Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

Honestly, I always wish we made more progress than we do.

Reality is, NEVER compare your progress with other teams. It will only stress you out and slow you down.

All teams work at different paces and it changes from year to year.

If you have a schedule, stick to it as best you can.

From my experience, most teams rally in the eleventh hour and get it done, almost.

Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

My old mentor Bill Beatty used to let us in on some secrets every once and awhile.

Rule #1: Fall behind early

Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

Some member of our team are really worried this year, because we are really pushing ourselves this year to build a robot that can take us to St. Louis.

(And no, it's not because we think we HAVE to, or anyone's forcing us. We just think we owe it to ourselves to keep building on the successes we have had, and the next step is winning a regional.)

In all of this fear and sorts, we are miles ahead of the last two years. We usually start build in the heat of exam week, but we started preliminary build last Saturday (we built the C-Base bot and have been calibrating the sensors and testing equipment), and an FTC team is coming in to help us next week with our minibot. Our prototypes have looked great as well.

I think design finalization is tomorrow!

As our build leader said, "No one can understand my happiness."

Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

What do you mean behind?

You mean there is a deadline????

I better read the rules...










just kidding...
We are always behind....but in a good way

Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

Serious answer:

I generally start feeling that we're behind somewhere in early May. This feeling intensifies around January, and then lets up in mid-late April.

More serious answer:

The interesting thing about Logomotion is that it isn't hard to build a robot to do everything required of it this year. The hard part is building a robot that can do all those things better than everyone else's robot...

Which means that all of us are behind, no matter where we're at! :eek:

Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

Being behind lets you see what other teams have already built, and build something to beat it. being behind gives you a better idea of your situation and gives you hindsight of things that haven't even happened yet.

Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

The scariest part has to be around this time. All teams have different design processes, and when your's means parts haven't been being assembled while you watch other teams posting online about their robot, it's easy to get scared. Just have to remember to stick to the plan, and it's easy to settle in around the halfway point.

Then you are allowed to freak out on the last weekend trying to finish.

Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

I've had a small gut feeling we were behind over the past week and a half but so much has progressed that I don't know where we are at the moment. I know for a fact we are doing much better than last year and that is because of everyone's dedication. Stay dedicated and you will end up where you want to be.

Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

Last year we spent more time on design than we ever had before, to the point that by the end of week two I was in a near panic...

...and we were FLR champions, with everything (except that dastardly camera) working exactly as we wanted it to...

So I am learning new ways to be behind, and learning that some of them are good, because being 'ahead' isn't always being ahead...

Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

I've been worrying about our team falling behind for the last day. Its looking like we're going to have our 2nd snow day this week, which is too bad because we were going to start 3.5 hours early tomorrow.

Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

Daily. Then I remember where we were last year, and I'm at ease for a while.

Then I remember we can fall behind any second. This vicious cycle repeats.

Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

we're not behind...more like we are waiting to see how things play out for other teams first...rookie pass lol

Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

I am kind of constantly scared that I will not be able to make a good program that tops as one of the best for my team's robot.

We know how to use the new light sensors but now I have to think about how to create the most efficient system to do it in autonomous and potentially teleop.

I feel ambitious in attempting to use the gyro that came in the 2010/2011 KoP with the encoders to assist drivers.

Then there is coming up with effective programming for letting the robot automatically move the arm into the proper height to score.

On all my projects I always feel like there is more to be accomplished. I know that at one point a project must stop and you should be satisfied with what you got.

Kind of put an ease on my mind knowing we did not have to cancel any meetings though I have to feel bad knowing of other teams losing work days.

Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

I made a deal with God: No snow days on Mondays or Thursdays during the build season, and I won't ignore my wife for seven weeks straight...

...neither one of us quite keeps our end of the bargain, though...

Re: How often do you worry you're behind?
 

see if you can make it in to robotics on a snow day, my team had 3 snow days last season, and we simply carpooled with people with large vehicles, not everyone could make it but we made a lot of progress with a full day unencumbered by school.