VEXPro Out of Stock

[geomapguy]

VexPro seems to be going out of stock of some items. Specifically hex shaft stock and maybe some versa planetary parts?

Any other sources to get hex shaft besides AndyMark and VexPro

[thinker&planner]

McMaster Carr is your friend for all things mechanical:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#aluminum-hex-bars/=q9yech

Also Metals Depot:
https://www.metalsdepot.com/index.php

Hope that helps :)
(the 2024 alloy is probably best, besides 7075, which is not available on McMaster)

[Lil' Lavery]

Most metal suppliers should carry 1/2" steel hex shaft/bar. The tolerancing may not be identical to that used by Vexpro or Andymark hex products, though.

[DampRobot]

Most metal suppliers should carry 1/2" steel hex shaft/bar. The tolerancing may not be identical to that used by Vexpro or Andymark hex products, though.

It's usually pretty bad. I have a lot of not so fond memories of sanding down McMaster "1/2" hex shaft to fit. If you really don't want to wait for Vex Pro or WCP, Churo Tube from AM is probably your best bet.

[kbrowncny]

Be careful when you buy hex stock from McMaster Carr though, You want to get slip fit stock (like what you find from Vex Pro). The raw stock that you buy on McMaster is not a slip on tolerance, and will not fit well with your Vex couplings, spacers, and collars. The Vex hex stock our team has purchased is extruded and seems to arrive slightly bent. We will be looking at other options in the future.

[Paul Copioli]

All of the Versaplanetary parts are in stock, except the dual motor input. That will be back in stock and shipping next week.

There are two versions of the hex stock, 3' and 18". The 3' length is temporarily out of stock, but the 18" version is still in stock. The 18" version holds a tighter straightness tolerance than the 3' version so if you do not need the length, then I recommend the 18" length.

[ksafin]

It's been a very interesting two weeks guessing at what will come in the next package from VexPro :)

We've gotten 5 packages so far, with another 2 recently shipped.

I absolutely love VexPro, it's just a bit unfortunate for us because we, as a team, have decided to purchase (essentially) all of our parts from VexPro this year because of the huge selection - from the VersaChassis to WCD gearboxes to gussets and VersaPlanetaries and more, spending 40% of our budget this year - and we're very confused as to what's going on.

I wish the products were in-stock better given that they really only need to be super-well stocked for 6 weeks out of 52, but at the same time understand the logistical difficulties of coordinating expected demand and then dealing with the actuality.

Just wish we had a drivetrain by now :(

Anyways, thanks to the VexPro team for how they've been handling it - we've noticed two of our packages shipped 2nd day versus ground - and we understand that some things (manufacturing) are at this point out of your hands.

[BrendanB]

Order the 18in for what you need if you need it now. I placed our order on Tuesday and ordered the 18in stock so we can make the drive axles we need now and we can wait for the 3ft stock to come in.

The package just arrived on my desk along with hex bearings, collars, chain, etc. While a lot of Vex/WCP is out of stock for various reasons you can't beat their shipping! I've had orders out the door within 1-2 hours of placing the order.

[Paul Copioli]

All of us at VEX are distraught about the product availability timing this year for VEXpro. Some things were definitely out of our control, but most were completely within our control.

We made forecasting and planning decisions based on last year and based on how useful we thought each product was going to be (btw, not at all knowing what the game is ahead of time) for the upcoming season. We got way too many things wrong this year, but I can promise these two things: (1) We will do whatever we can to make it right this season and (2) we WILL be much, much better next year.

Again, I apologize for the delays and please work directly with our sales team for your specific shipping issues. You can call at 903-453-0802 or e-mail at sales<at>vexrobotics.com.

Paul

[ksafin]

Paul,

Thanks for your honesty and straightforwardness.

It's really a pleasure to deal with a company that recognizes and acknowledges it's own mistakes and promises to own up to them.

Which is part of the reason we put in another VexPro order a few days ago, and are putting in another one today or tomorrow despite the delays and shortcomings in supply stock. (It's too hard to resist buying this stuff - you guys have some really amazing products!)

Thank you for the work you and the VexPro team are currently undergoing to get things back on track - we look forward to getting our packages from VexPro in the coming week!

[mrnoble]

As an aside, we have found that the CAD files of the vex parts have made 3D printing a breeze. We have printed out gussets etc. which have allowed us to move forward with pre-production of our practice bot. We know it won't stand up to much, but we can replace them when the real stuff arrives.

[ksafin]

By the way, where can the stand-offs used in the various gussets be purchased?

[Aren_Hill]

By the way, where can the stand-offs used in the various gussets be purchased?

They are standard VEX standoffs, so just wander over the VEX site, I'll try and get the link on the gussets page.

-Aren

[geomapguy]

Is there an estimated time of arrival on the 3' hex shaft??

Thanks

[ksafin]

They are standard VEX standoffs, so just wander over the VEX site, I'll try and get the link on the gussets page.

-Aren

Thanks Aren.

One last question - the page for the WCP DS Gearbox says "Note: A pneumatic shifting cylinder is not included in the Ball Shifter kit. Be sure to add one in the "Pancake Cylinder Option" category if needed."

Is this just for the VexPro BallShifter, or does the WCP DS WCD Gearbox also not include the Pancake cylinder and it must be ordered separately?

Just need to know if we should order two of them since we bought the WCP DS WCD gearbox.

Thanks.

[Grant Cox]

Thanks Aren.

One last question - the page for the WCP DS Gearbox says "Note: A pneumatic shifting cylinder is not included in the Ball Shifter kit. Be sure to add one in the "Pancake Cylinder Option" category if needed."

Is this just for the VexPro BallShifter, or does the WCP DS WCD Gearbox also not include the Pancake cylinder and it must be ordered separately?

Just need to know if we should order two of them since we bought the WCP DS WCD gearbox.

Thanks.

Oops, I'll take this one. Sometimes we copy and paste notes from one page to the next... sometimes we forget to change product names..

Pancake cylinders are not included in either the Ball Shifter or WCP DS kits. You can grab a spare cylinder from the pneumatics (http://www.vexrobotics.com/vexpro/all/solenoids-and-manifolds.html) page if needed.

[m1506m]

As an aside, we have found that the CAD files of the vex parts have made 3D printing a breeze. We have printed out gussets etc. which have allowed us to move forward with pre-production of our practice bot. We know it won't stand up to much, but we can replace them when the real stuff arrives.

Where do you find the cad files?

[geomapguy]

Where do you find the cad files?

At the bottom of the product page

[DavisDad]

VexPro seems to be going out of stock of some items. Specifically hex shaft stock and maybe some versa planetary parts?

Any other sources to get hex shaft besides AndyMark and VexPro

I ordered this 1/2" hex shaft stainless (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FMWXK8/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) Tuesday evening and received ysterday afternoon. I have the Prime subscription and next day cost $4; standard ground shipping is free. We had a defective ToughBox long shaft.

[Chris is me]

I ordered this 1/2" hex shaft stainless (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FMWXK8/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) Tuesday evening and received ysterday afternoon. I have the Prime subscription and next day cost $4; standard ground shipping is free. We had a defective ToughBox long shaft.

Just something to be aware of - hex stock from sources other than VexPro tend to run oversized. You will probably need to do some machining to get these shafts to fit through bearings and even some broached parts.

The undersized Vex hex stock is probably my favorite product that Vex offers. Seriously saves us many, many hours milling the faces of hex shafts down to size.

[Travis Hoffman]

Oops, I'll take this one. Sometimes we copy and paste notes from one page to the next... sometimes we forget to change product names..

Pancake cylinders are not included in either the Ball Shifter or WCP DS kits. You can grab a spare cylinder from the pneumatics (http://www.vexrobotics.com/vexpro/all/solenoids-and-manifolds.html) page if needed.

Can you recommend appropriate FRC-legal fittings for this cylinder? An SMC part number would suffice for me.

[AdamHeard]

Can you recommend appropriate FRC-legal fittings for this cylinder? An SMC part number would suffice for me.

Any fitting with a #10-32 thread pretty much. Mcmaster has a bunch, so does automationdirect.

[Paul Copioli]

Can you recommend appropriate FRC-legal fittings for this cylinder? An SMC part number would suffice for me.

Travis,

The following is a kit with 2 straights and 2 elbows. This kit is included with all versions of the Ball Shifter.
http://www.vexrobotics.com/vexpro/gears-and-gearboxes/ball-shifter/217-2907.html

Paul

[waialua359]

All of us at VEX are distraught about the product availability timing this year for VEXpro. Some things were definitely out of our control, but most were completely within our control.

We made forecasting and planning decisions based on last year and based on how useful we thought each product was going to be (btw, not at all knowing what the game is ahead of time) for the upcoming season. We got way too many things wrong this year, but I can promise these two things: (1) We will do whatever we can to make it right this season and (2) we WILL be much, much better next year.
Paul

Paul,
I hope that one day soon, the stakeholders of the GDC and FIRST will unveil more details of the game to suppliers, in order to achieve better forecasting of specific parts that might sell more than others.
As with any company, having an excess of inventory isnt always good and bottom line, teams cant get what they need in such a time crucial project for high demand items.

Personally, our biggest issue has always been pneumatic cylinders. Its an expensive item to stock up on in different sizes. Its not like we are the Robonauts that carry 100's of cylinders in their stock bin ready for use. :ahh:

-Glenn

[ksafin]

For anyone else on the VexPro Team -

After the new shipments come in next week, will you be stocked for the rest of the season? Or will sporadic shipments continue?

I ask because we'll very likely have to order more VersaChassis gussets and channels and I wanted to know if they'll be in stock (and we'll be able to order on-demand) or if we need to order in advance in order to "get in line".

[geomapguy]

VexPro was able to just give us two 18" shafts and adjust the total cost very easily.

Thanks VexPro!

[Dr Theta]

Hey Paul, is there any word as to what the lead times might be for the out of stock Dog gears?

[DavisDad]

Just something to be aware of - hex stock from sources other than VexPro tend to run oversized. You will probably need to do some machining to get these shafts to fit through bearings and even some broached parts...

Good point Chris. Always look at the specs on shafts.

Temper 0 (Annealed) <-- machinable
Width 1/2 inches
Width Tolerance +0/-0.004 inches <-- will determine fit to hole
Overall Length 36 inches
Length Tolerance +0.032/-0 inches
Indentation Hardness 83 Rockwell B
Tensile Strength Max 89900 PSI

[Paul Copioli]

Hey Paul, is there any word as to what the lead times might be for the out of stock Dog gears?

Derek,

The individual Dog Gears are out of stock because we are holding them for full gearbox orders. As a general rule, when we get into situations where inventory will be tight we will always take individual product out of stock to ensure the gearbox orders can be fulfilled.

So right now, I have no date for you. We are monitoring our inventory consumption daily and will update you when we know more.

Paul

[sanddrag]

Derek,

The individual Dog Gears are out of stock because we are holding them for full gearbox orders. As a general rule, when we get into situations where inventory will be tight we will always take individual product out of stock to ensure the gearbox orders can be fulfilled.

So right now, I have no date for you. We are monitoring our inventory consumption daily and will update you when we know more.

PaulI placed an order for dog gears on January 9th. Will we receive them, or are we out of luck for a while?

[Paul Copioli]

I placed an order for dog gears on January 9th. Will we receive them, or are we out of luck for a while?

Anyone who placed orders while they were in stock will receive their gears.

[Sparky3D]

Any chance of getting a firm shipping date on the 3 CIM ball shifters? We've been given 3 different dates so far and all of them have passed. Maybe next week isn't a very confident answer when our drivetrain has been sitting for a week just waiting on gearboxes. I'm not trying to come off as a jerk, but we are behind schedule due to this; and if the ball shifters and WCP gearboxes aren't going to be available we are going to need to make some significant design changes to try to accommodate some other gearbox. :(

[Paul Copioli]

Any chance of getting a firm shipping date on the 3 CIM ball shifters? We've been given 3 different dates so far and all of them have passed. Maybe next week isn't a very confident answer when our drivetrain has been sitting for a week just waiting on gearboxes. I'm not trying to come off as a jerk, but we are behind schedule due to this; and if the ball shifters and WCP gearboxes aren't going to be available we are going to need to make some significant design changes to try to accommodate some other gearbox. :(

I apologize for the inconvenience we have caused and I am confident we will be shipping your gearboxes out next week.

[BrendanB]

I apologize for the inconvenience we have caused and I am confident we will be shipping your gearboxes out next week.

Paul, thanks for keeping us updated on the status. We just placed our order today for the 3 CIM Ball Shifters. Not in a rush at the moment but even once we get the DT done we have other sections to work on so next week is still good.

[Andrew Lawrence]

For anyone else on the VexPro Team -

After the new shipments come in next week, will you be stocked for the rest of the season? Or will sporadic shipments continue?

I ask because we'll very likely have to order more VersaChassis gussets and channels and I wanted to know if they'll be in stock (and we'll be able to order on-demand) or if we need to order in advance in order to "get in line".

Bumping Kirill's question because I have the same - There are parts of new mechanisms I've designed that are made of VersaChassis gussets and tubing, and while I'd really love to use the Versa system for these assemblies, I can't afford to wait if the remainder of this season will be affected by the popularity of the products in the beginning of the season. That being said, 95% of our robot is Versa stuff, so we gotta thank y'all and WCP for making such a great framing system.

[nuttle]

Just for the record, we had an order that included VersaFrame 1" x 1" ship on Friday -- we'd only ordered it on Wednesday evening and were pleasantly surprised since the website had indicated this was delayed. Thanks!!!

[Paul Copioli]

Just for the record, we had an order that included VersaFrame 1" x 1" ship on Friday -- we'd only ordered it on Wednesday evening and were pleasantly surprised since the website had indicated this was delayed. Thanks!!!

The shipping confirmation stated that at least some of your order shipped and to check your packing list for what actually shipped. I can tell you with 100% certainty that the 1 x 1 tube did not ship because we did not have any to ship on Friday.

We are due to receive more this week, but until we ship out the currently received orders we will not be putting that particular item back in stock.

For anyone else on the VexPro Team -

After the new shipments come in next week, will you be stocked for the rest of the season? Or will sporadic shipments continue?

I ask because we'll very likely have to order more VersaChassis gussets and channels and I wanted to know if they'll be in stock (and we'll be able to order on-demand) or if we need to order in advance in order to "get in line".

The answer to your question depends on which products and how many people order after they come in stock. The gussets and tubing have out sold our expectations by orders of magnitude so I can't make any promises of how long they will stay in stock. However, the gussets are made by IFI manufacturing on our same campus here in Greenville so we can just keep making more after they run out.

Paul

[ksafin]

The answer to your question depends on which products and how many people order after they come in stock. The gussets and tubing have out sold our expectations by orders of magnitude so I can't make any promises of how long they will stay in stock. However, the gussets are made by IFI manufacturing on our same campus here in Greenville so we can just keep making more after they run out.

Paul

So gussets will primarily remain in stock and the stock of tubing is uncertain?

Besides the tubing, the main part I'm curious about is versablocks, which to my understanding still haven't shipped - will those remain in stock or is that up in the air?

[nuttle]

The shipping confirmation stated that at least some of your order shipped and to check your packing list for what actually shipped. I can tell you with 100% certainty that the 1 x 1 tube did not ship because we did not have any to ship on Friday.

Yeah, sorry about that -- but thanks anyway for turning around the partial order so quickly.

[IndySam]

I know it's hard to forecast things some times, especially with new products, but it's bad never having any 3' hex shaft in stock and darn near unforgivable being out of stock on something like 1/2 hex Versa Hubs.

[Paul Copioli]

I know it's hard to forecast things some times, especially with new products, but it's bad never having any 3' hex shaft in stock and darn near unforgivable being out of stock on something like 1/2 hex Versa Hubs.

The 3' Hex shaft will be in stock Monday. We sent too many to one of our distributors and they sent some back to us.


Ok, so in your eyes its unforgivable to not have hex VersaHubs. How many would you keep in stock? I'm curious, how many? I will also give you the same information I had going into this year. We sold a total of 800 all last year (from release in December, 2012 through October, 2013). I will tell you how many we ordered for this season if you tell me how many you would have stocked if you were me.

[geomapguy]

The 3' Hex shaft will be in stock Monday. We sent too many to one of our distributors and they sent some back to us.


Ok, so in your eyes its unforgivable to not have hex VersaHubs. How many would you keep in stock? I'm curious, how many? I will also give you the same information I had going into this year. We sold a total of 800 all last year (from release in December, 2012 through October, 2013). I will tell you how many we ordered for this season if you tell me how many you would have stocked if you were me.

If I were you Paul, I would have ordered 800-900 or so considering last year's numbers. So I'm assuming you order more and they just sold like hotcakes :)

[PayneTrain]

Regardless, it's nice to order basic, interchangable parts like what you can get from Vex Pro before a season anyway to avoid any issues (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FONN-0uoTHI). The VersaBlocks are special in that they are a new product, but as long as we get them soon I'll be ok.

[Richard Wallace]

Kinda depends on when you needed to make the call, Paul. I'm going to guess you had to do that several weeks ago; i.e., before BuildBlitz showed so many FRC teams how these parts can be used in both drivetrains and scoring mechanisms for Aerial Assist robots.

My team is among those that will need to wait a while longer before we get some of the VexPro parts we ordered last week. We aren't waiting on VersaHubs -- our key items are VersaFrame 2x1, and VersaBlocks. If they don't come in time we will develop another approach, and learn from the experience.

Both suppliers and teams have to make plans based on incomplete data. This is one of the factors that makes the FRC much more interesting than a homework exercise or a science project.

[AdamHeard]

I know it's hard to forecast things some times, especially with new products, but it's bad never having any 3' hex shaft in stock and darn near unforgivable being out of stock on something like 1/2 hex Versa Hubs.

But it's also very silly for a company to have 10x their annual sales on hand too, so Vex is in a tough spot.

Order too much, that's a big hit to the bottom line and cash flow. Order too little and you get delays.

It's easy as a customer to demand the supplier be perfect in everyway, but Vex's market share is growing and constantly changing so it's not trivial.

They've also already admitted that they have learned a lot from this process, and will do better next year. They're being incredibly transparent and doing everything they can to keep customers happy it seems like. Aside from using a time machine to reforecast for the 2014 season, there isn't much else they can do to rectify the issue.

We've been happy with Vex overall, and will continue to purchase their products.

[dellagd]

I haven't seen this asked (maybe I missed it), but does VexPro have an estimate on when their 1" x 2" rectangular tubing will be back in stock? It seems it went out of stock just as we went to order... :(

[Paul Copioli]

If I were you Paul, I would have ordered 800-900 or so considering last year's numbers. So I'm assuming you order more and they just sold like hotcakes :)

We ordered 3,000 and they sold out in 18 days.

Ironically, my Build Blitz team used 0 1/2" Hex Versahubs.

If you really want to use Versahubs, you have several choices:

1. Order the 1/2" round and use as is.

2. Order the 1/2" round and broach a hex

3. Order the 1/4" round, bore it out to 1/2" round, and broach a hex.

With the data from last year, I thought ordering almost 4x the qty would be more than enough. I guess I was wrong.

Paul

[Paul Copioli]

I haven't seen this asked (maybe I missed it), but does VexPro have an estimate on when their 1" x 2" rectangular tubing will be back in stock? It seems it went out of stock just as we went to order... :(

We are set to receive several hundred 1 x 2 tubes this week. We will put them back in stock when we are confident we can ship them same day.

[drwisley]

The 3' Hex shaft will be in stock Monday. We sent too many to one of our distributors and they sent some back to us.


Ok, so in your eyes its unforgivable to not have hex VersaHubs. How many would you keep in stock? I'm curious, how many? I will also give you the same information I had going into this year. We sold a total of 800 all last year (from release in December, 2012 through October, 2013). I will tell you how many we ordered for this season if you tell me how many you would have stocked if you were me.

I would have projected a linear increase in sales from the previous three years. Instead of adding any more inventory for a buildblitz surge, I would have increased potential capacity through additional machine shops. I can imagine that the supply base agreements may have some exclusivity, but that could be made contingent on their capacity.

[Lil' Lavery]

It's worth noting that Vex and AndyMark parts have the same bolt hole pattern. While it lack the elegant integration of VersaHubs with other VexPro parts, AndyMark has 0.5" hex hubs as well.
http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-2568.htm
http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-0096a.htm

I would have projected a linear increase in sales from the previous three years. Instead of adding any more inventory for a buildblitz surge, I would have increased potential capacity through additional machine shops. I can imagine that the supply base agreements may have some exclusivity, but that could be made contingent on their capacity.

They don't have three previous years of data. The VexPro line was started just before the 2013 build season.

[BrendanB]

A lot of the products in the line up have been catering towards teams who just don't have the resources to machine similar parts. Wouldn't be surprised if some teams who used to make their own parts in the past haven't been looking at Vexpro saying "Why are we making these, let's buy them!"

[Cory]

I would have projected a linear increase in sales from the previous three years. Instead of adding any more inventory for a buildblitz surge, I would have increased potential capacity through additional machine shops. I can imagine that the supply base agreements may have some exclusivity, but that could be made contingent on their capacity.

You can't just pick a new machine shop overseas and have them instantly start producing good parts. That wouldn't work at all.

[Nemo]

I'm surprised to hear that only 800 hex hubs were sold last year. At the time, I saw the low price and just bought a bunch without having an immediate use for them (I don't think we put any on last year's robot). I think hubs are an important thing to have around for prototyping.

I have to believe that the VersaChassis and VersaBlocks are exploding the sales of 1/2" hex VersaHubs.

[Greg Needel]

A lot of the products in the line up have been catering towards teams who just don't have the resources to machine similar parts. Wouldn't be surprised if some teams who used to make their own parts in the past haven't been looking at Vexpro saying "Why are we making these, let's buy them!"

It is actually a standard engineering practice to do a Make vs Buy analysis, based on resources (both hard and soft) to make this decision.

7-8 years ago when commercial parts were much less common my teams would design custom transmissions every year. Now that there are so many ratios and configurations available from numerous suppliers it does not make sense to design our own unless we need something very custom.

In fact a few years ago when I looked at prices of gear stock, bearings, and materials it was basically a wash on cost. The only difference is ordering them I could have them in 2 days vs 1 week making them ourselves.

That being said I am in full support of teams building their own parts if they have the resources (time, money and machines) as it is an absolutely essential skill for every engineer to get some hands on experience; you can't design parts if you don't understand the manufacturing process on how they will be made. Each team needs to make the call based on your individual resources and there is no one absolute answer.

[drwisley]

You can't just pick a new machine shop overseas and have them instantly start producing good parts. That wouldn't work at all.

The strategy I envisioned would split the US into thirds, adding suppliers to each coast. However, you would definitely need to have trial runs at each new facility. The value analysis might not even make sense at the time, with all the unknowns. It certainly isn't surmountable to prepare for upticks in the market, and buildblitz (intentional or not) is a huge marketing promotion.

[Cory]

The strategy I envisioned would split the US into thirds, adding suppliers to each coast. However, you would definitely need to have trial runs at each new facility. The value analysis might not even make sense at the time, with all the unknowns. It certainly isn't surmountable to prepare for upticks in the market, and buildblitz (intentional or not) is a huge marketing promotion.

A lot of the product is made in China.

[drwisley]

A lot of the product is made in China.

I definitely have too little information. It's a really neat problem to contemplate though and every business struggles with this problem. It's a good one to have and I doubt it will deter too many FRC teams from the VEX Pro line in the future.

[wireties]

We have some stuff back-ordered from VexPro. Their staff is very open, responsive and helpful. These things happen - Vexpro products are suddenly hugely popular, beyond any reasonable forecast. It happens every day in "real" engineering efforts. One has to learn to change focus, re-order build priorities, inform your customers and weather the storm. It is unfortunate but a valuable lesson for FIRSTers to experience.

1296 will continue to be loyal Vexpro customers with every confidence Vexpro will improve the 2015 forecasting model with 2014 data.

Thanks Paul!

[mrnoble]

They're being incredibly transparent and doing everything they can to keep customers happy it seems like. Aside from using a time machine to reforecast for the 2014 season, there isn't much else they can do to rectify the issue.

We've been happy with Vex overall, and will continue to purchase their products.

The explosion in popularity of VexPro is important to FRC in several ways that I can see.
1) It shows the vast improvement in quality of products. Vex observed and listened to teams and their needs, and their excellent products are the response.
2) It has already pushed other providers to make more quality products. AndyMark, while already the gold standard, has increased the quality and variety of their products in the last two years in big ways, and I'm guessing that at least part of that was in response to VexPro.
3) It illustrates the raising of the overall FRC experience at the team level. Many, many more teams (my own included) now know how to recognize great ideas and implement them on our bots.
4) It shows (along with the First Choice issue) that FRC is continuing to grow; maybe even leading the way as the BEST way to lead high school students into great future options. I know that I have consciously chosen this experience and rejected others, because FRC has the best bang for the buck that I've run across.

Most of us are in the same boat right now: waiting for parts. This may be anxiety producing, but it's not a new experience, and it's forcing us to adapt and be flexible. I will also continue to support VexPro, and will look forward to what they come up with in the coming year that advances the experience even more.

[nathannfm]

When the http://www.vexrobotics.com/ site says "out of stock" or "Ships in 1 Week" is that only referring to the Texas warehouse or is that all of your distributors? If not it would sure be nice if you could place an order from that site and then pick which location it would ship from.

[sanddrag]

On the build vs. buy thing, even for top level teams, on kickoff day, we gave a serious look at the off the shelf options, and spent a couple solid hours weighing and debating it. The COTS items available this year are really good. Even though we have in-house CNC capabilities, we gave strong consideration to things like WCP gearboxes and bearing blocks, transmissions, and Vexpro ballshifters. But, in the end, by a very narrow margin, we decided to make all our own wheels, axles, gearboxes, frame, etc. There were just a few details on some of the COTS parts that we thought we could do better with custom parts, and we're saving a good bit of $$ by making things ourselves. But, we're paying the price of manufacturing time spent. It will be a couple weeks still before we have gearboxes and a frame. But, we think it will be worth it in the end.

[MichaelBick]

On the build vs. buy thing, even for top level teams, on kickoff day, we gave a serious look at the off the shelf options, and spent a couple solid hours weighing and debating it. The COTS items available this year are really good. Even though we have in-house CNC capabilities, we gave strong consideration to things like WCP gearboxes and bearing blocks, transmissions, and Vexpro ballshifters. But, in the end, by a very narrow margin, we decided to make all our own wheels, axles, gearboxes, frame, etc. There were just a few details on some of the COTS parts that we thought we could do better with custom parts, and we're saving a good bit of $$ by making things ourselves. But, we're paying the price of manufacturing time spent. It will be a couple weeks still before we have gearboxes and a frame. But, we think it will be worth it in the end.

We are going custom frame but not gearboxes. I'd love to hear some of the things that you feel you are saving by going custom. Weight and space are the two advantages I see of going custom over something like the WCP 3 CIM dog shifters. I'd love to see plates like the one on the WCP 3 CIM single speed be offered to make this point null.

Even so, the COTS stuff can be really useful. For example, 2/3 of our "custom" gearboxes this year are using vex versaplanetaries/cim-ilies as the initial stage(the third custom gearbox is designed to fit CIMs so we still might use these two options later). This has drastically simplified the design, and given us more versatile options if we believe that our ratios are unfit later.

[Ricky Q.]

When the http://www.vexrobotics.com/ site says "out of stock" or "Ships in 1 Week" is that only referring to the Texas warehouse or is that all of your distributors? If not it would sure be nice if you could place an order from that site and then pick which location it would ship from.

Stock status on the VEX website only reflects information for products shipping from us directly in Greenville, TX.

Best,
Ricky

[Jared]

We are going custom frame but not gearboxes. I'd love to hear some of the things that you feel you are saving by going custom. Weight and space are the two advantages I see of going custom over something like the WCP 3 CIM dog shifters. I'd love to see plates like the one on the WCP 3 CIM single speed be offered to make this point null.

Even so, the COTS stuff can be really useful. For example, 2/3 of our "custom" gearboxes this year are using vex versaplanetaries/cim-ilies as the initial stage(the third custom gearbox is designed to fit CIMs so we still might use these two options later). This has drastically simplified the design, and given us more versatile options if we believe that our ratios are unfit later.

We went with a custom 2 speed 3 CIM gearbox this year because of size, weight, gear ratios, and availability. We need room on the inside of our robot to hold the ball, and we don't want a wide bot, so the gearboxes need to be as skinny as possible so we've made them backwards so that the shaft comes out the same side as the CIM motors are mounted to and so the motors are very close to the sides. Besides for the gearbox plates, everything else in the gearbox is off the shelf shafts/bearings/gears/shifting parts from vex and AM.

[BoilerMentor]

Paul and or VexPro staff,

Any thoughts / insight into when we might see the shifting and gear assemblies back in stock for the 3 CIM Ball shifter (specifically the 2.65 spread short shaft)? Our order showed up missing those parts, because of an oversight in ordering the gearboxes, which I will say was at least a tad confusing to me as a mentor, as it was me who made the mistake. We need to decide whether to return what we have and use something else, or if we can afford to wait to get the drive base running. I could imagine our team cannot tolerate more than 7-10 days taking into consideration the fact that I'm going to pay out of my own pocket to ship the parts next day air to Indiana. I'm just looking for a little more information so that the students can make a more informed decision.

Also, many of us understand the dilemma that Vex Pro has with parts ordering and maintaining stock. I agree suppliers deserve more information. I say this though, with the utmost respect, understanding your situation doesn't change ours. We still only have six weeks and need a robot driving in 2-3 max.

Best Regards.

[kaliken]

I noticed that the website is updated. However, I was wondering if you guys can release any information about current acquisition lead times. We are primarily looking at the dog gears as we have our own custom plates and set ups from prior years.

While we can live off an old shifter design for the meanwhile, we desperately want to upgrade the drive before our week 1 regional. Can you provide information to let me know if gears are on their way or if I need to start sourcing my own gears

[Maximillian]

My team placed an order for our base chassis last Monday (1/13) and we just got it today. That order is missing the 1x2 stock, VersaBlock Kit, VersaChassis Hex Shaft, 1x1 stock, and our 3 CIM Ball Shifter's Short Shifter Shaft. Any idea on when those parts are going to be shipping?

We are also looking to place another order for our upper mechanism. We are going to be ordering a lot of the aluminium stock and gussets. How much of a back up of orders are there? If we order that today when will it be shipping?

Thanks

[Paul Copioli]

My team placed an order for our base chassis last Monday (1/13) and we just got it today. That order is missing the 1x2 stock, VersaBlock Kit, VersaChassis Hex Shaft, 1x1 stock, and our 3 CIM Ball Shifter's Short Shifter Shaft. Any idea on when those parts are going to be shipping?

We are also looking to place another order for our upper mechanism. We are going to be ordering a lot of the aluminium stock and gussets. How much of a back up of orders are there? If we order that today when will it be shipping?

Thanks

All of the items from the Monday order will ship this week in time for the weekend.

Right now if it is available on the web, then it will ship today (if the site says in stock), or some time this week (if the site says "shipping week of Jan 20"). So right now you can't even order 1 x 2 tubing because we have it out of stock. The web site has the most up to date information.

[David Guzman]

Paul,

We were able to order Dog Gears last week, but unforutantly we didn't order the right amount. We are specifically looking for 44T Dog Gear and 60T Dog Gear.

Will these be going back into stock at some point in the near future? Or should we be looking into alternatives?

Does anyone else have these? WCP or one of the distributors?

[Paul Copioli]

Paul,

We were able to order Dog Gears last week, but unforutantly we didn't order the right amount. We are specifically looking for 44T Dog Gear and 60T Dog Gear.

Will these be going back into stock at some point in the near future? Or should we be looking into alternatives?

Does anyone else have these? WCP or one of the distributors?

You should be looking elsewhere for individual dog gears. The WCP dog gears are being 100% reserved for gearboxes and their add-on kits. Also, none of the distributors have them either.

[DampRobot]

Any idea when we could see our 3 CIM Ball Locks, 24T pulleys, and 130T belts ship out from WCP? They don't appear to have shipped out (per our tracking numbers), and the statement that they'll ship as they come in from VP is kind of nebulous. When will we be able to get our components?

[FrankJ]

Hi Paul: So versa blocks ordered last week should ship this week? Thanks

[Amanda Morrison]

If you are curious about your specific order, we're happy to give you a status update. You can do this one of three ways:

- Call VEX Customer Service at (903) 453-0802

- Send an email with your order number to sales@vexrobotics.com

- PM me your order number and I can look it up for you

Any one of those three options will yield a timely response. We are working continuously to ensure that you receive your parts as soon as we can ship them.

[Paul Copioli]

For any products ordered from companies other than VEX, please contact the respective companies. We are shipping out their orders this week as well.

[Ian Curtis]

For those teams hankering for the 2x1 or 1x1 VexPro aluminum, is there a technical reason why 2x1x.125 or 1x1x.0625 tubing from a supplier like online metals (http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=18003&step=4&showunits=inches&id=1268&top_cat=60) can't be subbed in? We have a leftover piece from last year and the 2x1 was 1.995 " tall. Is that an acceptable fit for when the Versablocks do ship? I realize it means you have to drill your own holes, but a set of transfer punches is cheap and student labor is free.

[Paul Copioli]

For those teams hankering for the 2x1 or 1x1 VexPro aluminum, is there a technical reason why 2x1x.125 or 1x1x.0625 tubing from a supplier like online metals (http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=18003&step=4&showunits=inches&id=1268&top_cat=60) can't be subbed in? We have a leftover piece from last year and the 2x1 was 1.995 " tall. Is that an acceptable fit for when the Versablocks do ship? I realize it means you have to drill your own holes, but a set of transfer punches is cheap and student labor is free.

We used regular 1 x 1 and 2 x 1 tubing during Build Blitz because we ran out of the Versachassis tube. The Versblocks work fine with regular 2x1 tubing.

[ksafin]

Do VersaBlocks ship this week?

[RonnieS]

We used regular 1 x 1 and 2 x 1 tubing during Build Blitz because we ran out of the Versachassis tube. The Versblocks work fine with regular 2x1 tubing.

Paul,

we placed our order through robot space a week or 2 ago for 3 cim ballshifters with the 2.65 short shifter and versa block kits...Do you know if clint will have those by this weekend? Thanks.

[Qcom]

Our team has CADed our own versa plates, they can be fabricated with a CNC, laser cutter, or (if you somehow have access to one) a metal sintering 3D printer. The .zip I attached has a PDF drawing and a STEP file.

[martin417]

For items marked "out of stock" will there be a re-stock? or should we make other plans?

The main thing I am interested in is the dual motor input for the versaplanetary (217-3141)

[Paul Copioli]

For items marked "out of stock" will there be a re-stock? or should we make other plans?

The main thing I am interested in is the dual motor input for the versaplanetary (217-3141)

Dual motor input VP will be restocked soon. We are waiting for a trailer that has been sitting in Dallas since last Friday. I have learned that, ironically, freight shipping companies aren't in that bug of a hurry to deliver goods to the final destination.

The VP dual input, Cimile housings and 3 Stage Ball Shifter housings are all on the same trailer. We have all the kits sitting waiting for the housings to arrive. We expect them to arrive tomorrow. If they do, we will ship all current orders on Wednesday and should put them back in stock Thursday evening.

Paul

[BrendanB]

Dual motor input VP will be restocked soon. We are waiting for a trailer that has been sitting in Dallas since last Friday. I have learned that, ironically, freight shipping companies aren't in that bug of a hurry to deliver goods to the final destination.


Having dealt with this a lot at work I can understand the frustration and yes, its totally out of your hands.

Thanks for the update and the reason why those items are on hold. Just glad to hear 3 CIM Ball Shifters are close to shipping.

[rsegrest]

Would this shipment happen to have any Versa Hex hubs 1/2" in it? I need those and would prefer to get them from you...

[Paul Copioli]

Would this shipment happen to have any Versa Hex hubs 1/2" in it? I need those and would prefer to get them from you...

OK, so let's talk about Vershubs with 1/2" hex. We are all out of the normal Versahubs with 1/2" Hex including open orders to customers.

We have just sent 1,500 of the Versahubs with 1/4" bore to a machining house to be bored and broached, but here is the bad news: the only way to get fast turnaround on these part we need to rotary broach. What that means is the hex hole will not be oriented to the Versakey pattern. In my opinion, this does not matter because you only need one Versahub per shaft (see our diagrams on the product page). However, that is the best we have at the moment.

We are contacting customers with current orders to notify them that their hex hubs will not be oriented to the Versakey pattern. We know this situation sucks, but I feel it is better than just staying unavailable.

[rsegrest]

Thanks for the update. I will check with engineers and make sure this will work for our needs.

[M. Mellott]

Dual motor input VP will be restocked soon. We are waiting for a trailer that has been sitting in Dallas since last Friday. I have learned that, ironically, freight shipping companies aren't in that bug of a hurry to deliver goods to the final destination.

The VP dual input, Cimile housings and 3 Stage Ball Shifter housings are all on the same trailer. We have all the kits sitting waiting for the housings to arrive. We expect them to arrive tomorrow. If they do, we will ship all current orders on Wednesday and should put them back in stock Thursday evening.

Paul

Thank you for the update, Paul--greatly appreciate you keeping us updated. I know this is not easy. We're looking to purchase the 3 CIM Ball Shifters as well, but we decided too late to place an order. Now I can update the team and look forward to Thursday night.

[Dackarobot]

Hi there everyone,

We want to learn more about "energy that can be stored" , "using of locally purchased gearbox". Do you have any idea about them? In "material utilization" it doesn`t say anything about uses of "energy that can be stored". Can we use "bow"? This year we don`t have enough gearbox. Moreover, we haven't received any gearbox this year. As a consequence, we wonder if we can use or not.

Thanks for your attention.

[AllenGregoryIV]

I want to thank the entire VEX staff for being so awesome. We're still waiting on Mecanum wheels (They're not in Greenville yet) but we have received everything else we have ordered including parts we ordered on Sunday night. The staff has been extremely helpful in responding to status requests and they're trying their hardest to get parts out to teams. Thank you to everyone that has been working so hard to get this done for all the teams.

[BrendanB]

Just got an email saying our order was shipped. The order was for 3 CIM ball shifters and Colson live axle hubs. Not sure what shipped but either is great!

[DampRobot]

OK, so let's talk about Vershubs with 1/2" hex. We are all out of the normal Versahubs with 1/2" Hex including open orders to customers.

We have just sent 1,500 of the Versahubs with 1/4" bore to a machining house to be bored and broached[...]

I just happened to be in the "machining house" while these guys were being broached. WCP and vex are really coming through to get orders out to customers.

[Paul Copioli]

I just happened to be in the "machining house" while these guys were being broached. WCP and vex are really coming through to get orders out to customers.

Well, I didn't really know if RC wanted everyone to know that WCP was doing the broaching, but I guess that doesn't matter now.:)

[geomapguy]

So is each hex hub going to have the same bolt pattern relevant to the hex or will they differ from hub to hub

[James Tonthat]

We have just sent 1,500 of the Versahubs with 1/4" bore to a machining house to be bored and broached, but here is the bad news: the only way to get fast turnaround on these part we need to rotary broach. What that means is the hex hole will not be oriented to the Versakey pattern. In my opinion, this does not matter because you only need one Versahub per shaft (see our diagrams on the product page). However, that is the best we have at the moment.

This would mean that the bolts are not aligned to the hex.

[geomapguy]

This would mean that the bolts are not aligned to the hex.

Well this is fine....it's just the question of if all of the new ones will have the same bolt pattern as each other

[AllenGregoryIV]

Well this is fine....it's just the question of if all of the new ones will have the same bolt pattern as each other

No they won't the rotary broach doesn't align the hex with anything. However this is how they came last year and never once has it been a problem for us.

[Paul Copioli]

So is each hex hub going to have the same bolt pattern relevant to the hex or will they differ from hub to hub

Let me try to be more clear. The bolt pattern and the Versakey pattern will remain perfectly oriented to each other. The hex will not be timed to either of the other two features.

[Mr.Paulson]

Well, I have been following in CD for a few years now while mentoring my second team in five years. I have enjoyed reading many posts and have left it at that, until now. For my first post, I want to take the time to thank Paul and all of the staff at Vex and IFI for being OUTSTANDING AT CUSTOMER SERVICE. My parts were back ordered and after calling in to see if they were still going to be coming for the build season, they not only assured me they would be here, but they would provide upgraded overnight shipping to get the parts to us as soon as possible.

Thank you to Paul and all of your staff for all of your dedication to this program and the teams involved. It is greatly appreciated and I know our team will continue to use parts from Vex due to a quality product as well as customer service.

I apologize this is not necessarily on topic but figured it would be the best place to post as it is seen by the proper people.

Good luck to everyone on the rest of your build season.

[ksafin]

Paul -

As usual, thanks for the great work you and the VexPro team are putting in. Looking forward to getting our WCD gearboxes this week and getting a drivetrain rolling - i'll send you some sexy versachassis pictures ;)

But additionally, are VersaBlocks and VersaChassis Hex shafts shipping this week with gearboxes as well, or no?

[jsasaki]

I just wish school PO's had the same priority as regular online purchases. I understand that faxes have to be sent and orders have to be approved but purchasing a bunch of items on kickoff day and not recieving it till today is hard on teams who are building based on almost all COTS parts. Today, we had to take items like 1/2 inch hex shaft and sprockets out of our cart so that our shipment wouldn't be held up a week before being sent. Hopefully, these are things that can be fixed in the future.

[Paul Copioli]

I just wish school PO's had the same priority as regular online purchases. I understand that faxes have to be sent and orders have to be approved but purchasing a bunch of items on kickoff day and not recieving it till today is hard on teams who are building based on almost all COTS parts. Today, we had to take items like 1/2 inch hex shaft and sprockets out of our cart so that our shipment wouldn't be held up a week before being sent. Hopefully, these are things that can be fixed in the future.

Jun,

I understand your frustration and this will be fixed for next season, I can promise you. For any specific issues, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service department via e-mail or phone.

Paul

[geomapguy]

Paul,

We received our order yesterday but it didn't have our versahubs. On our VEXPro account, it said that they shipped with the original shipment? Is there any reason that it would have said this when in reality we weren't getting our hubs???

Other than that, everything else in our order was fantastic!

[BrendanB]

Paul,

We received our order yesterday but it didn't have our versahubs. On our VEXPro account, it said that they shipped with the original shipment? Is there any reason that it would have said this when in reality we weren't getting our hubs???

Other than that, everything else in our order was fantastic!

You should call VexPro directly to talk to someone about your order status.

[Travis Hoffman]

Well, I didn't really know if RC wanted everyone to know that WCP was doing the broaching, but I guess that doesn't matter now.:)

As long as this doesn't detract from RC getting me the four WCP DS gearboxes I inexplicably ordered from the distributor furthest away from my location, before this weekend, I don't mind him helping out! ;)

I'd also love for the gearbox assembly documentation to appear online before the weekend.

[FrankJ]

We received our order yesterday but it didn't have our versahubs. On our VEXPro account, it said that they shipped with the original shipment? Is there any reason that it would have said this when in reality we weren't getting our hubs???

In your box would a packing of what was shipped in the shipment & a list of items on back order (if any) Your online Vexpro account doesn't show that. You can also call/email them.

[Chris is me]

We *shouldn't* need a ballshifter for our design, but we might if our current design falls through. Can we expect the ballshifter to return to "in stock" before ship day, or should we assume the worst and plan around other options?

[camtunkpa]

I've not to posted in this thread as I don't want to people to look down upon myself or the team I mentor, but we are quite frankly stuck and very frustrated at this point.

We were happy Vexpro customers last season despite a couple minor quality issues. When we saw the new releases this year we decided to go all in. We bought the versa chassis and plates, the three 3 cim ball shifters ....the whole 9 yards on 12/12/13.

While we received a majority of the items ordered, we are missing some very crucial parts. These parts were marked as ships before kickoff when the order was placed. We are waiting for 217-3210 3/8" hex broached 30 tooth gears and 217-3288 short shifter shaft assembly.

There are other parts we knew we had to wait to receive such as the 217-3432 versablocks and the 217-3437 axle shafts but even these parts were originally marked ships 1/15. We figured we could count on Vex to ship on that date and we knew at the time of ordering it wouldn't affect our build season as long as the ship date was kept. Our bad I guess?

We tend to be pretty forgiving and patient about orders. We didn't get upset when none of our order shipped before kickoff. We didn't even inquire about our backordered items until 1/16. When we inquired about our back ordered parts we received an email telling us that "We will have these parts in by Monday at the latest and I have bumped your shipping up to next day air to get them to you asap." So good we have an idea when our parts are going to be here...Monday comes and goes no tracking information. Tuesday we emailed vex again...no response. Today we called vex and were told we will have our parts by end of day Friday. We are now yet another week behind and are running out of things to do before we get our backordered parts. Worse yet there is not even a tracking number to say we will have our parts by end of day Friday.

We are at the point that we need to make the decision to stick with vex or go with other products that we know know we can receive in a timely manor or manufacture with our limited machining resources. Although we are a veteran team, our budget is very tight. We have spent a huge chunk of our budget on Vexpro and are seriously starting to doubt our decision. At this point in the game we could have custom built our own ball shifting transmissions and still kept on track.

While I know predicting a big rush on orders is both a difficult and dangerous task for companies, the biggest complaint I have is not receiving items that were marked as in stock or ships before kickoff when we placed our order 12/12/13. I'm still very concerned because items just keep getting further and further delayed and we have been told several different things about when the orders will ship and so fourth. I recall some other company being dragged through the mud around 2007 about not meeting supply requirements or 2011 about case shorts in their motors and not getting back to customers with accurate shipping information. We expect better out of Vexpro!

This just in:
"We are committed to shipping all back orders, with the exception of P/N 217-3414 & 217-3416 (being held by customs) before the weekend"
We surely hope this is the final statement about our order with the addition of so that your team will have them by this weekend!

[magnets]

We ordered a dog gear (i think 40 tooth) and a 50 tooth gear before it was out of stock over a week ago. Will it arrive? If so, when?

Also, we ordered enough parts for one robot. This year, we're going with two. Will the dog gears/bearings ever be back in stock before ship, or are we making our own?

I'm not really looking forward to turning down hex shafts to fit in round bearings and making the dog gear/bearing pockets in gears...

[Paul Copioli]

Cliff,

I sincerely apologize for the delay. We released the entire remaining order today, which included Versablock, Versachassis Hex, 34T gear, 30T gear, 40T dog gear and the short shifter shaft.

I had a hard time finding your order because I searched on the 12/12 you stated the order was placed. Eugene Howell placed the order 11082935 at 8:42am and paid via CC. This item shipped Next day air and Mr. Howell was sent the shipping confirmation with tracking number.

Again, I apologize for the inconvenience.


All,

Any order that was placed for Versablocks on Jan 8 or earlier has shipped today either Second Day air or better.

Paul

[camtunkpa]

Paul,

Thank you so much for looking into this! Also thank you to vex for expediting these orders. We can't wait to make our robot whole.

[IndySam]

When do you anticipate having the 1/2" hex shaft collars and bearings back in stock?

[Amanda Morrison]

We are receiving inventory hourly and sending it directly to the warehouse to ship backorders. The website is being changed as parts come back into stock, so it remains an excellent resource to check for up-to-the-minute updates.

If you have questions regarding your backorder shipments, just a reminder that you can contact us three ways:

- sales@vexrobotics.com

- (903) 453-0802 (Customer Service)

- PM me, and please include your order number

I am checking frequently to ensure that any messages are addressed ASAP, and we are monitoring the Sales email/phone lines throughout the day.

[mrnoble]

I am checking frequently to ensure that any messages are addressed ASAP, and we are monitoring the Sales email/phone lines throughout the day.

I can vouch for that! All my questions have been answered promptly and specifically. Thanks again, Amanda, and everyone else at Vex.

[ksafin]

Looks like 2/3 of our shipments were shipped next-day-air to receive by tomorrow, but the one shipment that has all of our gearbox parts was shipped 2-day air... won't get it till monday..

I guess no drivetrain till week four.......

[Paul Copioli]

Looks like 2/3 of our shipments were shipped next-day-air to receive by tomorrow, but the one shipment that has all of our gearbox parts was shipped 2-day air... won't get it till monday..

I guess no drivetrain till week four.......

PM me your order number and I will investigate. We switched all eligible orders to Next Day Air.

EDIT: NVM, I found your orders.

[ksafin]

PM me your order number and I will investigate. We switched all eligible orders to Next Day Air.

EDIT: NVM, I found your orders.

Was there some kind of mix up?

I was hoping maybe the gearbox parts are in the next-day-air packages by some chance - maybe to save on shipping or something.. and then less essential parts put into the 2-day air (aka our orders merged into an assortment of three packages).

Or will it really be coming monday?

[Paul Copioli]

Was there some kind of mix up?

I was hoping maybe the gearbox parts are in the next-day-air packages by some chance - maybe to save on shipping or something.. and then less essential parts put into the 2-day air (aka our orders merged into an assortment of three packages).

Or will it really be coming monday?

We are trying to contact UPS to change the shipment to Next Day. Something went horribly wrong during the UPS label printing and scanning process. They should have been Next Day.

We will update you as soon as we get an answer from UPS.

Paul

[ksafin]

We are trying to contact UPS to change the shipment to Next Day. Something went horribly wrong during the UPS label printing and scanning process. They should have been Next Day.

We will update you as soon as we get an answer from UPS.

Paul

Thanks a lot for the prompt responses and trying to get things sorted out, It means the world to us.

[BrendanB]

Just logged on to our account and noticed our package was shipped (11lbs) next day air. Looks like we will be getting our gearboxes before the weekend!

Thank you Vex! :)

[AllenGregoryIV]

Paul and VEX Staff,

Can you provide any more information on the 4" Mecanum wheels? I keep hearing 2 or 3 days every time I call. Can you tell us what the hold up is or where the container is?

Thanks again

[Aren_Hill]

Paul and VEX Staff,

Can you provide any more information on the 4" Mecanum wheels? I keep hearing 2 or 3 days every time I call. Can you tell us what the hold up is or where the container is?

Thanks again

Allen,

I'm holding some in my hands, they exist and are releasing today!

Cute little buggers.

-Aren

[BigJ]

Allen,

I'm holding some in my hands, they exist and are releasing today!

Cute little buggers.

-Aren

Aww, how cute! :o

As far as I've heard, all of 1675's stuff is arriving today and we should be driving around tomorrow. Thanks for all your hard work, everyone!

[Madison]

Allen,

I'm holding some in my hands, they exist and are releasing today!

Cute little buggers.

-Aren

We are waiting for these, too. Are they going to ship today? That'd be very exciting -- they're the only thing holding up our drive.

[Ricky Q.]

We are waiting for these, too. Are they going to ship today? That'd be very exciting -- they're the only thing holding up our drive.

Just released your order - it will ship today as well.

Enjoy!

Best,
Ricky

[AllenGregoryIV]

Just released your order - it will ship today as well.

Enjoy!

Best,
Ricky

Thanks Aren and Ricky, I called customer support 2 mins before posting that. I guess word travels on CD faster then through your building. Looking forward to having them Monday.

[Madison]

Just released your order - it will ship today as well.

Enjoy!

Best,
Ricky

Awesome :) Thanks so much, y'all.

[Paul Copioli]

Thanks Aren and Ricky, I called customer support 2 mins before posting that. I guess word travels on CD faster then through your building. Looking forward to having them Monday.

CD is much better for us because we can process orders, look up inventory, etc. in parallel. When we are on the phone things happen so fast we may miss a conversation two people are having about an in stock part, testing on a new part from production, etc.

While it has been an exciting last few weeks I would just rather be in stock. There is always next season:)

Things will be popping up in stock the next several days, but we are doing a physical count to make sure the system says what we really have.

Paul

[IndySam]

Hey I got the shaft today!


I know we(me) give you $%^# about getting our stuff but the level of customer service from Vex is amazing.


BTW That was 36" Hex shaft.

[RonnieS]

Is there an estimated time for 54:30 gear kit???

[camtunkpa]

Just wanted to give another thanks to the vexpro team. We received our backordered items yesterday and everything looks good. We can't wait to assemble tomorrow morning.

[Johnny_5]

Maybe this is the right place, maybe it's not. We ordered WCP 2 Speed DS gearboxes on January 6th and the order status still says "awaiting fulfillment."

Is there any idea on when these will get out?

[Paul Copioli]

Maybe this is the right place, maybe it's not. We ordered WCP 2 Speed DS gearboxes on January 6th and the order status still says "awaiting fulfillment."

Is there any idea on when these will get out?

Who did you order from: West Coast Products, VEX, or The Robot Space?

[Johnny_5]

Who did you order from: West Coast Products, VEX, or The Robot Space?

The order was placed specifically through WCP.

[Paul Copioli]

The order was placed specifically through WCP.

Order number?

[Johnny_5]

Order number?

Sorry. #387

[cbale2000]

Paul and VEX Staff,

Can you provide any more information on the 4" Mecanum wheels?...
Allen,

I'm holding some in my hands, they exist and are releasing today!

Cute little buggers.

-Aren

For whatever reason, when I read that, this image came to mind...

http://imageshack.com/a/img194/5605/hwc4.png


On a more related note though, I can also attest to the excellent quality of the VEXPro Customer service, I went to call the other day about an order we placed a week or two ago that had arrived with only a few of the parts in the order. After providing the order number and before even asking a question, the person on the phone informed me that the order would be shipped the next day and that it was being upgraded to next day air.

Waiting to get to out build site tonight to see if it arrived today with everything in it, but regardless I must applaud the customer service reps and their near telepathic abilities. :D

[dcribbs]

We ordered a bunch of stuff late Wednesday night (1/24) and I checked the order this morning to see if I could get a tracking number to find out when it would arrive. It said the order was still "processing". With the incredible volume VexPro is moving it didn't surprise me that they might be a little behind.

A few hours later I got a note from another teacher in our workspace that our order had already arrived!

Thanks for getting it here so fast and keeping the site updated so that we knew for sure what was in stock.

Stuff happens, I believe it is how you deal with it that shows your character.

VexPro has been amazingly honest and transparent and has definitely bent over backwards to do what they can to address the low inventory.

We will definitely order again next year!
Thanks!

[rees2001]

Wow, looks like we are in the same boat as everyone else. When we purchased our WCP single speed transmissions ( order #420) on 1/11 it said it would ship on 1/15. We figured that we would have had them by early this week and could have them tested and implemented by tomorrow. I checked on Monday and was told they would ship this week overnight. I was still hopeful we could have them by tomorrow and get our lower mechanical done and focus on getting the rest done. I emailed RC today and he said they were shipping out from VEX. I still haven't heard anything about them.

When we discussed make vs buy we were willing to free up equipment for other fabrication and spend the extra to buy, assuming we would have had them by now. The cost benefit is quickly becoming less benefit and more cost.

Overall I am pleased with the stuff and support we have had from VEX. This past fall when one of our Mecanum wheel hub broke, you quickly shipped us a new one. Thanks. Furthermore, I understand that you are less profitable if you have a ton of stock left over when build season ends. I just remember the level of unhappiness bane-bots got a couple of years back when they were caught off guard by the number of orders they got in a short period of time. This really doesn't seem much different. It is nice to know that you understand the stress of build season and are very upfront about your issues.

Good luck guys. We all need it for you.

[Paul Copioli]

When we set up the two distributors this year we did it for a few main reasons:

1. Make it less expensive for teams to ship from a more local place.

2. Decrease the time it takes for teams to receive parts.

These two things will happen assuming you order from the place that makes the most geographical sense for you. I can tell you with certainty that teams are absolutely baffling me with their decisions on where to purchase. We have teams from the Midwest purchasing from VEX and WCP, teams from the West Coast purchasing from VEX and The Robot Space, and teams from Texas (even 10 miles from our facility) are shipping from The Robot Space and West Coast Products. Maybe we needed to do a better job of explaining the best ordering practices and I have that in my notes for next season.

Regarding the orders from WCP, VEX is very late in shipping to our distributors. It was a new philosophy for us, parts were late, etc. As such, we offered to drop ship from our facility direct to their customers. RC gave me over 100 orders to place for WCP today and we shipped them all. WCP gave us specific shipping methods for each customer and we shipped to WCPs directions. We shipped all of the orders tonight with very few items on back order (the same items everyone already has heard about). All I can tell the WCP customers is that VEX shipped the items WCP asked us to ship, to the address we were requested to ship, using the shipping method we were requested to ship by.

I apologize for any confusion this has caused.

Paul

[Thad House]

When we set up the two distributors this year we did it for a few main reasons:

1. Make it less expensive for teams to ship from a more local place.

2. Decrease the time it takes for teams to receive parts.

These two things will happen assuming you order from the place that makes the most geographical sense for you. I can tell you with certainty that teams are absolutely baffling me with their decisions on where to purchase. We have teams from the Midwest purchasing from VEX and WCP, teams from the West Coast purchasing from VEX and The Robot Space, and teams from Texas (even 10 miles from our facility) are shipping from The Robot Space and West Coast Products. Maybe we needed to do a better job of explaining the best ordering practices and I have that in my notes for next season.

Regarding the orders from WCP, VEX is very late in shipping to our distributors. It was a new philosophy for us, parts were late, etc. As such, we offered to drop ship from our facility direct to their customers. RC gave me over 100 orders to place for WCP today and we shipped them all. WCP gave us specific shipping methods for each customer and we shipped to WCPs directions. We shipped all of the orders tonight with very few items on back order (the same items everyone already has heard about). All I can tell the WCP customers is that VEX shipped the items WCP asked us to ship, to the address we were requested to ship, using the shipping method we were requested to ship by.

I apologize for any confusion this has caused.

Paul

Were any of those WCP orders shipped ground from you guys? Because if they were, I know ground from Texas to Portland most likely wouldn't get here until Monday the 3rd.

Or can you check our order to see if it was one of the orders shipped by you guys, and what method it was shipped? Ours is order #431, and it has our drive sprockets in it, so even getting our gearboxes today isn't going to allow us to finish because we don't have the sprockets.


Thanks

[R.C.]

Were any of those WCP orders shipped ground from you guys? Because if they were, I know ground from Texas to Portland most likely wouldn't get here until Monday the 3rd.

Or can you check our order to see if it was one of the orders shipped by you guys, and what method it was shipped? Ours is order #431, and it has our drive sprockets in it, so even getting our gearboxes today isn't going to allow us to finish because we don't have the sprockets.


Thanks

All orders given to VEX were done via Overnight and 2 Day. If you have any questions, please shoot me an email (rc@wcproducts.net). Trying to answer questions as fast as possible.

Thanks,

[Thad House]

All orders given to VEX were done via Overnight and 2 Day. If you have any questions, please shoot me an email (rc@wcproducts.net). Trying to answer questions as fast as possible.

Thanks,

Cool. Thank you guys for everything you do and how open you are. Its very refreshing knowing if we have problems we can ask in many different places and we will get a quick answer.

[R.C.]

Cool. Thank you guys for everything you do and how open you are. Its very refreshing knowing if we have problems we can ask in many different places and we will get a quick answer.

Np,

If anyone has questions placed with WCP orders, please email me. We are a little behind but we are working with VEX to get all orders out to customers. We understand that teams need their parts ASAP.

[cmwilson13]

do you know when the 64t Gear with 1/2" Hex Bore will be back in stock?

[R.C.]

do you know when the 64t Gear with 1/2" Hex Bore will be back in stock?

Chris,

I responded back to your email and we have them in stock.

[rees2001]

Maybe we needed to do a better job of explaining the best ordering practices and I have that in my notes for next season.

I apologize for any confusion this has caused.

Paul

Thanks Paul. The where to buy from/where to ship from is not overly intuitive. I realized after I had placed the order that there probably was a closer location. I just didn't have time when I was placing the order where to go. It wouldn't hurt to put out a quick page for "if you live here, order from here"

No need for apologies, build season is a hectic time and trying to figure out the best place to order from is just one more thing to think about. I apologize for not taking 2 minutes to find the better place to go... I feel like I have said that before.

[PayneTrain]

OUR PARTS CAME IN

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vpE6uMJ37dk/UOScrne47aI/AAAAAAAAEL4/Ki-4IWO-SoY/s1600/ron-paul.gif

[magnets]

OUR PARTS CAME IN

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vpE6uMJ37dk/UOScrne47aI/AAAAAAAAEL4/Ki-4IWO-SoY/s1600/ron-paul.gif

WE GOT SOME OF OURS TOO!



(sorry, i'm not good at finding happy GIF's...)

[cbale2000]

When we set up the two distributors this year we did it for a few main reasons:

1. Make it less expensive for teams to ship from a more local place.

2. Decrease the time it takes for teams to receive parts.

These two things will happen assuming you order from the place that makes the most geographical sense for you. I can tell you with certainty that teams are absolutely baffling me with their decisions on where to purchase. We have teams from the Midwest purchasing from VEX and WCP, teams from the West Coast purchasing from VEX and The Robot Space, and teams from Texas (even 10 miles from our facility) are shipping from The Robot Space and West Coast Products. Maybe we needed to do a better job of explaining the best ordering practices and I have that in my notes for next season.

One of the problems you may be running into (at least with teams from Michigan, Texas, and California) is when you take in-state taxes into account, it actually makes it more expensive to order locally than it would be to have it shipped from the other side of the country (in some cases, even when you select faster, more expensive shipping methods).

It's likely not a big deal for smaller orders, but when you start dropping $500+ on gearboxes and wheels it adds up.

[Paul Copioli]

One of the problems you may be running into (at least with teams from Michigan, Texas, and California) is when you take in-state taxes into account, it actually makes it more expensive to order locally than it would be to have it shipped from the other side of the country (in some cases, even when you select faster, more expensive shipping methods).

It's likely not a big deal for smaller orders, but when you start dropping $500+ on gearboxes and wheels it adds up.

I actually didn't think about that, but you are right, unless. You are ordering from a non-profit.

[Joe Ross]

One of the problems you may be running into (at least with teams from Michigan, Texas, and California) is when you take in-state taxes into account, it actually makes it more expensive to order locally than it would be to have it shipped from the other side of the country (in some cases, even when you select faster, more expensive shipping methods)

Just because tax isn't collected doesn't mean it isn't owed.

http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/use/
http://www.michigan.gov/taxes/0,1607,7-238-43529-155512--,00.html
http://www.boe.ca.gov/taxprograms/usetax/

[cbale2000]

Just because tax isn't collected doesn't mean it isn't owed.

http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/use/
http://www.michigan.gov/taxes/0,1607,7-238-43529-155512--,00.html
http://www.boe.ca.gov/taxprograms/usetax/

While I agree, it is a rule that is almost never followed or enforced.

[ksafin]

Thanks, Paul and the VexPro team for helping us out with the problem in shipping yesterday.

Wish we got our parts today but overjoyed we'll have them tomorrow and not monday :)

A bit of question of that, by the way - the package you reshipped for saturday delivery (tomorrow) contains our two WCD DS gearboxes.. however today we got a package that contained two 50-tooth DOG shifter gears and two 24T gears w 3/8" hex. Is there any reason these shipped separately?

[Paul Copioli]

Thanks, Paul and the VexPro team for helping us out with the problem in shipping yesterday.

Wish we got our parts today but overjoyed we'll have them tomorrow and not monday :)

A bit of question of that, by the way - the package you reshipped for saturday delivery (tomorrow) contains our two WCD DS gearboxes.. however today we got a package that contained two 50-tooth DOG shifter gears and two 24T gears w 3/8" hex. Is there any reason these shipped separately?

The gears were in stock early in the day but the gearboxes were not ready until late in the afternoon. Our system was set to ship as soon as available. Normally, this wouldn't happen.

[Brandon Holley]

Hey Paul and RC-

Thanks for using this as a direct way to interact with you guys. The clarity is certainly helping the situation greatly.

Keep fighting the good fight!

-Brando

[geomapguy]

I'm really glad I started this thread.

VexPro has been awesome this season despite some stock problems.

Keep up the good work!

[mrnoble]

I want to say:

1) the versa frame materials, gear boxes, and everything else we've ordered are all here now. Vex has been responsive and helpful throughout, and anytime we needed an update, we got it right away.
2) the stuff is quality. We love it all.
3) the reasons for the back orders are nearly all that they hit the sweet spot with their products. They built what we all desired, and we all bought.
4) thank you Paul and team!

[sanddrag]

Hoping for more Mini CIMs to come in stock. Also, are the WCP shifting dogs in stock? I ordered tonight, and I got an "oh-hold" message although it said ships the week of 1/20.

Also, it was a pleasant surprise to see our dog gears arrive with hex bearings in them. We weren't expecting that at all. I'd prefer them loose, but hey, they're "free" bearings. Now if only I could order about 10 more....

[AllenGregoryIV]

Hoping for more Mini CIMs to come in stock. Also, are the WCP shifting dogs in stock? I ordered tonight, and I got an "oh-hold" message although it said ships the week of 1/20.

We're waiting on MiniCIMs to come back in stock as well. They're not critical to our design but if we have the weight an 8 motor drive seems like a good idea.

[Michael Corsetto]

When will 217-3436 (WCP Side Bearing Block Kit) and 217-3634 (WCP Gearbox Bearing Block) come in? I gave Vex Sales a call earlier today and found out that our big order from week 1 was shipped next day air (yay!), but was not made aware of the missing Bearing Blocks. Thought things would be on track for weekend drivetrain assembly until I got a very thorough email from Amanda regarding our order, which mentioned that both 217-3436 and 217-3634 are backordered.

What worries me more is there is no promise of a delivery date, only that "those will ship out as soon as we have them." What do we do with that? Will we be waiting another 10 days past the originally stated 1/15 shipping date for these blocks?

I think this rollercoaster is just starting to get tiring. I thought things were finally settled until the bearing block backorder news. As "plugged in" as I thought I was to what was happening with our orders, this was news to me, and my tolerance for more curves in the road is wearing thin.

If there is a chance we wont get bearing blocks by 2/1/14, I'd really like to know, and we'll have one of our CNC sponsors make the blocks for us.

Really love the Vex Pro and WCP product lines. This just didn't play out like anyone hoped.

-Mike

[Paul Copioli]

When will 217-3436 (WCP Side Bearing Block Kit) and 217-3634 (WCP Gearbox Bearing Block) come in? I gave Vex Sales a call earlier today and found out that our big order from week 1 was shipped next day air (yay!), but was not made aware of the missing Bearing Blocks. Thought things would be on track for weekend drivetrain assembly until I got a very thorough email from Amanda regarding our order, which mentioned that both 217-3436 and 217-3634 are backordered.

What worries me more is there is no promise of a delivery date, only that "those will ship out as soon as we have them." What do we do with that? Will we be waiting another 10 days past the originally stated 1/15 shipping date for these blocks?

I think this rollercoaster is just starting to get tiring. I thought things were finally settled until the bearing block backorder news. As "plugged in" as I thought I was to what was happening with our orders, this was news to me, and my tolerance for more curves in the road is wearing thin.

If there is a chance we wont get bearing blocks by 2/1/14, I'd really like to know, and we'll have one of our CNC sponsors make the blocks for us.

Really love the Vex Pro and WCP product lines. This just didn't play out like anyone hoped.

-Mike


Mike,

Both 217-3436 and 217-3634 will be shipping next week. The 3634 is used in every WCP WCD version of the SS and DS gearboxes so we kitted most of the initial shipment in those gearboxes. As for the 217-3436, the initial surge of requests for that item was much higher than WCP and VEX forecasted, so we received fewer on our initial shipment. The good news is that the minimum order qty from my supplier is pretty large and the rest of the parts for the 3436 and the 3634 will be delivered to our Greenville, TX warehouse on Monday. We will be shipping those this week.


As for MiniCIMs, both West Coast Products and The Robot Space have stock of MiniCIMs. We shipped a little too many MiniCIMs to our distributors and left us with no inventory. WCP will be shipping MiniCIMs back to us this week, but I suggest just ordering them from WCP or TRS for now.

Paul

[Knufire]

This is probably a stretch, but is there an ETA for when individual ball shifter components are going to be back in stock?

[Andrew Lawrence]

First off thank you to the WCP and VEXpro staff for handling this situation so well.

We received an email saying our parts would be shipped to arrive today, but did not receive a tracking number. The address to where it is to ship to has nobody there to receive the package, so we'd like to be able to check when it arrives. It is a continuation of order #421, made on January 11th to the WCP website. Would it be possible for us to get a tracking number on it?

Thanks a million.

[R.C.]

First off thank you to the WCP and VEXpro staff for handling this situation so well.

We received an email saying our parts would be shipped to arrive today, but did not receive a tracking number. The address to where it is to ship to has nobody there to receive the package, so we'd like to be able to check when it arrives. It is a continuation of order #421, made on January 11th to the WCP website. Would it be possible for us to get a tracking number on it?

Thanks a million.

Andrew,

Emailed ya information!

Thanks,

[Kevin Kolodziej]

As promised, all of our parts arrived yesterday in seperate shipments from The Robot Space and direct from Vex. Thanks Paul and Clint for your help and for the communication through all of this. We had some minor issues assembling the gearboxes (switched bearings) and I noticed a few typos in the 3 Cim WCP assembly doc while it was up yesterday (couldnt find it today?) but otherwise we are extremely pleased with our products so far.

[Thad House]

If we were to order gears from you guys, would it be quicker to order from WCP or VEX. we are looking at the 18 and the 84 tooth half inch hex gears, and if we order them ground from vex, they would take a week. If we ordered them from WCP it would be quicker, but if they dont have them, it might be quicker to order from Vex. So which distributor would get them quicker ground to Oregon.

Also, when will the WCD SS's be back in stock? in case we need to buy a spare.

[R.C.]

If we were to order gears from you guys, would it be quicker to order from WCP or VEX. we are looking at the 18 and the 84 tooth half inch hex gears, and if we order them ground from vex, they would take a week. If we ordered them from WCP it would be quicker, but if they dont have them, it might be quicker to order from Vex. So which distributor would get them quicker ground to Oregon.

Also, when will the WCD SS's be back in stock? in case we need to buy a spare.

We should have both gears in stock, shoot me an email (rc@wcproducts.net) with a number to call.

[nathannfm]

MOE received both our 3 CIM ball shifters yesterday (upgraded to next day air, THANKS!) We were assembling them today using this guide (http://content.vexrobotics.com/vexpro/pdf/217-3268-3-CIM-Ball-Shifter-3-Stage-Assy-Instr-Rev1-20140124.pdf) and noticed that we got screws that were too long for step 7 unless there is a typo in the guide and they are suposed to stick out the other side of the housing. This is not a problem for us as we will be replacing them with even longer ones as part of our mounting system but I just thought I should let people know incase there is a packing problem or the guide should be changed.

[Doug G]

MOE received both our 3 CIM ball shifters yesterday (upgraded to next day air, THANKS!) We were assembling them today using this guide (http://content.vexrobotics.com/vexpro/pdf/217-3268-3-CIM-Ball-Shifter-3-Stage-Assy-Instr-Rev1-20140124.pdf) and noticed that we got screws that were too long for step 7 unless there is a typo in the guide and they are suposed to stick out the other side of the housing. This is not a problem for us as we will be replacing them with even longer ones as part of our mounting system but I just thought I should let people know incase there is a packing problem or the guide should be changed.

We noticed the same thing. I also noticed they didn't include the 1/4" shaft for the small plastic encoder gear. Not a problem for using shafted encoders like the Grayhills, but not good for those of us still using the US digital E4P. Luckily we still have them on our shifters from last year's robot.

[jbsmithtx]

Just wondering when the 4" mecs might be back in stock? Our team really needs these to finish up our drive. While it isn't holding us back, we do want some driver practice on them. We have alternate mecanum set, but I'm really wanting to try these smaller ones, because we are going a lot faster thanks to the wonderful new gearboxes we got from you guys. These products are taking a while to trickle in, but they're all awesome.

And filling such a huge demand in a span of 2-3 weeks is no small feat....

[mrnoble]

Paul or Other Vex Rep:
I will admit that I didn't understand that there were other options for ordering besides the Vex website until you brought up the subject here recently. Now that I know there are other outlets in other areas of the country, I am turning to those websites and finding that their stock listings vary from VexPro's, in terms of availability on some items (such as the hex shaft). Are they carrying more stock, or are their websites not as up-to-date as yours? I'd like to know, because frankly if there is a place where the items can ship soon, even if from across the country, I'll be placing an order. Thanks again.

[cbale2000]

Paul or Other Vex Rep:
I will admit that I didn't understand that there were other options for ordering besides the Vex website until you brought up the subject here recently. Now that I know there are other outlets in other areas of the country, I am turning to those websites and finding that their stock listings vary from VexPro's, in terms of availability on some items (such as the hex shaft). Are they carrying more stock, or are their websites not as up-to-date as yours? I'd like to know, because frankly if there is a place where the items can ship soon, even if from across the country, I'll be placing an order. Thanks again.

I believe Paul mentioned this a few pages back, the stock levels do differ between the suppliers, also in some cases VEXPro shipped a lot of stock to their suppliers but ran out themselves.

To answer your question (and correct me if I'm wrong VEXPro guys), you should be able to order from either of VEXPro's partners and the stock status on their websites should be accurate as they have separate inventories of VEXPro components.

[dellagd]

Last week Copioli said that Vex anticipated getting lots of 1" by 2" VersaFrame in by the end of the week, any word on that?

[Rynocorn]

As orders have started to be filled for the 3 Cim Ball Shifters, I was wondering if they would eventually be back in stock anytime soon? Our team used TB minis for our practice robot and I got all the CAD done for adding the shifters into our competition bot but was just wondering if I should change it to an AM gearbox, 2 Cim Ballshifter or just wait it out. Thank you so much for everything in this time of unbelievable pressure and craziness!!!

-Ryan

[DampRobot]

Have any teams part of the transfer of WCP orders to VP received their parts yet? The last part of our order, which should have shipped through VP, hasn't arrived yet, and I was wondering if anyone else's had.

[BurkeHalderman]

Vex Employees, when are the 3' sections of 1/2" hex shaft, 3 CIM ball shifters, CIM motors, mini-CIM motors, and 1/2" hex collars expected to be back in stock? It's week 4 and we still don't even have a rolling chassis because of missing parts and are starting to get a little concerned. Thanks for your help.

[Brandon Holley]

Have any teams part of the transfer of WCP orders to VP received their parts yet? The last part of our order, which should have shipped through VP, hasn't arrived yet, and I was wondering if anyone else's had.

Yes, yesterday we received part of our WCP order shipped directly from VEX.

-Brando

[Michael Corsetto]

Yes, yesterday we received part of our WCP order shipped directly from VEX.

-Brando

We didn't get so lucky. Ours will be arriving tomorrow, so we're adding a Monday meeting to try to make up for lost time.

But my 148 shirt just arrived in the mail, at least we got something from Greenville this weekend ;) (Thanks George!)

-Mike

[jeremylee]

Any chance of getting a firm shipping date on the 3 CIM ball shifters? We've been given 3 different dates so far and all of them have passed. Maybe next week isn't a very confident answer when our drivetrain has been sitting for a week just waiting on gearboxes. I'm not trying to come off as a jerk, but we are behind schedule due to this; and if the ball shifters and WCP gearboxes aren't going to be available we are going to need to make some significant design changes to try to accommodate some other gearbox. :(

Quick update: we got our gearboxes Friday and finished assembling them on Saturday. They are now installed in the robot which is almost ready to run. I appreciate the hard work from the Vex Pro team getting everything shipped out!

[DampRobot]

We didn't get so lucky. Ours will be arriving tomorrow, so we're adding a Monday meeting to try to make up for lost time.

But my 148 shirt just arrived in the mail, at least we got something from Greenville this weekend ;) (Thanks George!)

-Mike

Oh, sweet! Hopefully we get ours today too.

[martin417]

We are in need of an output shaft from the third stage of the 3 stage ball shifter (we lost one from last years' transmission). This is NOT the long output shaft listed on the Vexpro page. It is a long 1/2" hex shaft with one end turned round to fit into a bearing that is used to direct drive a wheel. I can't find a way to order one. Can we get that part?

[Aren_Hill]

We are in need of an output shaft from the third stage of the 3 stage ball shifter (we lost one from last years' transmission). This is NOT the long output shaft listed on the Vexpro page. It is a long 1/2" hex shaft with one end turned round to fit into a bearing that is used to direct drive a wheel. I can't find a way to order one. Can we get that part?

Martin,
We currently do not sell just that shaft by itself, shoot me an email at prosupport "@" vex.com and we'll figure something out.

-Aren

[AllenGregoryIV]

We got our first set of 4in Mecanum wheels today and getting them put on our practice robot as I type. Can someone at VEX tell me if our other order has shipped I never got a notification. It's part of Order# 11086790.

Thanks again for the support.

[Ricky Q.]

We got our first set of 4in Mecanum wheels today and getting them put on our practice robot as I type. Can someone at VEX tell me if our other order has shipped I never got a notification. It's part of Order# 11086790.

Thanks again for the support.

We show both shipped Friday and delivered today.

Let us know if you don't track it down.

Best,
Ricky

[AllenGregoryIV]

We show both shipped Friday and delivered today.

Let us know if you don't track it down.

Best,
Ricky

Alright thanks Ricky, someone in the school might have picked them up. Also just so you know one of our wheels didn't come with screws, not a big deal (we have spares) but thought you would like to know.

[Bob Steele]

Hello
When can we expect to see the 217-3414 CIM 14T pinion gears that we ordered? At one point it was stated that they were in customs...

We can't make our robots move without them.
We did receive our transmissions today...(showed pinion gears for them on backorder)
tks


now in 4th week of build like everyone else..........

[Amanda Morrison]

Hello
When can we expect to see the 217-3414 CIM 14T pinion gears that we ordered? At one point it was stated that they were in customs...

We can't make our robots move without them.
We did receive our transmissions today...(showed pinion gears for them on backorder)
tks


now in 4th week of build like everyone else..........

Unfortunately we have no control over customs, and we've received no notification of when we'll receive these.

Our current estimate, based on other shipments we've had held in the past, is that these won't be available until at least next week. We contacted all customers on January 22nd that are affected by this held shipment and offered to remove the parts from orders if teams did not want to wait.

We apologize, but this delay is out of our hands. We will be shipping these immediately to all customers the same day we receive them in our warehouse.

For further questions, you can contact our Sales team at 903-453-0802 or sales@vexrobotics.com.

Thanks,
Amanda

[Thad House]

Hello
When can we expect to see the 217-3414 CIM 14T pinion gears that we ordered? At one point it was stated that they were in customs...

We can't make our robots move without them.
We did receive our transmissions today...(showed pinion gears for them on backorder)
tks


now in 4th week of build like everyone else..........

We are waiting for them too, but we were able to use old 14 tooth pinions that used to come in the KOP, so we had enough for a set of 6. Still waiting on 6 new ones for the comp bot.

[Bob Steele]

We are waiting for them too, but we were able to use old 14 tooth pinions that used to come in the KOP, so we had enough for a set of 6. Still waiting on 6 new ones for the comp bot.

Do you remember which KOP year those were from? We need 4 for the practice bot and I guess we will have to wait until the last minute for the ones from VEX

Amanda
I hope you and VEX are aware of how this is affecting teams... I guess you are...but being delayed 1-2 weeks is one thing......

Not being able to use the transmissions we ordered before kickoff until probably the sixth week of build season is beyond my comprehension.

Did you have no pinion gears in stock ever? Is this the only shipment you were ever going to get?

By the way we ordered 4 transmissions and only received 2 pancake cylinders..there was no indication of a backorder on those... The packages included the transmissions according to our records. When can we expect to see those?

As an aside, the mentor that ordered these for our team indicated to me that he got no email regarding the pinion issue.

[Thad House]

Do you remember which KOP year those were from? We need 4 for the practice bot and I guess we will have to wait until the last minute for the ones from VEX


Every KOP that included the toughboxes has 4 of them. so 2008-2010, then 2013-2014. So they are the same CIM gears that the toughboxes use.

[Andrew Lawrence]

Got our versatubing, gussets, and most of our VEX orders in today! Thanks to everyone on the WCP and VEX teams for helping get everyone the parts they need despite this unfortunate setback. I can't wait for next year when we can use these amazing products and get them early on in the season.

[Bob Steele]

Every KOP that included the toughboxes has 4 of them. so 2008-2010, then 2013-2014. So they are the same CIM gears that the toughboxes use.

Thanks
I will take a look. We didn't use toughboxes for anything in those years and last year we didn't get the kitbot. I might have some old toughboxes lying around but I think we gave most of those transmissions away to other teams.
I looked on AndyMark and they have a 14 T CIM pinion in stock we checked pitch and they should work fine. I ordered 8. I ordered from AndyMark last Tuesday in the evening and got the order today with regular shipping. Pretty good for snowy and cold Indiana to Seattle shipping. At least I know that I will have these before the sixth week.

thanks for the help!!

We hope to see you guys in Portland this year!!
Maybe we can team up!

[DampRobot]

Apparently our order hasn't left the shipping facility yet, unlike the other WCP orders that got transfered to VP. Sigh... maybe tomorrow's the day...

I too am really growing tired of this delaying and lack of adequate communications. When teams order things that are supposed to be in stock, and order before the time the distributor specifies by the latest time to ship, distributors should have the parts in the mail by the next day. If there are delays, teams deserve to be notified immediately, especially because they've already paid their money. Teams also deserve reasonable, non-nebulous dates for when they really can expect their parts. I can remember several times when we were told parts were getting received by the distributor and shipped to us by a certain date... but when that date arrived, the parts didn't.

I'm also quite dissatisfied at VEX's decision to prioritize teams that ordered directly from them over their distributors. We were told before the season started that ordering from our closest distributor would result in parts getting to us faster and cost less in shipping. Instead, we had to wait while incomplete shipments of parts were sent to our distributor, then packaged, then sent to us. If the distributors (and the teams that ordered from them) take a back seat to the teams that order directly from VEX, please tell us so. We'll gladly pay a bit extra in shipping in order to get the parts directly from Vex Pro.

I can understand that shipping from China is slow, and parts go out of stock when a lot of teams want them. That isn't what I see as the failure here. I'm annoyed that when VEX encountered delays, teams weren't properly informed. If the information we were getting had been correct, we'd have been driving our practice bot for weeks.

Up until around the 2012 season, BaneBots was known as the company which always ran out of stock and never shipped as fast as you wanted them to. I hope Vex Pro will not be the next company to take on this reputation.

[Ricky Q.]

Bob, DampRobot

Please PM me your VEX or WCP order number and we can look into these issues better.

Thanks,
Ricky

[Paul Copioli]

Do you remember which KOP year those were from? We need 4 for the practice bot and I guess we will have to wait until the last minute for the ones from VEX

Amanda
I hope you and VEX are aware of how this is affecting teams... I guess you are...but being delayed 1-2 weeks is one thing......

Not being able to use the transmissions we ordered before kickoff until probably the sixth week of build season is beyond my comprehension.

Did you have no pinion gears in stock ever? Is this the only shipment you were ever going to get?

By the way we ordered 4 transmissions and only received 2 pancake cylinders..there was no indication of a backorder on those... The packages included the transmissions according to our records. When can we expect to see those?

As an aside, the mentor that ordered these for our team indicated to me that he got no email regarding the pinion issue.


Bob,

A couple of things:

1. Did we have pinions gears in stock? Absolutely. We have never sold this item and I estimated a low usage in this first year and brought in a lower qty early. Why? Because I see no reason to use a pinion gear with an OD larger than the pilot diameter of the CIM motor. With the 12T and 11T pinion so abundant and the fact that they fit within the CIM motor pilot diameter I figured we would not sell that many 14T and 13T pinions. We sold out of these gears very quickly, which baffles me. To add to the pain, we have run into extensive shipping delays on the additional gears. BTW, these shipping delays are 100% due to US delays, not import delays. Lastly, everyone who ordered before Kickoff received their 14T pinions so I don't know where the confusion is, but if you can get us your order number then we can clear it up.

We e-mailed each and every customer that was affected by the 14T and 13T pinions individually. If your mentor that ordered did not receive the e-mail then having your order number will help track that disconnect as well.

We have offered to replace the 14 and 13T pinions with 12 or 11 tooth pinions and some customers have taken us up on this offer. There is no reason a lack of this pinion should keep you from driving.

2. Regarding the cylinders, we need your order number and we can figure out went went wrong. Without the order number, or at least the person's name who actually ordered the items, there is not much more we can do.

I get it, your frustrated. So am I. I am extremely sensitive to the needs of FRC teams. That is why we directly communicated to teams who ordered the 14T pinion. That is why we are actively responding on this thread. That is why we told our customers to go to AndyMark to get the 14T pinion.

[Thad House]

Bob,

A couple of things:

1. Did we have pinions gears in stock? Absolutely. We have never sold this item and I estimated a low usage in this first year and brought in a lower qty early. Why? Because I see no reason to use a pinion gear with an OD larger than the pilot diameter of the CIM motor. With the 12T and 11T pinion so abundant and the fact that they fit within the CIM motor pilot diameter I figured we would not sell that many 14T and 13T pinions. We sold out of these gears very quickly, which baffles me. To add to the pain, we have run into extensive shipping delays on the additional gears. BTW, these shipping delays are 100% due to US delays, not import delays. Lastly, everyone who ordered before Kickoff received their 14T pinions so I don't know where the confusion is, but if you can get us your order number then we can clear it up.

We e-mailed each and every customer that was affected by the 14T and 13T pinions individually. If your mentor that ordered did not receive the e-mail then having your order number will help track that disconnect as well.

We have offered to replace the 14 and 13T pinions with 12 or 11 tooth pinions and some customers have taken us up on this offer. There is no reason a lack of this pinion should keep you from driving.

2. Regarding the cylinders, we need your order number and we can figure out went went wrong. Without the order number, or at least the person's name who actually ordered the items, there is not much more we can do.

I get it, your frustrated. So am I. I am extremely sensitive to the needs of FRC teams. That is why we directly communicated to teams who ordered the 14T pinion. That is why we are actively responding on this thread. That is why we told our customers to go to AndyMark to get the 14T pinion.

At least for our team, the reason we chose the 14 tooth pinions is because it gives the perfect ratio with the 50-24 gearset and 4 inch wheels with 6 cims. Ive seen alot around here that 10.5-11 fps after adjustments is what alot of teams run when they use 6 cims, and that requires the 14 tooths, because 12's are too slow when used with 50-24, and 12s with 30-44 is too fast. If you guys had something like a 47-27, with 12's that would be a perfect ratio and we would be happy with the adjustable there.

I do agree that 14 tooth pinions are not great because they dont fit thru the hole. Also, I've always disliked the andymark ones because the bore is really tight, so getting the gear off after putting it on is almost impossible. To solve this this year, we actually bored out the gears so they slip fit on, like the vex gears do.

[Paul Copioli]

Apparently our order hasn't left the shipping facility yet, unlike the other WCP orders that got transfered to VP. Sigh... maybe tomorrow's the day...




Your order from WCP, shipped by us, is set for delivery by 10:30am tomorrow.




I'm also quite dissatisfied at VEX's decision to prioritize teams that ordered directly from them over their distributors ...



We did? That is news to me. We had no idea how many people would order from where so we took our best guess. We also decided to drop ship for each other when needed. We have drop shipped almost 100 orders for our distributors because we couldn't get stock to them in time. We also have had them drop ship about 20 orders for us for items that we shipped too much to them. I figured I should share with you the facts. Any time there are three potential places to get a part, someone will run out first. This is just how it is. I guarantee we will do better with the balance next season and will do whatever it takes to make sure teams get the parts they need this season.

[Bob Steele]

Bob,

A couple of things:

To add to the pain, we have run into extensive shipping delays on the additional gears. BTW, these shipping delays are 100% due to US delays, not import delays. Lastly, everyone who ordered before Kickoff received their 14T pinions so I don't know where the confusion is, but if you can get us your order number then we can clear it up.



Paul
I messaged you with the specific information regarding numbers and such

I do have a question though...

If the delays on the pinions were US delays why did Amanda indicate that this was a customs issue that you have no control over?

I did not make the call on why we wanted to use the 14T pinion over a smaller one....that was the drive team design call... so I can't help you figure out why we did it.

[Thad House]

Wow. we another shipment of our order, but STILL it is missing the most important parts. Its missing:
1 18T 1/2 hex bore gear
16 18T 1/2 hex bore sprockets
6 14 Tooth pinions (I know that these are stuck in customs)
2 30T 3/8 Hex Bore gears
4 1/2 hex versaplanetary output shafts

The pinions and the 30T gears, its ok, but the other parts really SCREW our build schedule over. We ordered these at the beginning of build season, and none of those were ever told they were delayed. WHEN are they going to be back in, and will they be shipped overnight, because they are delaying us hard now.

Sorry to rant, but after never hearing about them being backordered, to see them backordered seriously irks me.

I also emailed WCP early today asking about this order and an order we placed saturday. Any way I can get a response on that?

[magnets]

Well... At this point, we're giving up and making our dog gears ourselves. We've been told they would be shipped within the week for the past three weeks. My frustration with vex isn't that they're out of stock, I get it, without knowing the game, it's tricky to predict demand. What does get me is that the gears were ordered while they were in stock, and still haven't arrived, weeks later. Like the previous poster, our pinions aren't here yet, which isn't critical for us, but it's disappointing to order stuff a few days after kickoff, while it's in stock, and have it not arrive.

At this point, we're redesigning our transmissions, frame, bearing blocks, shooter pivot, shooter cam, pickup pivot, and pickup drive stuff to work with parts that we have. We've dumped hundreds of dollars into vex parts that were guaranteed to get here a week ago, only to have them delay us.

[Paul Copioli]

All,

We need to know two critical pieces of information:

1. Who you ordered from.

2. Your order number or who actually placed the order

Without those, we can't help you. For those of you who think redesigning everything before you actually give us this information will be faster, believe me, it won't.

Please give us this information and we can help you.

[ksafin]

Paul, It's been asked before but the answer has usually been along the lines of "we're putting all of our dog gears towards WCP WCD gearboxes" but now that that's out of the way..

what's the estimate on when dog gears are coming back in stock? I'm looking to purchase some different ones to get a different spread on our WCP WCD DS gearbox. No rush, but it'd be good to know.

[Thad House]

All,

We need to know two critical pieces of information:

1. Who you ordered from.

2. Your order number or who actually placed the order

Without those, we can't help you. For those of you who think redesigning everything before you actually give us this information will be faster, believe me, it won't.

Please give us this information and we can help you.

I PM'd you with the information from our orders.

[Michael Corsetto]

I too am really growing tired of this delaying and lack of adequate communications. When teams order things that are supposed to be in stock, and order before the time the distributor specifies by the latest time to ship, distributors should have the parts in the mail by the next day. If there are delays, teams deserve to be notified immediately, especially because they've already paid their money. Teams also deserve reasonable, non-nebulous dates for when they really can expect their parts. I can remember several times when we were told parts were getting received by the distributor and shipped to us by a certain date... but when that date arrived, the parts didn't.

...

I can understand that shipping from China is slow, and parts go out of stock when a lot of teams want them. That isn't what I see as the failure here. I'm annoyed that when VEX encountered delays, teams weren't properly informed. [Emphasis Mine]

Paul,

Despite how based or unbased some of Damp's statements were, I believe this particular statement is spot-on.

I constantly felt like I had to be nagging WCP (and then later, Vex) for the latest scoop on when I could expect each individual part to arrive.

Regardless on where WCP/Vex stands, this is the feeling that teams like mine got. We can't trust Vex. Not because stuff hits the fan (which it always will), but because it took a lot of monitoring/asking/nagging/digging to find out just how delayed our build would be because of it.

Maybe it is too much to ask, but an email giving updates on product delays regarding our specific orders would be fantastic. For example, when your website says parts shipping 1/15, and then you discover that you can't manage to ship them out until 1/24, an email to us regarding this delay would be huge, especially since we've already "bought" the items. Maybe this could even be automated? Also, better partial order shipment notification would be invaluable as well.

Of course, we know the whole VP team is going to do everything they can to prevent critical part shortages next season, you guys work hard to put some of the best products on the market. However, when stuff goes wrong, can I trust Vex to be straightforward with us, directly, about where things really are?

Paul, I appreciate the patience, understanding, and shared concern you've expressed on this thread.

-Mike

[Paul Copioli]

I have received a few requests, via PM, for status updates on their WCP orders that were sent directly to WCP customers from the VEX warehouse. I have responded to all requests with detailed information, including tracking numbers. I have felt my sales team and I have been completely up front with the situation, but some customers have felt like we are not being completely up front. So here is the status:

1. 14T and 13T pinions - We received an initial batch in early January and shipped out orders that were in VEX's system until we ran out. The remaining batch (several hundred) is stuck on a truck in a shipping yard (more on that later).

2. Individual dog gears - We received an initial batch at the same time as the pinions. This initial batch was based on a % over WCP's sales last year. That batch was supposed to last the entire build season. The remaining items (again, several hundred) are stuck on same truck as #1. What we are doing in the interim is working with WCP to make dog gears out of regular gears. I am hopeful that WCP will have dog gears at the end of this week.

3. WCP DS gearboxes. We have filled all order requests given to VEX, either direct from customers or from our distributors. We are shipping the remaining WCP gearboxes direct to WCP and they will only be available from WCP until we get the gears from #2 above.

4. Versahub with 1/2" hex - We completely ran out of the entire order from this year (3,000). We are currently converting the 1/4" hole versions into 1/2" hex and are shipping as we get the modified versions. For those of you that ordered and still don't have them, this one is completely on me. We had inventory set wrong on our web site and kept them in stock after they were sold out. We expect to fulfill the remaining back orders before the weekend and be able to put them back on the web Monday or Tuesday of next week.

5. CIM Motors - Stuck in customs for almost 3 weeks now. We, unexpectedly, received an order for almost 6,000 CIM motors from FIRST late in the Fall so that FIRST could put 2 more CIM motors in the KoP. Did you notice you received 4 in the KoP? You can thank FIRST for that awesome addition, but that left us extremely tight on CIM motors and the delay in customs has killed us. If you have an urgent need for CIM motors, then I suggest you get them from AndyMark.

6. MiniCIM motors - We simply sent too many to our distributors. They both have them in stock and can ship immediately. Please work with The Robot Space or West Coast Products for these items.

7. Various individual gears - They are all stuck on the same truck as the pinions. I am prioritizing on gears that need to be in kits first, but I expect most gears to all be in stock no later than next week. These gears arrived in LA on January 16th and cleared customs on the 20th. Our shipper has had them since then with no rational explanation as to why they are not in Texas yet. My shipping team had several interesting conversations with the shipper over the past few days and I expect to get the gears within the next few days.

I hope this clears up any communication issues.

Paul

[BrendanB]

I have received a few requests, via PM, for status updates on their WCP orders that were sent directly to WCP customers from the VEX warehouse. I have responded to all requests with detailed information, including tracking numbers. I have felt my sales team and I have been completely up front with the situation, but some customers have felt like we are not being completely up front. So here is the status:

1. 14T and 13T pinions - We received an initial batch in early January and shipped out orders that were in VEX's system until we ran out. The remaining batch (several hundred) is stuck on a truck in a shipping yard (more on that later).

2. Individual dog gears - We received an initial batch at the same time as the pinions. This initial batch was based on a % over WCP's sales last year. That batch was supposed to last the entire build season. The remaining items (again, several hundred) are stuck on same truck as #1. What we are doing in the interim is working with WCP to make dog gears out of regular gears. I am hopeful that WCP will have dog gears at the end of this week.

3. WCP DS gearboxes. We have filled all order requests given to VEX, either direct from customers or from our distributors. We are shipping the remaining WCP gearboxes direct to WCP and they will only be available from WCP until we get the gears from #2 above.

4. Versahub with 1/2" hex - We completely ran out of the entire order from this year (3,000). We are currently converting the 1/4" hole versions into 1/2" hex and are shipping as we get the modified versions. For those of you that ordered and still don't have them, this one is completely on me. We had inventory set wrong on our web site and kept them in stock after they were sold out. We expect to fulfill the remaining back orders before the weekend and be able to put them back on the web Monday or Tuesday of next week.

5. CIM Motors - Stuck in customs for almost 3 weeks now. We, unexpectedly, received an order for almost 6,000 CIM motors from FIRST late in the Fall so that FIRST could put 2 more CIM motors in the KoP. Did you notice you received 4 in the KoP? You can thank FIRST for that awesome addition, but that left us extremely tight on CIM motors and the delay in customs has killed us. If you have an urgent need for CIM motors, then I suggest you get them from AndyMark.

6. MiniCIM motors - We simply sent too many to our distributors. They both have them in stock and can ship immediately. Please work with The Robot Space or West Coast Products for these items.

7. Various individual gears - They are all stuck on the same truck as the pinions. I am prioritizing on gears that need to be in kits first, but I expect most gears to all be in stock no later than next week. These gears arrived in LA on January 16th and cleared customs on the 20th. Our shipper has had them since then with no rational explanation as to why they are not in Texas yet. My shipping team had several interesting conversations with the shipper over the past few days and I expect to get the gears within the next few days.

I hope this clears up any communication issues.

Paul

Paul, thank you for this list. This is the list you guys should have released a long time ago.

[BrendanB]

Paul,

Any idea when 3ft hex shaft will come back in stock?

[Arefin Bari]

Paul, I have sent you a pm about our order. Thank you.

[Paul Copioli]

Paul,

Any idea when 3ft hex shaft will come back in stock?

It is out of stock for the rest of the season from our warehouse. I believe both The Robot Space and West Coast Products still have stock.

Paul

[BrendanB]

It is out of stock for the rest of the season from our warehouse. I believe both The Robot Space and West Coast Products still have stock.

Paul

Thanks for the update. The Robot Space is out of stock when I checked tonight. I placed an order (#495) at West Coast Products (who still lists it as "ships before kickoff") last week for four 3ft pieces and some versa frame gussets. Still haven't heard a status on that order.

[R.C.]

Thanks for the update. The Robot Space is out of stock when I checked tonight. I placed an order (#495) at West Coast Products (who still lists it as "ships before kickoff") last week for four 3ft pieces and some versa frame gussets. Still haven't heard a status on that order.

Brendan,

That was apart of our drop ship with VEX. Your order was delivered today, PM'd you tracking #.For any customers wondering, orders 341-513 if shipped partial were filled by VEX for us.

We have a few pieces of 3 foot 1/2" Hex Stock left.

[mman1506]

Any ETA on the 3 CIM ballshifters and versablocks? We ordered on the 14th and we haven't received them yet.
Thanks

[James Tonthat]

I'm going to guess that Paul Copioli is going to reply back something to the effect of "PM me your order number/the name it was ordered under."

[Karthik]

Any ETA on the 3 CIM ballshifters and versablocks? We ordered on the 14th and we haven't received them yet.
Thanks

Marcus, since this was a Canadian order, let me check on this order for you in the morning. I'll contact you via PM when I see what's up.

[mman1506]

Marcus, since this was a Canadian order, let me check on this order for you in the morning. I'll contact you via PM when I see what's up.

Thank you, we're always too busy building to remember to call during support hours :rolleyes:

[AndreaV]

Hey Marcus, 5031 just got everything but the casing today, that will be coming tomorrow. Called this morning and got confirmation for next day shipping, not sure when you ordered yours, we ordered ours Jan 14th.

Fear not! Karthik's on the case!

[rees2001]

Yesterday our team received our WCP/VEXPro transmissions and gears. Looks like everything is there and will work nicely. I would like to thank Paul and the team form WCP/VEXPro for working to track down our order. I know it came in more than a week later than we expected but, it came in and I knew (through this thread and PM's) that there is somebody who cares about their company's reputation at the other end. At first I felt like this was another BB issue but felt re-assured that I could contact somebody to help me out. To the rest of you still waiting, good luck and make sure you contact someone. Simply complaining won't get your parts there.

Thanks Paul & the rest of the WCP/VEXPro team.

[TikiTech]

Aloha VexPro!!

After many weeks of waiting our 3CIM DS WCD Transmissions finally arrived along with our Versa Blocks.

Sadly we have a few issues….

Biggest and perhaps the most depressing was the transmissions are missing parts.

Between the two transmissions we are missing 3 of the large wave washers and 2 of the 3/8” shaft 1/8”spacers.

We were able to put in some spare washers we had laying around but we have NO WAY to get the wave washers.. Being on big island of Hawaii there is no local source for an alternate part. Though not for a lack of trying!

Another issue is that the Versa Blocks do not fit 2x1 rectangular tubing without shaving some metal.

A big concern is that there is no over night shipping and the second day shipping is in reality 3-4 days to Hawaii..

We obviously are in dire need of those wave washers to finish assembly. Time is seriously against us.

We have sent in an email very early this morning (or extremely late last night, depending on your point of view, it is all very blurry) with our order information..

We had hoped to be driving over a week ago; another week of delays is really killing our productivity, moral and possibly our season!

Thanks for your help with this serious (to us) situation..

Mr. H

[JohnSchneider]

I'm going to guess that Paul Copioli is going to reply back something to the effect of "PM me your order number/the name it was ordered under."

No, but it appears Canadian Paul did.

[Travis Hoffman]

No, but it appears Canadian Paul did.

I thought he was Canadian JVN.

[AllenGregoryIV]

We show both shipped Friday and delivered today.

Let us know if you don't track it down.

Best,
Ricky

We ended up finding them today, someone else in the school had picked them up on Monday but brought them back to the office later. Thanks for getting them here so fast. We had them rolling on carpet Monday night (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igaGWlMFdSw#t=20).

[Thad House]

Has there been any updates on the 14 tooth pinions, or should we just throw in the towel and order elsewhere?

[Paul Copioli]

Has there been any updates on the 14 tooth pinions, or should we just throw in the towel and order elsewhere?

They are in stock on the web and all back orders were shipped last Friday.

[Thad House]

They are in stock on the web and all back orders were shipped last Friday.

Thats awesome news. Were WCP orders part of that shipment, or should I contact RC asking about ours?

[R.C.]

Thats awesome news. Were WCP orders part of that shipment, or should I contact RC asking about ours?

Send me an email with order # sir.

[Mark Sheridan]

So I have heard that the 4" mecanum wheels were shipped with the 6" mecanum rollers.

Also it has been suggested as a source of breakage referenced in this post:

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1336972&postcount=13


Can we get a double check on this situation? A second source on this matter would be nice before teams start running these wheels under load.

[Bob Steele]

We received our 14T pinions today in the mail.
thank you

[AllenGregoryIV]

So I have heard that the 4" mecanum wheels were shipped with the 6" mecanum rollers.

Also it has been suggested as a source of breakage referenced in this post:

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1336972&postcount=13


Can we get a double check on this situation? A second source on this matter would be nice before teams start running these wheels under load.

I believe everyone who ordered 4" mecanum wheels received an email today from JVN.

This product was delayed, and we wanted to get it into your hands as soon as possible.
To help expedite shipment, your Mecanum Wheels did not include the correct roller assemblies, but instead included the rollers from the VEXpro 6" diameter wheels. We will be sending you the correct 4" rollers, ASAP. This will happen automatically with no action required on your part.

These new rollers will improve the smoothness of your robot, since they are designed specifically for the 4" diameter wheel.

I apologize that we did not communicate that your shipment included temporary rollers until now. This was an oversight on our part, and does not represent the level of customer service we strive to provide.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns on this update.

[Mark Sheridan]

I believe everyone who ordered 4" mecanum wheels received an email today from JVN.

We got the letter too last night.

[gpetilli]

Any idea when/if you will have 48t Gear with 1/2" Hex Bore & VersaKeys 217-3218 back in stock?

[Paul Copioli]

Any idea when/if you will have 48t Gear with 1/2" Hex Bore & VersaKeys 217-3218 back in stock?

Yes they will be back in stock next week. They are at the ceramic coating facility.

[Foster]

Just spoke to sales about some missing VexIQ parts. They are still in good spirits, and my stuff will ship Monday.

Good job Paul in keeping the staff morale high (and the suicide prevention hotline minutes down).

I do have a question, I've searched the VexPro and Vex sites for the JVN standup and I'm not finding a part number. Has that been pushed to 2Q for the Vex Worlds release?

[David Guzman]

Paul or VexPro Staff,

We just ordered some Dog Gears Kit's 217-3628. It says "Ships Week of 1/20" hence I assumed they were in stock. But now it appears they are in back order. Do you know when these will be ready to ship?

[Nemo]

As long as this thread is bumped again, I'll just mention that our team had good experiences with Vex, TheRobotSpace, and WCP this season. They all took good care of us. (we had rational reasons for ordering from all three)

I really appreciate the candor we've seen all season from Paul Copioli.

[Ricky Q.]

Paul or VexPro Staff,

We just ordered some Dog Gears Kit's 217-3628. It says "Ships Week of 1/20" hence I assumed they were in stock. But now it appears they are in back order. Do you know when these will be ready to ship?

That was a website error, it is being corrected. Those are In Stock and your order will ship today.

Best
Ricky

[gpetilli]

As long as this thread is bumped again, I'll just mention that our team had good experiences with Vex, TheRobotSpace, and WCP this season. They all took good care of us. (we had rational reasons for ordering from all three)

I really appreciate the candor we've seen all season from Paul Copioli.

We have had great service from both Vex and TheRobotSpace but are currently having delivery & communication problems with WCP.

WCP site shows stock on 48T 1/2" gears, but order #634 status shows "Awaiting Fullfillment" for four days. Not sure why they charge extra for 2nd day delivery if it takes days to find a box. Emails and voice mails have gone unanswered for two days. I guess we will be rebuilding gearboxes at competition to make weight.

[Paul Copioli]

We have had great service from both Vex and TheRobotSpace but are currently having delivery & communication problems with WCP.

WCP site shows stock on 48T 1/2" gears, but order #634 status shows "Awaiting Fullfillment" for four days. Not sure why they charge extra for 2nd day delivery if it takes days to find a box. Emails and voice mails have gone unanswered for two days. I guess we will be rebuilding gearboxes at competition to make weight.

VEX drop shipped this order for WCP. We are out of the 48T gear until next week. They are at the plater. While we did ship initial stocking orders to both WCP and TRS, at this point in the season if the VEX website shows out of stock on an item and one of our distributors shows it as in stock, then I would at least pick up the phone and call the distributor to make certain they have it. In most cases they may have something that we just sold out of, but there are some items that we are out of for this season.

On this particular item, VEX will have plenty in stock once they come back from the plater.

Yes, we understand that the robots must be bagged by Tuesday but 95% of the VEXpro items are currently in stock. Unfortunately, your 48T gear is not one of them.

[AdamHeard]

VEX drop shipped this order for WCP. We are out of the 48T gear until next week. They are at the plater. While we did ship initial stocking orders to both WCP and TRS, at this point in the season if the VEX website shows out of stock on an item and one of our distributors shows it as in stock, then I would at least pick up the phone and call the distributor to make certain they have it. In most cases they may have something that we just sold out of, but there are some items that we are out of for this season.

On this particular item, VEX will have plenty in stock once they come back from the plater.

Yes, we understand that the robots must be bagged by Tuesday but 95% of the VEXpro items are currently in stock. Unfortunately, your 48T gear is not one of them.

Are 130T 9mm wide Belts gone for the season?

[Paul Copioli]

Are 130T 9mm wide Belts gone for the season?

Those are actually relatively short lead time so we should have them back by the end of February for spares, etc.

I should have seen that one coming. We stocked way up on the 150T, but not the 130T. I blame Aren.

[gpetilli]

While we did ship initial stocking orders to both WCP and TRS, at this point in the season if the VEX website shows out of stock on an item and one of our distributors shows it as in stock, then I would at least pick up the phone and call the distributor to make certain they have it.

Paul - Thank you for your response. For the record, we were watching all three distributors for a few weeks. When it appeared at WCP we did call for three days prior to actually placing the order. The head mentor left several messages asking about non-paypal payment methods; they simply do not return calls or emails. Case in point, I get your CD post to a WCP issue within an hour and they still have not responded after four days. I understand the issues with deliveries, but they need to communicate these issues with their customers. We love the quality of the VEX products. TRS, VEX and you personally have been very responsive, but we are unlikely to use WCP in future seasons due to our experience with their commitment to customer support.

[R.C.]

Paul - Thank you for your response. For the record, we were watching all three distributors for a few weeks. When it appeared at WCP we did call for three days prior to actually placing the order. The head mentor left several messages asking about non-paypal payment methods; they simply do not return calls or emails. Case in point, I get your CD post to a WCP issue within an hour and they still have not responded after four days. I understand the issues with deliveries, but they need to communicate these issues with their customers. We love the quality of the VEX products. TRS, VEX and you personally have been very responsive, but we are unlikely to use WCP in future seasons due to our experience with their commitment to customer support.

Your order was dropshipped via VEX, it was added on 2/11. The only email we received was yesterday and currently Alec/I are working on answering any emails we missed. We get a full inbox of questions each day and we try to answer back as soon as possible.

We need to do a better job communicating and are working on that, we had someone manually input all tracking #'s from VEX to our site and just missed yours (and a few others). Hence why it still say's awaiting fulfillment. I'll be emailing here shortly with a follow up and tracking #. My apologies on the delay.

[orangemoore]

Are the Versa Hub 1/2" Hex going to be back in stock soon?

EDIT:They Just showed up IN STOCk 5 minutes ago