Re: "Essential Tools"
 

Alright, so I'm late and the lists are really long already, but there's two good tools that I haven't sen yet:
Heat gun, useful not only for shrinking heat-shrink tube, but also for softening and bending lexan, PVC, etc.

Electrician's Scissors. Vital for your electrical team. They cut darn near anything from wire to cable ties to small diameter steel cable. Plus with a little practice you can strip wire with them too.

Re: "Essential Tools"
 

Just to help you out a bit I just uploaded a list of tools we purchased to "start" our garage last year. Our rookie year everything we used was borrowed the team had nothing. Last year we got a sponsor to buy most of the tools on the list. The prices will be a rough guide for you, the names of the actual tools are the more important thing.

CLICK HERE!

Any questions just ask or pm me

/edit ohh yeah the year prior we did purchase a drill press, which was left off the list. I believe that a drill press can be very important, you'd be amazed with some ingenuity ( and possibly a lexan blast shield ) what you can achieve with even a cheap harbor freight one!

Re: "Essential Tools"
 

Try to find a local team, and go check out their tool area. No way a list on CD is going to sum up what you need; Even the best of us here are going to forget to mention important tools.

Re: "Essential Tools"
 

i know last year we had to do some soldering when attaching the TTL board to the camera

Re: "Essential Tools"
 

Tin snips come in real handy for quickly cutting a piece of sheet metal for a panel without using a machine.

Re: "Essential Tools"
 

The definition (or at least mine) of an essential tool includes ALL tools one would use to make something out of raw material. Now, the definition of raw material includes: students, parents, the team in general and 6061T6 aluminum.

A good mentor that has been trained in team dynamics, one willing to do one or two workshops in team building can go along way to help mold the team into something that works well together.

A strong parent organization, booster club or a bunch of NEMs (non engineering mentors) willing to take care of all the other stuff, non robot related stuff, is an absolutely invaluable tool. (travel, food, making shirts, writing awards etc...)

Having team support in the local community is an invavluable tool. The city editor of the local newspaper on your side is good.

One or two or three school board memebrs that are vocal supporters of the team. Mentioning them at school board meetings, line items in budgets are always good things.

Internet access is a valuable tool, IF used correctly during meetings and after. CD, NEMO, FIRST are essential tools for gathering information. Don't forget the websites of any vendors you may be doing business with.

In short, tools are not just the things that are in your hands shaping the metal. The mentors, teachers, parents and engineers all around you are the most important tool you can use. And they are there for you to use. Just do not ABUSE them.

Re: "Essential Tools"
 

We are re-buying our tools this year, since we lost so many, and this is our list. I think it compiles just about all the critical tools. I'll put an asterisk (*) next to tools that are handy, but not necessary.
-Hammer
-Hacksaw
-Power Drill (with bits/spare battery)
-Allen Key Set (either standardized, or English)
-Adjustable wrench
-Open-ended wrench set (standardized or English)
-Ratcheting socket set*
-Rubber Mallet*
-Soldering iron
-Sawzall* (with spare battery)
-Screwdriver set (flathead and phillips head)
-Dremel* (with reinforced cutting heads)
-Pliers (needle nose)
-Vicegrips*
-Safety gear (Goggles for all team members, Firstaid kit, gloves are optional)
-File set
-A rolling, lockable tool chest*
I'd recommend approaching your local Sears, since they sell kits that contain most of the above for relatively cheap prices (the large (but not largest) sets usually weigh in at about $500), and the manager would probably give you a discount if you brought up what it was for.

Re: "Essential Tools"
 

Here is a couple of organizational tips:

1. keep an inventory of tools obtained - listed in categories/location.
Keep this current/updated.

2. make and keep a wish list of tools/equipment wanted/needed. This is handy for the parent that feels generous, the potential sponsor that walks up to a fundraiser or community outreach event, the aunt or uncle who have been hearing about this robotics team and would like to contribute something. It is also helpful for the team booster club to have handy when working on the budget. Purchasing/maintaining tools/equipment should be included in the budget both short term and long term.

3. Create a position for a tool manager on the team. This person is responsible for making sure the tools get put back where they belong and for travel preparation/competition. This is the go-to tool person when something is needed. During competition, we've learned that the tool manager can fill another position such as safety captain as well - being useful and efficient.

Re: "Essential Tools"
 

Also have a variety of electric stuff, wire nuts, wire ties (that was aready mentioned)

o yes and ALOT of Mountain Dew:yikes:

Re: "Essential Tools"
 

I'm not surprised you needed to use solder for that, since the TTL converter board is not designed to be attached to the camera.:confused:

The sensors in the Kit of Parts for the past couple of years (accelerometers, gear tooth sensors, etc.) have no connectors, just plated-through holes on the printed circuit board. Soldering is required to attach wires to them. Almost every potentiometer one might want to use for position feedback has terminals that wires must be soldered to.

Building the on-board backup battery charger circuit also needs soldering skills.

Re: "Essential Tools"
 

I'm kinda surprised that no one has mentioned this: A VEX kit.

Learning to program on a 130+ pound robot can get really interesting. The VEX platform allows students to make mistakes while learning and not endanger people or property.

Re: "Essential Tools"
 

well it may have not been attaching to the camera but it was something that NEEDED to work

Re: "Essential Tools"
 

Or anything else with a great deal of caffeine. Coffee, tea, a random game of dodgeball, a quiet ice cube down the back of their shirt...

Safety glasses! Have some sort of organization system for them, too. I built a temporary polycarb box from some random scrap we had lying around. Bent it with a welding torch, a wood-bending thing in the woodshop and a friend. A large, sturdy metal ruler with a few more friends also works. Distinctive, simple. It worked quite well, but now the safety glasses reside in a shelf on our Toolbox. The toolbox has castors (we put them on) and has a locking box in one of the shelves.

Re: "Essential Tools"
 

In my experience, having a set place for safety glasses greatly increases the likelihood that people will seek it out and put them on. In my days on 1293, it was a bin right by the storage room door; in their new digs, it's a five-gallon bucket spray-painted orange. On 1618, it's a shoebox with SAFETY GLASSES written on it in large letters. It's a little ugly, and it's a little beat up after the run to Brunswick Eruption, but even the 2458 kids picked up on it right out of the gate.

I'm also pushing for a Safety Glasses Jar in the vein of the classic swear jar, as a punishment to students who go back into our work area without glasses on. A quarter for each time they're caught wearing forehead protectors will not only teach them right fast to get their glasses on before going into the shop area, but also help offset the cost of the team's Goldfish addiction. Two birds, one stone.

(Don't get me wrong, I'm not big on swearing...but I think protecting their eyesight is more important.)

Re: "Essential Tools"
 

I wouldn't really call it a tool, but a tether is definitely something that is good to have on hand. With that a disable box is very vital also(person with a fast finger would be good). It's no good having a robot if you can't control it in the pits or practice.:ahh: