[kstl99]

Garret, I am happy you posted your opinions from that point of view. It must have been difficult to complete a robot with a small budget and so few mentors.

I would think it wise to do all you can to get a mechanical engineer, an electrical engineer and a programmer to help. As an electrical engineer I have learned through seeing my mistakes and those of others and can predict where problems can occur and find quick, easy and inexpensive solutions to many problems. As long as I am explaining why things need to be a certain way and answering questions the learning will happen. An experienced mechanical engineer would have been able to tell you where you can safely use cheaper materials and where you really shouldn't.

I do realize that getting mentor help is not easy but I think the rewards for your team would be great, not just in being more competitive but in learning more, enjoying it more and in keeping the team together.