Quote:
Originally Posted by EricH
I heavily disagree. Unless you are using alternative methods for pedestal lighting, and for indicating number of assists, and for determining hot goals, and for tracking the score as seen by the multitude of referees, it's MORE necessary!
Last year was an "unnecessary" year for FMS at offseasons--just dump out the goals, count the discs, check the robots' height off the floor; enable and disable manually. In 2012, you could get away with manual scorers at each station; 2011 could see the scores other than minibot counted at the end of the match (and possibly even minibot...), you get the picture.
But for a game where every ball going into the goal could be worth anywhere from one to 40 points, with two other 10-point bonuses in there, you really need something to track in real time, and do the figuring for you.
Here is what the FMS does: It controls what state the robots are in, and handles communication from each robot to its driver station. Logs are kept of the comm status, for later troubleshooting. A separate section takes care of any scoring/fouls input. And there's also the timing/field action section that turns goals hot, lights assist lights, all the "cool" stuff. (I'm not sure if those are actually sectioned off from each other, but it's a good way to break down the functions.) The scorekeeper has a 5-button box and a computer to make adjustments if needed. Do you need the FMS? No. But getting decent scores and robot state control without it is going to be tough.
Personally, I'd go with the FMS Lite. It'll give robot state control and timing, but not necessarily scoring.
As for getting ahold of an FTA, I'd suggest talking to the director of FIRST Canada to see who the nearest FTA to you is. FTAs are good at more than just managing the FMS--they lead field setup and teardown, troubleshoot field issues, and otherwise make sure the field side of the event (and any and all FIRST-provided equipment) runs smoothly and leaves in good condition (whenever possible).
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I should have said a FIRST FMS since it is more than just the computer it is all the electronics, sensors ect. Having a FIRST FMS means that you have to have insurance to cover it from the time it leaves FIRST/AM control.
While the FTA is technically oversees the field set up, in many cases the person that really does that is the field manager. The FTA's main responsibility is overseeing the electronics portion of the field and troubleshooting that and connection to the field. Chezy FMS or FMS lite will get the job done and lower the cost of putting on an event.