Let's build a robot!
 

I'm a college Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Missouri. My friend Nick and I are both FIRST alum from FRC 1785 and both attended Championship this year to watch our team at our first championship and volunteer. Both of us were re-inspired to make a difference in the world and do something that matters, along with a re-ignition of our love for robots. That being said, we now want to build a robot!

While we don't know what purpose we want to build it yet, as poor college students our first concern is money. Since we have some experience using FRC equipment, I pose the following question to you all: Are there places out there to purchase old devices (cRIOs, power distribution boards, talons, motors, etc.) on a budget?

I'm sure there are teams out there with extras of these or functioning older versions that are just sitting in storage. Not sure if there are any willing to sell (or donate) their surplus items. Suggesting websites with cheap build items for sale (cameras, C channel, wheels, etc.) would be beneficial to seeing if this would even be a feasible project.

Also, since we are still looking for ideas, we would love any practical ideas you guys have! Thanks in advance for the help everyone!

Re: Let's build a robot!
 

Our team lost most of our storage space...and I'm getting ready to put a lot of old parts on ebay to get rid of them, and raise a little money for the team.

If you want to do something different, you could build an underwater robot. They're fun to play with, although they require water, like a swimming pool.

Re: Let's build a robot!
 

I don't have any ideas at the moment, but when I needed motors for my college class my team let me borrow some Globe motors as they weren't FRC legal anymore. I would see what your team still has that they can't use anymore.

You might want to call some vendors and ask if they have any scratch and dent parts for sale

Re: Let's build a robot!
 

Hey, I am also a college student at the university of Missouri and another first alumnus. I was on team 1987 from Lee's Summit North High school, I am also a mentor for team 3792 the Army Ants right here in Columbia. We have some parts that could be used. I would also be very interested in helping build this robot. PM and I will be able to get you some details.

Re: Let's build a robot!
 

We have a bunch (around 70-100lbs) of old but unused banebots motors and AM gearboxes. I can ask about shipping them to you guys.

Are you bound to use the cRIO? I use the XMOS Startkit for a lot of projects due to its very high speed (4 threads at 100MHz each, or 8 at 50MHz), but Arduino is very easy to integrate and hook up via wifi. The former is $15 + $5 shipping, the latter can be had on ebay (a clone, at least) for between $3 and $30 depending on the model.

Re: Let's build a robot!
 

Hello everyone,

Thanks for the suggestions and possible offers for robot supplies, I really appreciate it! My summer that was supposed to be a part time job in a college town full of relaxation and robot building has turned into something different. I've earned an internship with NASA building robots for them this summer at Marshall Space Flight Center. One of these days I'll get around to building my own robot...

Thanks!

Re: Let's build a robot!
 

Congrats. I hope that you have the time of your life, that is just so cool.

Re: Let's build a robot!
 

I'll just put this out there for next year: http://urc.marssociety.org

As for robots, You can do all kinds of things I would only have dreamed of ten years ago when I was in college. For under $100, you can buy an Arduino and some motor shields/drivers and build a capable robot control system.

I'm sure you can get some support from your school such as professors, machine shop access, and even financials to design and build a worthwhile project. Think about something that needs fixing, even find challenges and grants from the NSF, NASA, DARPA, etc. that you may be able to work on. See if there is a robotics club on campus. If not, get support from a faculty member and advertise to spread the word about your project ideas.

Most importantly, don't give up on your dreams! It is a lot of work (believe me) and you will learn so much in the process. Even if you don't succeed at what you originally set out to do, the skills you gained by trying something will prepare you for the "real world" more than any of your classes.

Best of luck and don't be afraid to ask CD for help!



Some references:

http://www.mpja.com/
www.hackaday.io
www.adafruit.com
www.sparkfun.com