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Unread 12-12-2011, 10:45
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Joe Johnson Joe Johnson is offline
Engineer at Medrobotics
AKA: Dr. Joe
FRC #0088 (TJ2)
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[DFTF] Budgeting for a Competitive Robot...

This is part of a series of posts called Drinking From The Firehose on getting Dr Joe back up to speed on All Things FIRST.

Today's topic:
Budgeting for a Competitive Robot...

Okay, we have finally come to the 500 lbs guerrilla in the room.

How much does a competitive FRC robot cost?

This is not an academic question. I have currently signed up for a 2nd Regional (thanks NASA!) but I only have $1,500 left in the account we've labeled “build a robot."

Can I build a competitive robot for $1,500 plus the KOPs?

Assets:
  • I have some robot raw materials, probably not enough to build a robot but I guess ~80% of the way there (AL stock, some polycarb sheet, some wire, lots of zip ties, all the 10-24 screws & nuts you’d ever want, some #35 chain & master links, … ).
  • I have a small shop (mini-mill, mini lathe, drill press, bandsaw, drop saw, belt/disk sander, marble block & height gauge, …).
  • I have student labor (largely untrained at this point, but we will get there)
So… what I have to buy is
  • sprockets
  • bearings
  • wheels
  • motors
  • gearboxes
  • sensors/electronics
  • pneumatic solenoid valves
  • pneumatic cylinders
  • Jaguars/Victors
  • PWM Cables
  • Bumpers
  • 2CAN2?
  • ??? 100's of other ticky tack things that add up
Here is what I would like folks to help me figure out:

Give me a base number:
  • What does a competitive robot cost (all inclusive less KOP)?
Then break it down:
  • Price for raw materials (AL, polycarb, screws, pop rivets, tie wraps, hold downs, pool noodles, nylon cloth, …)
  • Price for the main drivetrain (assume use of 2 CIM + CIMpleBox + sensor from KOP to make a 6WD drop center chassis – add in special wheels, chain, sprockets, bearings, etc. that are not in the KOP)
  • Price per Motor-driven Actuator (MA) include motor, gearbox, chain/sprockets, Jaguar/Victor, PWM/CAN cables, fuse, sensor? Also how many MAs should I plan on? WRT gearbox costs, assume that I am going to have to use stuff from Banebots and/or AndyMark because, while I design robot gearboxes for a living, I am pretty limited on the kind of stuff my kids can make with our shop.
  • Price to “ante up” for pneumatics (assume KOP stuff pump, tanks, regs, switch,… include costs stuff needed to make the KOP stuff work).
  • Price per Pnuematic-driver Actuator (PA) over and above ante price above include solenoid valve, cylinder, end fittings, plumbing, sensors …? Also how many PAs should I plan on? If there is a way to cheaply gain cost advantage by ganging valves (for example using a special N valve manifold that works well for FIRST and costs less per channel)
  • Price for custom electronics (anything above and beyond the KOP stuff. I assume that the KOP angular rate sensor is acceptable, but what else do we need/want?)
  • Other robot costs not included above (e.g. extra batteries)
  • Finally, How many MAs and PAs total should I count on (assuming again 4 CIMs are used in the Chassis)?
So…

Don’t spare my feelings here. Tell it to me straight.



Do I need to cancel our plans to go to a second Regional? Maybe even THAT isn’t enough, if I need more, tell me now.



I’ll work to find the funds I need. But before I do that, I need to know what I need to raise...


Joe J.
Team Leader / Mentor
Team #3958
Schrodinger’s Cat
BC High, Boston MA
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Team #88, TJ2
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