Ordering Trackballs & IR boards

[Gary Dillard]

I have looked through all the documentation and can't find:

1) a part number, company or where to order trackballs.

2) a part number or anything I can use to search any of the 5 websites listed under "Where to get more" in the Kit of Parts manual for the IR board. The documentation says it is a modified TinyIR2 board; yippee - that gets me nowhere.

Hopefully when the FIRST store on the IFI site gets updated for 2008 (Tomorrow????) it will have them. If anyone has found where to order either please reply. Thanks.

[klrswift]

I have been looking for where more trackballs can be purchased also. I haven't had any luck finding them, but I have been told that they cost $220 - making us all afraid to touch it.

[Elgin Clock]

Fact: IFI did not develop the IR sensor board, Diversified Systems did.

Fact: I found a site that sells balls similar to the trackball, and the 40" balls themselves cost approximately $60 to $110. The covers for the balls cost $45, and the replaceable inner bladder costs $20.50.

I have no idea where you are getting the $220 price from, and I WILL NOT provide a link to my source until the source of the balls is made official, so you will just have to trust me on this one.

[klrswift]

Someone on team 910 said they saw somewhere that it cost $220. I have no idea where that price was found, but we aren't taking any chances.

[Gary Dillard]

Fact: IFI did not develop the IR sensor board, Diversified Systems did.
That's why I said "FIRST Store" on the IFI site, not the IFI Store. IFI hosts the FIRST store for kit parts that aren't available elsewhere

[Elgin Clock]

That's why I said "FIRST Store" on the IFI site, not the IFI Store. IFI hosts the FIRST store for kit parts that aren't available elsewhere

I did recall that after I posted, but forgot to go back and edit it. lol
Oops.

Sorry for the bluntness of my post :o , and if there is a FIRST store available through IFI, it may, as you stated, be available through there but we'll just have to wait and see I guess.

[ajlapp]

any luck with finding a trackball supplier??

seems odd that the information isn't readily available.

[Gary Dillard]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr..... Another day zips by. No signs of life from on high yet.

Patience Gary, Patience.

Maybe I'll write a haiku

[MikeDubreuil]

This is reminiscent of the 2006 Poof ball fiasco, except this year we have no idea who the manufacturer is :o

[Raul]

Ga-ry sits Wai-ting
Do tel me how much lon-ger
Must Ga-ry stand by

[Stephi Rae]

I thought for sure I saw at least a company listed on the inventory sheet... I don't have one with me, but I will check at my earliest convenience... I may be mistaken.

[Cynette]

Ga-ry sits Wai-ting
Do tel me how much lon-ger
Must Ga-ry stand by

Another day gone
No giant ball for Gary
While Raul writes poems! :)

Oh no! How do you say Raul? :confused: Real slow like Ra-ool? Or real fast in one syllable? I also wrote an alternate ending for the one-syllable pronunciation! Oh no!

(Two days after the game is announced, Cynette cracks under the pressure...)

[Gary Dillard]

Nylon Trackball Shell
with heavy duty zipper
and talon pocket

Grey Trackball bladder
inflate to 40 inches
Antiburst, they say

Search the World Wide Web
no one seems to supply it
tears form in my eyes

[Travis Hoffman]

C'mon guys - I know your investigative skills are better than this!

This ain't it but it's somewhat close...

http://cgi.ebay.com/48-Inflatable-NYLON-CAGE-Beach-Ball-SUPER-HEAVY-DUTY_W0QQitemZ120191581238QQcmdZViewItem


And maybe....a 72" ball next year? http://www.wilderdom.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=233&zenid=7f33a67869c5627eb5c8bed59cb0d512

************

Ah, here, we're on to something.

Scroll down the page linked below. Oh look, a 40" Omnikin ball...for $159 bucks! Ouch. Maybe FIRST isn't publishing the source because they fear the response when teams find out what these babies cost? :ahh:

233 take note - they even have a PINK ball.

http://www.schoolmasters.com/cageballs.html

Perhaps the term "Cage" ball or "Omnikin" ball will be a clue to finding the true identity of these mystical spheres....

Here is a replacement bladder for a 40" Omnikin #1014 ball, cost - $45.45:

(Disclaimer - I cannot verify this product is the same product we are using in the 2008 FIRST Overdrive game. This is just FYI only.)

http://www.cannonsports.com/product.php?model=1025


A little more searching and you get....

http://www.omnikin.com/en/home

and

http://www.omnikin.com/osc/product_info.php?cPath=1_14&products_id=4

French Canadian, eh? :)


On a side note, some of our more zealous Team 48 mentors and students engaged in an impromptu dodge ball session with our trackball after we experimented with it using our 2004 robot. It held up to the abuse. I was surprised at this result, given the horror stories of popping other teams have shared. Makes me wonder what kind of evil dynamics to which these teams are subjecting their poor trackballs.

[Cynette]

Nylon Trackball Shell
with heavy duty zipper
and talon pocket

Grey Trackball bladder
inflate to 40 inches
Antiburst, they say

Search the World Wide Web
no one seems to supply it
tears form in my eyesThe Master! :yikes:

[Gary Dillard]

I'm hoping you're being sarcastic Travis. My choices are a 48" ball or a 40" ball that weighs less than 2#? Maybe I should just stick a 10# sack of potatoes in a sleeping bag - probably behaves closer to the real thing.

[Travis Hoffman]

I'm hoping you're being sarcastic Travis. My choices are a 48" ball or a 40" ball that weighs less than 2#? Maybe I should just stick a 10# sack of potatoes in a sleeping bag - probably behaves closer to the real thing.


Weight schmeight!

I haven't assembled the things so I don't know what the *real* bladder looks like, and I didn't see a weight rating listed for any of the items I linked (I wasn't looking for one). I noticed the similarity in diameter and cover and went from there.

At least I'm trying to find these items instead of hopelessly lamenting via haiku. :p

[Gary Dillard]

At least I'm trying to find these items instead of hopelessly lamenting via haiku. :p

I see right through your jealousy, grasshopper.

[JaneYoung]

At least I'm trying to find these items instead of hopelessly lamenting via haiku. :p


a tip: cows colored
from different perspectives
create bladder loss

[xrabohrok]

I have not found anything on finding more IR boards. The part number listed in the documentation is for the Chip on the board, not the board itself.
Help!

[snowbird6620]

The First Q&A is up!!!

so is anybody going to ask about ordering more trackballs, or should I?

or if someone already has, then please post a reply, b/c we have a blue ball, but we need A RED ONE!!!!

[Gary Dillard]

I posted the question for both components (Trackballs and IR boards)

[Elgin Clock]

I'd like to actually know (if any) how many of the Trackballs the GDC broke during initial game development. They seem very hard to break just with the limited handling I've had with them at Kickoff in Manchester, and our own. You have got to really be beating on them (or trying to break them) to do so I'm thinking.

BTW, a tear in the inner layer can be easily sealed with a little bit of Gaffer's tape (http://www.tapemonster.com/)as a little birdie told me (which may work better than duct tape) and be more reliable than a rubber/vinyl patch kit depending on how big the rip/tear/break is.

I'm still holding off on posting where I found equivalent balls to the ones supplied to us to see if I'm right, and to not confuse the FIRST community when (or if) the official supplier is eventually released to the public. The ones I found seem to be made of the same materials, but weight may be an issue since that's not listed in the spec sheet of the balls I found.
Time will tell though.

[cbpetrovic]

Contacted Diversified Systems, talked with Ben Wrightsman.

I spoke to Kate Pilotte @ FIRST and was told that FIRST and Diversified Systems are working a plan to make the IR boards available.

The announcement would be made via email blast.

All this happened yesterday.

[Elgin Clock]

Ooh.. Ooh.. I want in on the English 101 lessons going on here.


http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/img/087/08767a8368330da02e47c9de78a54e7c_s.jpg
This is Gary. He has a question.
No one has an answer yet.
Wait, Gary. Wait!

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/img/d15/d15ba518fd88d05a2c9b3182d09aa3d8_s.jpg
This is Raul. He composes Haiku's.
He wrote one about Gary.
Write, Raul. Write!





Btw, the whole writing poems about fellow CD members (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45648&highlight=Poem)dealio has GOT to be a 111 thing.... (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50041&highlight=Poem):p
Good to know those on 111 are talented in both Engineering & The Arts. :D

[Gary Dillard]

Hopefully you've seen update #2 about ordering the balls.

I just spoke with Joel at Sportogo; He said they just came to agreement with FIRST a couple hours ago on how to handle orders. They will have a category on the left side of their home page that says FIRST trackballs or something to that effect by this weekend so you can order online or over the phone.

[cbudrecki]

Hopefully you've seen update #2 about ordering the balls.

I just spoke with Joel at Sportogo; He said they just came to agreement with FIRST a couple hours ago on how to handle orders. They will have a category on the left side of their home page that says FIRST trackballs or something to that effect by this weekend so you can order online or over the phone.

That's nice that they're trying to make it easy on us, but how long will it take for them to sell out? My guess is only a day or two after rearranging their site.

[Andrew Schuetze]

We had a nice gash cut into ours after it bounced off the over-head ladder and then landed on a corner of our 2005 robots shoulder. I didn't want to wait for FIRST so I purchased two 40" bladders for a similar looking item on the Oriental Trader website. They'll be in on Monday and I will post back here as to how similar they are to size and weight. $19.50 plus shipping

[mneary]

but how long will it take for them to sell out? My guess...............My guess is that you'll (1) order one quickly enough (if you need one) or (2) you don't.

In which case, (1) you'll get one :D or (2) you won't. :ahh:

[Gary Dillard]

Slight difference between the FIRST 40" bladder (http://sportogo.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=296), at $30 and 2500g of PVC, and their standard 40" bladder (http://sportogo.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=53), at $20.50 and 2200g of PVC.

[Gary Dillard]

I see the IR board has finally shown up (available and with a price) on the IFI FIRST store.

[Frank Neuperger]

Sportogo says they were the vendor to FIRST for the trackball cover but not the ball.
THe FIRST balls weigh 7.1 to 7.2 lbs. We did this measurement on a really good load cell.

The FIRST cover weighs ~1.5 lbs (weighed by Sportogo on spring scale with 1/10 lb graduations). This would suggest that the FIRST bladder should weigh 5.6 - 5.7 lbs.

The $20.50 Sportogo ball SP01501 weighs 4.4 Lbs (per Portogo) and does not have the "anti burst addative" that makes the PVS have the closed cell foam texture.

The $30 Sportogo Ball SP100001 weighs 4.8 lbs and does have the antiburst addative.

Both of the above bladders at almost 1 lb underweight. We are still on the hunt for the EXACT FIRST bladder.

Note that we did repair the 1.5 inch laceration in our ball by using PVC cement (the stuff for PVC pipes) and a patch made from a deflated 8" PVC ball of similar material (no foam) and clamping overnight. It seems to be holding air. We repaired the tear in the cover using an iron on patch before inflating the patched bladder. Be carefull with the temperature of the iron!