[archiver]

Posted by s_alaniz at 03/13/2001 11:45 AM EST


Other on team #57 from Houston Regional co-ordinator.


In Reply to: Time for new rules!
Posted by James Jones on 03/09/2001 11:57 AM EST:



Sorry, but I disagree. In all the jobs I've held and in
all the companies I've worked for, the most successful
mechanisms I've seen are those that are clever not
sophisticated. True, with unlimited resources we could
build a Mars rover and a pretty good delivery system...
well.. for those teams that can afford it.. and I could
come up with a pretty good electronics package, (Last
year, I had my electronics team build a two minute
countdown timer using ICs and a clock developed from
the AC line... then I showed them how to etch a PC
board.. a forgotten art...and with respect to the
Yellow Dongle.. had a 4 output system that enabled the
extra channels and disabled the controllers after the
two minutes... but I digress..)but in REAL life, your
prototype is going up to management who kick it back
down and say..."Can we build it cheaper with the parts
in our warehouse?" That's part of F.I.R.S.T., to give
the kids a taste of the real world.
I'd also like to think we're preparing the kids for
an Apollo 13 situation where you must solve a problem
with limited resourses. Also... not all of us have
great machine shops or computers with autocad...
something I've seen with some teams that makes me a TAD
envious... (as we sketch out designs on discarded
"whopper" wrappers..)
I'm sure the rules will change, but honestly, I've
yet to see ... and maybe because there are so many
teams... any team max out the possibilities of the
parts or electronics...
Just my opinion...


Best Wishes

Steve Alaniz