The smaller bits of history
 

Looking through some old photos and threads, I started to get a little curious about the gradual changes in FIRST that never really get mentioned. For example, bumpers weren't required before 2008, but I've seen optional bumper rules as early as 2006. Things like that, or how FIRST originally decided on numbering rules, or stories from old times. I'd love to hear about just anything fun that you'd like to share :) FIRST has a rich history, and I'd hate for new members to miss out on the old time fun.

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

Here are a few things:

Team numbers used to change every year, and team numbers were assigned in alphabetical order of the main sponser. In 1999, FIRST decided to stop renumbering teams every year, thus the 1998 numbers were locked into place as long as the team stays intact. Because of the numbering by alphabetical order of sponsor, you see all of the Delphi teams (45, 47, 48) GM teams (65, 66, 67, 68), Motorola teams (108,109,111), UTC teams (175, 176, 177, 179, 180) all grouped together. Team 1 (the Juggernauts) aren't number 1 because they were the first team ever in first, it's just that their sponsor came first alphabetically in 1998. Who was their sponsor? Answer: 3-D Services.

The first year of the optional bumper was 2000. However, there were no rules on what the bumper could be made from. The only team I remember taking advantage of the bumper rule was 47 (ChiefDelphi) which made bumpers from carbon fiber or fiber glass over a metal frame.

Here's a fun one: prior to 2000, the game was played on a field that was roughly half of the current field size. They used to put two fields side-by-side so they could reset one of the fields while the match was being played on the other field. In 2000, they switched to the current field size, but all drivers were at the same end. They would alternate which end had the drivers. That way, driver station could be reset while the previous match was occurring. The first year of having the opposing alliance drivers on opposite ends of the field was 2002.

Prior to 2002, each drive team had two coaches in the driver station.

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

Here is one that I totally forgot about until just yesterday.

In 2000 scouting/strategizing a match was extremely difficult.
Reason: (4) teams were assigned to a match, but you were not told your partners until about 5 minutes before the match.

So you only had 5 minutes, while waiting in the robot line, to strategize the match. So you had to scout really well and be ready for one of three possible alliance combinations for every match.

I can't remember when this practice stopped (2003?) I am pretty sure that in 2001 (during 4 v 0) they scheduled (8) robots and then told you the combination when you arrived in the queue.

That was a very tough situation for scouts, but on another level, interesting and fun.

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

2001 was the last year of the unknown alliances. In 2002 they handed out match schedules at the beginning of the morning on Friday.

Also the alliance selection in 2001 was #1 paired with #4 and then they picked 2 more robots that were not in the top 8. #2 paired with #5 and so on.

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

#1 was paired with #5, 2-6, 3-7, 4-8.

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

Thanks my memory was a bit hazy on that. :)

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

This is going to be an awesome thread for us relative n00bs :D

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

The game that I thought (and still do) was one of the most unique in FRC history was in 2001 Diabolical Dynamics. It was the only year when there was no competition on the field. Four teams competed on the same side against the clock and their ability to score points. They didn't have to compete against an opponent--strange concept now when you think about it.

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

Here's another great one:

There were no divisions at the Championship until 2001. Before 1999, that didn't matter too much since alliances didn't exist and there was no alliance selection. In 1999 and 2000 there were around 200 robots at the Championship all in one giant division. Scouting and alliance selection was a nightmare.

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

Here's an excellent documentary Xerox made following my team around back in 1992 if you want to know how FIRST was back in the old days.

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

Ed, Thank you so much for sharing this link. It was awesome to see the original goals of FIRST explained without all of the "hoopla" and "canned" expressions that have naturally evolved. The message was very direct and very real.

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

I wonder if your post in 2000 had any influence on divisions. http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=10687

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

Team updates used to be faxed to every team, and included both updates and Q/A.

Before motorcycle batteries, teams used cordless drill batteries. FIRST had a giant bank of chargers and you would turn in your used batteries after a match and receive charged batteries.

FIRST used to be much more restrictive on parts. You could only use parts that came in the kit, a few additional materials, and around $400 of parts from Small Parts Inc.

Prior to alliances, teams would play a few seeding matches, and then everyone at the event would play a double elimination tournament. One year at the championship, we played 5 matches total, 3 seeding and got eliminated in 2.

The control system used to be owned by FIRST. Each team would get it in the kit and have to return it after the season was over.

Our first year, Dave Lavery visited our team, wearing a Hawaiian shirt. One of the students remarked "I expected a suit". OK, I guess some things don't change.

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

Here are a series of threads about FIRST in the 1990s:

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

Here's a video I made my senior year of high school for 177's tenth season. It gives a brief overview of each of the 1995-2004 games.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbfgBgXh9zo

In the '96 section, you can see an example of the "stealth bags" mentioned here http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=FIRST+101.

One of my favorite game quirks came from the 2002 end game. Each alliance had a designated endzone at either end of the field. At the end of the match, you received points for every robot that was even partially in your endzone. Without a limitation on robot dimensions (other than height) you ended up with mechanisms that could span the whole length of the field. Some of these were completely passive, like a ribbon that unrolled at the end of the match. Some were essentially the precursors to minibots (with tethers of course).

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

and then there was what 276 did....

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

What about the old rotating "cop" lights with the ability to change out the colored dome to indicate what alliance you were on, last used in 2003.

I still have a blue dome sitting in one of my book shelves.

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

Ohhh we should bring back the FIRST 101's!!

Some of my favorites...

In 1996 the Human players actually had to SIT on the floor, with seatbelts that strapped them into the floor!

The old days of Rumble at the Rock were amazing. This very first FIRST offseason event was held in Plymouth MA, by the recently renewed team 23! Many teams camped at this event to save money, and in 1996, there was a giant hurricane (I think it was Bertha) that made it absolutely crazy for any team that was carrying their robot in the back of a pickup truck!! (we may have raced into the venue 5 minutes before it started frantically wiping the robot off with towels because the tarp wasnt strong enough for the hurricane!)

The 1999 Game Objects might easily have been the best sleeping objects in the history of FIRST - Floppies were an almost silk material packed with styrofoam peanuts and lined with looped velcro.

I don't know the starting or end years, but I know at least 96-99 teams were allowed to have two drive coaches. This was one of my favorite parts of the drive team, as you could get past that whole student vs mentor coach debate and just have one of each!

Again my memory is fuzzy on the years, but it might have been 1997 where FIRST allowed the dimensions to expand to 36"x36"... which horribly didnt allow robots to fit through standard doorframes!! Too many teams learned this the hard way!

1996 competition (and maybe a few years prior?) were held on a stage inside Epcot. Several mascots overheated, and some were mistaken for disney characters and ended up having to give autographs!! 1997 was the first year of Tent City outside of Epcot.

For many years, the robots didn't have the Master Breaker switches we now know so well... we actually had giant fuses that were used to protect the robot components from damage.

We used to program in PBasic... no fancy C or Labview or Java... PBASIC... try implementing a random number generator in that!!


(BTW, there was a girl from the Thunderchickens doing research at champs on the "way back when" stories.. anyone know who she is and if she finished her project?? I'd love to see it!)

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

Replaced by those flags that gave the queuers fiberglass splinters. And they always fell out. And the flag holder was one of the most restrictive parts in the rules ever.

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

The flags started in 2006 I believe. 2004-2005 was a flashing square LED which I believe was also the diagnostic light which we now have the amber one.

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

I can't believe the square diagnostic lights went away 8 years ago... that makes me feel old!

Perhaps it says something about how well the typical team reads the rules in that it was extraordinarily difficult to find a team that could successfully glue a 1/2" end cap onto a 12" long piece of 1/2" PVC and then mount it within 10 degrees of vertical on the top of their robot without drilling holes in it in 6.5 weeks. :rolleyes:

Of course, 1276 spent our entire Thursday trying to put our flag holder somewhere the inspectors were happy with (our entire superstructure was a big rotating linkage), so I can't talk.

What was the deal with 3 team alliances in 2002-2004. I know you still picked 3 teams, but were alliances required to play each robot once per round? Once per tournament?

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

Pre-2002: Each alliance picked an extra robot for eliminations, but they were not required to participate in any elimination matches. So you ended up with teams getting credit for being part of winning alliances without actively participating in any of their elimination matches. (I know this was the setup in 2001, but I can't speak definitively on 2000 or 1999.)
2002-2004: Each alliance picked an extra robot, but every member of the alliance was required to play at least once in each best-of-three round. This led to some interesting gamesmanship trying to anticipate which two robots your opponents were going to send out, and deciding which two you should send out.
(IIRC, 2005 was the first year of the current backup bot rules.)

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

Yes, you can deduce from this that there were Motorola teams 110, 112 and 113 that are no longer around. Team 101 started as an independent sponsor (LoDan), then was acquired by Motorola for a while and then spun back off. They are looking for sponsors if anyone in Chicago area would like to help a great team. ( My Alma Mater, St. Patrick H.S.)

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

It was indeed the situation in 2001.

In fact, 2001 was the first year that 95 won a regional. We were the alliance captain, but the 'bot was pretty tired at that point so we didn't play a single elimination match. The 'backup' pick played for us the whole time.

2001 was sort of a funny year game wise, all things considered...

Re: The smaller bits of history
 

How would have it worked with simply bank of chargers? I saw some cordless drill batteries that are still in use to customize some devices.