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Originally Posted by Noah
1) Programming will take more time than you expect, especially if you want autonomous to work. Tell the team that the robot needs to be driving and in your (the programmer's) hands with at least three days before shipping.
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Or, more realistically, expect to spend all of your first Regional testing and debugging the code, since the robot wasn't finished even as it was being put in the crate.
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Originally Posted by Noah
2) Rookies: Don't program without sleep. Sure, you'll hear the experienced programmers bragging about a 36-hour code marathon, but all that means is that they are good at procrastinating. And working without sleep.
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True, you won't be productive without sleep. Still, there's a certain perverse pleasure in being able to say "I slept no more than 4 hours in the 4 nights I spent at Nationals!"
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Originally Posted by Noah
6) When testing your robot, lift it off the ground. Prop it up somehow. This can save lives! (well, shins, anyways)
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Better yet, have the mechanical team build a cart that allows the wheels to spin freely. If you're traveling by car or bus, you can bring it to the Regionals, where they don't let you drive your robot in the pit area. Also, have someone on the OI tether cable or radio modem cable at all times, ready to unplug it if the robot goes crazy. It really does keep people from getting run over by a 150lb robot!