Fix-it-window experience...

[Don Wright]

Maybe this will get merged with an existing thread, but I wanted to share my fix-it-window experience from yesterday.

We had a fix-it-window from 1pm until 6pm yesterday. In order to get everything done, we had to:

-spend 10 hours on Saturday making drawings, lists, getting raw material in place, marking all the pieces where to cut, drill, mill, etc...

-spend 5 more hours on Sunday morning trying to organize the best order for getting everything done that we needed.

So...that's 15 hours of prep time...

Then, I watched as 15+ energetic, excited, finally able to cut pieces and work on a robot, students and mentors hussled and worked like mad for 5 hours to get everything done.

I'm glad no one got hurt.

Sure, we had a lot of parts we wanted to get made to get our robot ready for GLR. You could argue that because we weren't ready in 6 weeks, we should have done a less complicated robot. But, why not try and push yourself?

We have one more scheduled from 5:30 until 10:30 tomorrow night. Good thing it is just cleaning up control board wiring and programming.

If FIRST wants to limit the fix-it-window time, fine. But the whole "you have to cram it into two 5-hour sessions" doesn't work. Let us do 1 or two hour sessions and just say you can't spend more than 10 hours working on parts and programming.

Anyway, just another little rant after actually experiencing a fix-it-window.

[sanddrag]

The fact that you actually scheduled and used your fix it windows is phenominal. Nice job.

Hopefully, I'll be using ours to assemble replacement transmissions.

[Jack Jones]

...
I'm glad no one got hurt.
...


Me too - was it worth it? Would it have been?

[Don Wright]

Me too - was it worth it? Would it have been?

That's one of my points. I felt it put uneeded pressure and added safety concerns on us. It was a like a pit experience, except in a machine shop with much larger and more powerful tools.

[Nita]

It's amazing how you planned everything out and used the 5 hours productively. My team will probably be sitting around with people leaving and coming in between. I'll see how it goes this Wednesday. All we know at the moment is that we need to make spare bumpers and any other spare parts we might need (other than the spare transmission which was built during the 6 weeks).

[DonRotolo]

If FIRST wants to limit the fix-it-window time, fine. But the whole "you have to cram it into two 5-hour sessions" doesn't work. Let us do 1 or two hour sessions and just say you can't spend more than 10 hours working on parts and programming.
You've got my vote on that...

Don

[Billfred]

If FIRST wants to limit the fix-it-window time, fine. But the whole "you have to cram it into two 5-hour sessions" doesn't work. Let us do 1 or two hour sessions and just say you can't spend more than 10 hours working on parts and programming.

Anyway, just another little rant after actually experiencing a fix-it-window.
You know, I'm thinking here. I'll give you a line or two to put on your protective gear.







Ready? Good. Consider the various teams in FIRST when it comes to fabrication. You've got teams with amazing fabrication abilities in their shops, you've got teams that can get access to pretty good fabrication abilities at odd hours, and you've got teams that have a hacksaw, a pop riveter, and lots of manpower. Each of these groups is going to need a different amount of time to get close to that 25-pound weight limit.

So, I'm going to make a few assumptions regarding FIRST's intent:
-Teams should have time to make some improvements to their robots after ship/a competition.
-Teams should be able to tweak software without having a Thursday Morning Frenzy.
-Teams should NOT be able to bring 1,293 pounds of robot parts to be able to replace the same part after every single match.

That said, suppose the 2007 manual read like this:

-Teams are encouraged to use the period between ship and a competition (or between competitions) to rest, scout, gather tools, et cetera.
-You get to bring 20 pounds of anything non-COTS to each event. COTS parts remain unlimited.
-Teams get ten hours per week to develop software and make non-cosmetic changes to their OI panel. The time can be divided how the team sees fit.

How does that sound?

[Nuttyman54]

I like that. A LOT. I think this is a very good way to approach it. The only thing that would need fixing is a more specific definition of "non-cosmetic".

P.S. Where ever did you come up with the number 1,293? :P

[Don Wright]

Oh come on Billfred... With your opening line I was thinking you were going to blast me or my thoughts or something... :D

But I like what you said and I think we are on the same line of thinking and your solution would work well...

Works for me.

Thanks!

[Removes protective gear and thinks I didn't need it in the first place]

[Frenchie]

On the other hand, stress made us work. I'd say that several 1 hour fix it windows would not have been that efficient since we usually lose time getting to work. Furthermore, you don't get anything done in an hour and we would have ended with a whole bunch of half made parts, which would have had a relatively high chance of getting lost in the "vault of disorganization" (our work space). Finally, I personally had fun working during this fix it window, and although there was a lot of pressure in the end, none of us really got dangerous.