.00 180 https://youtu.be/HXstJoqMM-c?t=30980
September 17, 2022 Eruption Elimination Round 5 Loss KO -1.00 119 https://youtu.be/HXstJoqMM-c?t=33629
November 12, 2022 HiveLighter Undefeated 2 Win KO 1.00 117 https://youtu.be/GrwhM8JogeE?t=13002
November 12, 2022 Professor Hex Undefeated 3 Win KO 1.00 22 https://youtu.be/GrwhM8JogeE?t=25715
November 12, 2022 War? Hard! Undefeated 4 Win Judges Decision 1.00 180 https://youtu.be/heNXK2dNk18?t=26595
November 12, 2022 Red Hawk Undefeated Quarterfinals Win Judges Decision 1.06 180 https://youtu.be/GrwhM8JogeE?t=35293
November 12, 2022 Fully Defined Undefeated Semifinals Loss Judges Decision -0.75 180 https://youtu.be/GrwhM8JogeE?t=38071
November 12, 2022 Chubby Unicorn Elimination Quarterfinals Win Forfeit 0.00
November 12, 2022 Polywog Elimination Semifinal Win Judges Decision 1.64 180 https://youtu.be/FJy8_vYTLnQ?t=6524
November 12, 2022 Stoneforge Elimination Final Loss Judges Decision -0.75 180 https://youtu.be/FJy8_vYTLnQ?t=8397
December 17, 2022 Komodo Undefeated 1 Win Judges Decision 1.09 180 https://youtu.be/b79xlq1G41M?t=3253
December 17, 2022 Sepi01 Undefeated 2 Win Judges Decision 1.06 180 https://youtu.be/b79xlq1G41M?t=8135
December 17, 2022 Chubby Unicorn Undefeated Quarterfinals Win Judges Decision 1.20 180 https://youtu.be/b79xlq1G41M?t=16058
December 17, 2022 Eruption Undefeated Semifinals Win Judges Decision 1.34 180 https://youtu.be/b79xlq1G41M?t=24553
December 17, 2022 Lynx Undefeated Final Loss KO -0.75 55 https://youtu.be/b79xlq1G41M?t=30039
December 17, 2022 Polywog Elimination Final Loss KO -0.75 173 https://youtu.be/b79xlq1G41M?t=39285
March 18, 2023 Plot Twist Boss Win Judges Decision 1.00
March 18, 2023 Black Havoc Round 2 Win KO 1.00 84 https://youtu.be/RyjtWMjVV2k?t=6133
March 18, 2023 Dutch Oven Round 3 Win Forfeit 0.00
March 18, 2023 Kamino Round 4 Win Judges Decision 1.00 180 https://youtu.be/RyjtWMjVV2k?t=18459
March 18, 2023 Voxel v.1 Round 5 Loss Judges Decision -1.06 180 https://www.youtube.com/live/xQTbCkwBmD4?feature=share&t=39404
March 2, 2024 Black Beans Qualifiers Rd. 1 Win Forfeit 1.00
March 2, 2024 Ghastly Qualifiers Rd. 2 Win Judges Decision 1.00 180
March 2, 2024 Onna-musha Round of 32 Loss Tapout -1.20 22

* Forfeits are not counted in a bot's W-L record.

For more information on how points are calculated for rankings, click here.

Click "Expand" to see this table.

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