Go to Post Sometimes it's not what you know going into a battle, but who you know. - Elgin Clock [more]
Home
Go Back   Chief Delphi > FIRST > General Forum
CD-Media   CD-Spy  
portal register members calendar search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read FAQ rules

 
Reply
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
  #1   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 17-01-2002, 22:35
Anton Abaya's Avatar
Anton Abaya Anton Abaya is offline
Registered User
None #0419 (Rambots)
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Rookie Year: 1999
Location: Boston
Posts: 215
Anton Abaya has a spectacular aura aboutAnton Abaya has a spectacular aura aboutAnton Abaya has a spectacular aura about
Send a message via ICQ to Anton Abaya Send a message via AIM to Anton Abaya
Our Small Parts Experience, to all TEAMS

To all the teams out there:

I just want you all to know how hassling it was to deal with Small Parts this year.

Firstly, it's only the 2nd week, and they're out of stock on all the sprockets we were asking for. We had to change design twice because they would run out after we would order it. Worse, they would ship us 8 of the 20 sprockets we asked for. What do we do with 8 sprockets if the rest are not coming in a week? Most of their sprockets are already out of stock.

The second time I ordered, I asked for a larger toothed sprocket. I asked how many they had, and they said 70+. I then ordered 20, and got my 8. It was blamed on other other orders that came before mine. Awesome, tell that to my work calendar and timeline. Delays, delays, delays...

Well, after I spoke to several representatives, they did manage to find me replacements and did give me a discount on overnight shipping. I expected it to be free considering they promised me twice that I would receive the full number of sprockets.

SPI was definitely unprepared this year for 900 teams or so. Both with their inventory and perhaps their efficiency and accuracy as well. They had blamed it on FIRST and said that they are NOT the official sponsor anymore or something like that. In any case, they should have expected a surge of orders. Perhaps FIRST could have given them a heads up as well?

So for all you teams who are still in design phase, I highly suggest you take into consideration their dwindling inventories. Go call them and ask how many they have left -- or when they expect the next shipment to arrive.

And by all means, get your sprockets somewhere else. Or ask them how many more they have left.

-anton abaya
Rambots, #419
Reply With Quote
  #2   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 18-01-2002, 08:10
bigqueue bigqueue is offline
Registered User
#0811 (A.R.C.)
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Nashua, NH
Posts: 231
bigqueue will become famous soon enough
Send a message via AIM to bigqueue Send a message via Yahoo to bigqueue
Unhappy Re: Our Small Parts Experience, to all TEAMS

Quote:
Originally posted by Anton Abaya
To all the teams out there:

I just want you all to know how hassling it was to deal with Small Parts this year.

Firstly, it's only the 2nd week, and they're out of stock on all the sprockets we were asking for. We had to change design twice because they would run out after we would order it. Worse, they would ship us 8 of the 20 sprockets we asked for. What do we do with 8 sprockets if the rest are not coming in a week? Most of their sprockets are already out of stock.

The second time I ordered, I asked for a larger toothed sprocket. I asked how many they had, and they said 70+. I then ordered 20, and got my 8. It was blamed on other other orders that came before mine. Awesome, tell that to my work calendar and timeline. Delays, delays, delays...

Well, after I spoke to several representatives, they did manage to find me replacements and did give me a discount on overnight shipping. I expected it to be free considering they promised me twice that I would receive the full number of sprockets.

SPI was definitely unprepared this year for 900 teams or so. Both with their inventory and perhaps their efficiency and accuracy as well. They had blamed it on FIRST and said that they are NOT the official sponsor anymore or something like that. In any case, they should have expected a surge of orders. Perhaps FIRST could have given them a heads up as well?

So for all you teams who are still in design phase, I highly suggest you take into consideration their dwindling inventories. Go call them and ask how many they have left -- or when they expect the next shipment to arrive.

And by all means, get your sprockets somewhere else. Or ask them how many more they have left.

-anton abaya
Rambots, #419
Thanks for the heads-up....we just placed an order this morning, and i am not sure how that will come out.

I am very interested in what other teams experience because being a rookie team, I expect we will be lightly behind the curve as far as schedule, and hang-ups like this could be critical.

Thanks for sensitizing people to a potential problem.

-Quentin
__________________
Team 4987: Megarams
Reply With Quote
  #3   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 18-01-2002, 08:57
Mike Rush's Avatar
Mike Rush Mike Rush is offline
Somewhat Insightful
FRC #4154 (Perpetual Recursion)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Rookie Year: 1996
Location: Eldon, MO
Posts: 155
Mike Rush is just really niceMike Rush is just really niceMike Rush is just really niceMike Rush is just really niceMike Rush is just really nice
We are also on the wait for sprockets from SPI". We were told 2 weeks back order for the larger tooth sprockets.... Hmmm, I wonder who got them all....

Reply With Quote
  #4   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 18-01-2002, 11:58
Ken Leung's Avatar Unsung FIRST Hero
Ken Leung Ken Leung is offline
Dare to Live!
FRC #0115 (Monta Vista Robotics Team)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: May 2001
Rookie Year: 1999
Location: Palo Alto, California
Posts: 2,390
Ken Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond reputeKen Leung has a reputation beyond repute
Send a message via AIM to Ken Leung
a list of online suppliers

Well, maybe we can now take this opportunity to put together a list of online stores team's have been using to buy gears and sprockets, or whatever is on the additional hardware list.

I know most people know about this place already, as especially the engineers, but I will post this anyway.

http://www.mcmaster.com/

They almost have everything you will ever need for hardwares. And you can tell them to ship them to you overnight. And they seems to never run out of stocks.

Since FIRST allow us to buy any amount of sprockets/gears at any place, we should really take advantage of that, especially a lot of teams are just take the easy way out and get from small parts.
Reply With Quote
  #5   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 18-01-2002, 12:13
Mike Norton's Avatar
Mike Norton Mike Norton is offline
Registered User
FRC #0061
Team Role: Teacher
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Rookie Year: 1995
Location: Upton, MA
Posts: 476
Mike Norton is a name known to allMike Norton is a name known to allMike Norton is a name known to allMike Norton is a name known to allMike Norton is a name known to allMike Norton is a name known to all
Another place to get things is MSC industrial Supply Co.

www.mscdirect.com


As long as we order before 4pm we get it by 9am the next day. without the high price.


We have almost all of our stock so go ahead and buy buy buy
Reply With Quote
  #6   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 18-01-2002, 12:39
Jason Rudolph Jason Rudolph is offline
Alumni of 168
no team
Team Role: Alumni
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Rookie Year: 1998
Location: Coral Springs, FL
Posts: 144
Jason Rudolph has much to be proud ofJason Rudolph has much to be proud ofJason Rudolph has much to be proud ofJason Rudolph has much to be proud ofJason Rudolph has much to be proud ofJason Rudolph has much to be proud ofJason Rudolph has much to be proud ofJason Rudolph has much to be proud ofJason Rudolph has much to be proud ofJason Rudolph has much to be proud of
Send a message via AIM to Jason Rudolph
Another great source is Berg
http://www.wmberg.com
Reply With Quote
  #7   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 18-01-2002, 13:30
dlavery's Avatar
dlavery dlavery is offline
Curmudgeon
FRC #0116 (Epsilon Delta)
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Rookie Year: 1996
Location: Herndon, VA
Posts: 3,176
dlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond repute
I posted this to another thread, but it may be useful here as well. We have put together an index of useful metal working-related web sites at

http://ranier.hq.nasa.gov/Metal/MetalSites.html

There are links to lots of suppliers and materials sources. Another resources for electronic components and other robot-related items is

http://ranier.hq.nasa.gov/teleroboti...netrobots.html


-dave
Reply With Quote
  #8   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 18-01-2002, 18:08
RoboGirll RoboGirll is offline
Registered User
#0212 (R.A.C.E (Robotics And Creative Engineering))
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Miami, Florida
Posts: 51
RoboGirll is an unknown quantity at this point
Send a message via AIM to RoboGirll
Yes, we are in MIAMI and we PICK UP our stuff. We went in to get our stuff, and they said that they were short on sprocks, so we say fine, we ll try tommorrow. I call next day, the lady tells me she will hold it for us for 20 minites (its 20 mins away) and when we get there, they are already gone. Make the story short, took us 3 days for us to get the gears.
Other than that, we've had no big probs with Small Parts- esp since we are right here in Miami and dont have to wait for it to be shipped
__________________
-RoBoGiRl
2003 Florida's Regional Champions
Reply With Quote
  #9   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 18-01-2002, 19:23
Anton Abaya's Avatar
Anton Abaya Anton Abaya is offline
Registered User
None #0419 (Rambots)
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Rookie Year: 1999
Location: Boston
Posts: 215
Anton Abaya has a spectacular aura aboutAnton Abaya has a spectacular aura aboutAnton Abaya has a spectacular aura about
Send a message via ICQ to Anton Abaya Send a message via AIM to Anton Abaya
Another suggestion...

McMaster charges an arm and a leg.

Here's my advice. Go to http://yp.yahoo.com. It's online yellow pages for your area. Go type in "gears" and look for local listings of gear manufacturers. They might give you a big discount and might have a less bombarded inventory.

As we all know, Small Parts just purchases from other sources and sells it to us. Just go straight to the manufacturer for sprockets, gears, etc. It'll save you time, money, and stress.

Good luck teams!

-anton

ps. SPI was pretty good in the past years. But they did not think ahead.
Reply With Quote
  #10   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 18-01-2002, 20:40
jeffreym jeffreym is offline
Registered User
#0802 (The Lost Bearings)
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Sudbury, MA
Posts: 19
jeffreym is on a distinguished road
Our team has had a lot of luck with Stock Drive Products / Sterling Instruments at http://www.sdp-si.com/. They have good stock and were very helpful and patient on the phone. They even shipped fedex for next day arrival.
Reply With Quote
  #11   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 21-01-2002, 18:20
Dr.Bot
 
Posts: n/a
Was there a small parts catalog in the kit of parts? No one here remebers ever seeing it?
Reply With Quote
  #12   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 21-01-2002, 18:21
Anton Abaya's Avatar
Anton Abaya Anton Abaya is offline
Registered User
None #0419 (Rambots)
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Rookie Year: 1999
Location: Boston
Posts: 215
Anton Abaya has a spectacular aura aboutAnton Abaya has a spectacular aura aboutAnton Abaya has a spectacular aura about
Send a message via ICQ to Anton Abaya Send a message via AIM to Anton Abaya
no, they were not included. According to SPI, they told me they are not official sponsors of first this year.

-anton
Reply With Quote
  #13   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 21-01-2002, 18:38
Unsung FIRST Hero
Ed Sparks Ed Sparks is offline
Engineer/Mentor/Inspector
AKA: FirstCadLibrary Guy, Inspector Dude
FRC #3959 (Formally with FRC-34)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Rookie Year: 1996
Location: Huntsville, Alabama
Posts: 624
Ed Sparks has a reputation beyond reputeEd Sparks has a reputation beyond reputeEd Sparks has a reputation beyond reputeEd Sparks has a reputation beyond reputeEd Sparks has a reputation beyond reputeEd Sparks has a reputation beyond reputeEd Sparks has a reputation beyond reputeEd Sparks has a reputation beyond reputeEd Sparks has a reputation beyond reputeEd Sparks has a reputation beyond reputeEd Sparks has a reputation beyond repute
Send a message via AIM to Ed Sparks Send a message via Yahoo to Ed Sparks
Exclamation No Catalogs ....

I requested catalogs for our team back in November and last week. I got a response a couple days ago that Small Parts is out of catalogs.


I expect that the economy is hurting Small Parts and it's ability to provide it's past level of service. I guess everyone has to cut back to survive.

The absence of the grant for Small Parts hurt my hardware budget this year so I don't get to experiment as much as I would like.

Maybe next year ......

__________________
Ed Sparks

MECH TECH FRC-3959
Reply With Quote
  #14   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 21-01-2002, 18:43
ChrisH's Avatar Unsung FIRST Hero
ChrisH ChrisH is offline
Generally Useless
FRC #0330 (Beach 'Bots)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Rookie Year: 1998
Location: Hermosa Beach, CA
Posts: 1,230
ChrisH has a reputation beyond reputeChrisH has a reputation beyond reputeChrisH has a reputation beyond reputeChrisH has a reputation beyond reputeChrisH has a reputation beyond reputeChrisH has a reputation beyond reputeChrisH has a reputation beyond reputeChrisH has a reputation beyond reputeChrisH has a reputation beyond reputeChrisH has a reputation beyond reputeChrisH has a reputation beyond repute
Another Hint

http://www.globalspec.com

You can search across the industry for the part you want. It is particularly useful for gears and sprockets. They can also help you find local suppliers. But since it is just a place for data exchange, your mileage may vary when it comes to actual results.

Have Fun!
__________________
Christopher H Husmann, PE

"Who is John Galt?"
Reply With Quote
  #15   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 21-01-2002, 23:13
Ryan Curry Ryan Curry is offline
Registered User
FRC #0030 (FURY)
Team Role: Driver
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Rookie Year: 1999
Location: Lincroft, NJ
Posts: 71
Ryan Curry is on a distinguished road
Send a message via AIM to Ryan Curry
No SPI, Anyone Scared about Regionals?

I dont know about you guys, but my team seems to go through a lot of SPI stock, especcially during the wear and tear of a regional. With no on site SPI people, what are we goingt o do. I am very worried.
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
2004 Championship Eligibility Criteria!!! dez250 General Forum 214 28-12-2003 20:11
Rules on making spare parts fyi DougHogg General Forum 0 02-04-2003 16:18
Hits, Misses, & Suggestions -- long message archiver 2000 17 23-06-2002 23:36
The Case For 'Regionalizing' teams at the Nationals. archiver 2000 33 23-06-2002 23:35
New FIRST Ruling -Wow the implications Mike Martus General Forum 51 07-02-2002 22:03


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:25.

The Chief Delphi Forums are sponsored by Innovation First International, Inc.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © Chief Delphi