Newbie Coach Seeking Hardware

[techedguy]

I am coaching a new team #2865 (we've had 1 meeting as a team thusfar).

We need something to work with. Something to play with, manipulate, build, etc. I've got marketing students trying to build our identity and gain local support, I've got kids with experience in electronics and robotics classes I teach...what I don't have are the toys to play with (yet).

What I'm really seeking is a 'bot base with controllers. If it's functional gear I have a sponsor who would be willing to make a donation to the team who donates their older gear to us to help us get some hands on before kick-off.

I've been to the IFI site and while I'm sure the prices are fair I'd be happier with some used equipment that'd otherwise sit and getting money into a team's budget rather than a company's.

I'm in Northern Idaho not too far from Spokane, WA. We've put out feelers up here but no positive responses as of yet.

Thanks for your time!

Sal

[yodameister]

Welcome to ChiefDelphi and FIRST! While this isn't the real thing, using the VeX system is a pretty good training tool for new teams.

[Billfred]

It might be a stretch, since Idaho doesn't see much traffic on CD, but you might want to try getting in touch with one of the other teams in Idaho (https://my.usfirst.org/myarea/index.lasso?page=teamlist&event_type=FRC&year=2009&sort=location&area=ID-USA) to see if they'd let you come get a feel for what goes into an FRC robot. That rough knowledge can be a huge advantage over walking out of Kickoff with nothing but the robots from the game animation that always seem to be a little bit beyond our reach to build.

[ajlapp]

The Universal Chassis isn't a bad idea either. www.team221.com
(http://www.team221.com)
I'm a company, but I'm a lifelong FIRSTer and one of the lead mentors of frc27.

Another option is to get someones old kitbot chassis. Most veteran teams probably don't even open the packaging. You'd still need some controls.

Good luck.

[Madison]

Sal, we understood that Team 2148, from Spokane, WA, was going to provide you with an old robot. Have you spoken with the folks over there yet?

I was CC'd on an e-mail from our regional director about your situation. It seems that, maybe, information is passing through a few different people and hasn't trickled down yet. I'll send everyone a link to this thread as a reminder of what you're looking for.