Rookie Toolbox
 

I was unable to find a thread for this year dealing with tools you take to the competition. If there is a thread, someone please close this one.

Question:
What tools should rookie teams be sure to take to the Regionals?


Ken

Re: Rookie Toolbox
 

The most important things for a team to take to any competition are a sense of humor, a big bottle of Advil, and a camera!

You probably meant tools, right? We took everything. I think we had six toolboxes. We tried to bring everything we used in building the robot in the first place except stationary power tools. Don't forget your VOM, wire ties, fasteners, extra wire, and cordless driver/drills (power is a problem in our pits). At our regional, there were quite a few small drill presses scattered around, and there was a trailer with a pretty complete machine shop (better than our regular workshop). We developed a crack in a weld and the trailer folk fixed it better than new in 10 minutes. Honestly, if you forget a tool you will be able to borrow one just like you didn't bring within 20 feet of your pit area. FIRST teams are pals.

Re: Rookie Toolbox
 

At the end of Section 7, FIRST has a good list of things to bring to a competition.

My top (non-tool) things to bring into the pits are safety glasses, band-aids, and the FIRST consent/release forms.

Re: Rookie Toolbox
 

Electrical: Mulitmeter, soldering iron, solder, extra wire, crimper, extra connectors, schematics (if available), electrical tape, battery chargers!!!!

Programming: Dongles, programming cable, tether

Mechanical/Pneumatics: Wrench Sets/ ratchet sets, or just the main ones you used during construction (in my team's case, these happen to be 7/16" or 11 mm), power tools (drills).

If i think of a few more throughout the day, will post again.
-Danny

Re: Rookie Toolbox
 

a hack saw

to get the lock off your tool box!

(happens every year! - a spare key in your wallet works too)

Re: Rookie Toolbox
 

If you can, a good vice goes a long way, as well as a whole lot of tie wraps to stop things from moving and some wd-40 to get things moving. Don't be afraid to talk to your neighbors in the pit either, chances are if you forget something, they'll have it.

Re: Rookie Toolbox
 

Only the essentials--cordless drill or 2, drill index with bits, hacksaw and spare blades, Allen wrench set (English and metric), socket set, open end/box wrenches, voltmeter, shelving to put stuff on, safety glasses (lots of them), crimpers, pliers and vise grips, and any other tool you used on your robot and can bring easily. Oh, and a laptop computer with the program and a programmer, plus tether.

Re: Rookie Toolbox
 

Allen Wrenches
Metric Wrenches
Standard Wrenches
Tap Handles/Taps
Hand Drills
Screwdriver set
tap magic
lubricant
chain
center punch
mallets
ball-peen hammer
diagonal pliers
vice grips
needle nose pliers

and whatever you can scavenge/whatever you used to build the robot that you can bring

Re: Rookie Toolbox
 

DON'T FORGET THE CONTROLS.
It is much harder to rebuild them at competitions. ;)

Re: Rookie Toolbox
 

Basically, if you have a toolbox in which you kept all (or most) of the tools you used to build the robot, bring it. If you can't do that, then come talk to us, and we'll hook you up because that's what we bring, along with a portable belt sander and bandsaw. We're always willing to lend a tool to teams in need (after we write down your name and team number, which we learned to do the hard way)

Re: Rookie Toolbox
 

if you're planning to bring cordless drills, making sure not just the robot's bateries are recharged before hand but the power tool batteries are too, that'll come in handy also.

Re: Rookie Toolbox
 

One of everything that you'd normally use when working on the robot

Re: Rookie Toolbox
 

Remember a uni-bit for removing extra weight quickly, eg the swiss cheese method. Also handy, if you have the money, is a set of tools for each of the main repair people in the size of all the bolts, so if you have 7/16's everywhere, 5--6 wrench/ratchet combos of 7/16 size, and def more screwdrivers because the one you need always disappears

Re: Rookie Toolbox
 

extra drill-heads maybe? I dunno but our teams seems to break a lot of them

Re: Rookie Toolbox
 

Generally, you should bring wrenches for any nuts/bolts you have, along with allens and extra wire/ controls stuff. The rest you can probbly borrow. I've heard the machine shops are awesome.