Quote:
Originally Posted by marshall
First thing first, learn your team's number.
Next, get in touch with other team's close to you. I have no idea where you are located but find other teams in your area and start talking to them now.
This might help too, it's the mentoring guide from FIRST: http://www.firstinspires.org/sites/d...ring-guide.pdf |
These two things are crucial--a support system with other teams makes all the teams better. (If nothing else, you may just need another adult doing the same ridiculous thing to have a beverage with.)
Also: Make sure you have comfortable safety glasses and a pop riveter. In 13 seasons and 15 robots, my teams have welded twice (and one of those was to make the frame before the modern kitbot even existed). Riveting allows for faster repairs in the pits, which is handy when you only have 20 minutes between matches and any welding work has to go through the machine shop (which may or may not be on the venue grounds).
Know your parts sources:
AndyMark and
VEXpro are the 800-pound gorillas in FRC-specific items, and odd mechanical bits can be found from a number of sources (I like
McMaster-Carr, but that's partially because their warehouse in Atlanta gives me next-day delivery if I order before lunch.) And go ahead and walk the aisles of your nearest hardware store, so you know where everything is. That includes the plumbing (PVC pipe is a magical thing), the angle and flat metal rack, the nuts and bolts (and rivets, because you bought the riveter), the spray paint (if you can paint, you should), and the tools. McMaster is probably cheaper, especially in larger quantities, but sometimes you have to have it that night.
Read the manual completely. Read the email blasts completely. Ask questions if you're unsure.
Get the kit drivetrain running by the end of Week 1, at least in prototype form. Ballast it up to the weight limit, and start practicing on carpet (or whatever the field surfaces may be). Yes, carpet vs. slick school hallway makes a difference. Figure out who has the knack for it, and get them driving as much as possible. I'm fortunate to have been a part of five regional wins over the years, and none of them was as a first- or second-round pick. Save for one time where we were drafted in as a replacement for a broken team, there was a common thread:
our guys could drive the freakin' wheels off. (
Literally, in one case.)
Start on bumpers early, both making sure your mechanisms clear them (screwed that up once) and making sure they look good. True story, some teams will scout in part off the build quality of your bumpers. (If you sweated the details on them, you probably sweated other details on your robot. If they look crappy, where else did you cut corners?)
Buy a couple more batteries and at least a second battery charger. You'll want them. If you've got budget room, my team and many others are fans of the
Battery Beak to monitor battery health and charge state. A healthy battery alone will not win you a match, but a dead battery is a great way to lose a match.
For overall strategy, I'll end on this: Accept that there is winning, there is getting beat, and there is losing. Don't lose.