Need advices from veterans!

[jab0ii]

Hi, I'm a sophomore and this year I decided to fully commit to our school's robotic club. The problem is I don't know where to start learning about everything in a robot ( motors, gears, electrical, pneumatics, wheels etc..)
I wish to accumulate enough knowledge that I can literally build a First robot myself when I'm a senior. Any advices will be appreciated!

[Lowfategg]

Best resource I have found so far.

http://first.wpi.edu/

Watch some of the workshop videos, some are better than others.

[Duncan Macdonald]

Good luck, while it is useful to have a general knowledge of everything but I would caution you to avoid the "jack of all trades master of none" scenario. Pick a couple that you think you you would enjoy the most and learn them thoroughly.

[Lowfategg]

Originally Posted by Nacnud

Good luck, while it is useful to have a general knowledge of everything but I would caution you to avoid the "jack of all trades master of none" scenario. Pick a couple that you think you you would enjoy the most and learn them thoroughly.

Then again, it is good to have someone that understand each part of the robot somewhat well. I think they usually call that person the build leader.

But yes, for a beginner start by learning something well.

[AndyB]

If you enjoy drafting (inventor, solidworks, etc...) I would recommend going that route. That's how I started learning. Take a previous year's robot, and model the whole thing with as much detail as you can. You'll start to learn a LOT.

Furthermore, you'll bring a skill to your team.

[Tom Line]

Originally Posted by Lowfategg

Then again, it is good to have someone that understand each part of the robot somewhat well. I think they usually call that person the build leader.

Actually, most of the time he's called a manager, and is the butt-end of every joke that the guys who do the actual work can come up with....

[Andrew Schreiber]

First suggestion, keep up the attitude, learning is always a good thing.

Second suggestion, specialize. Too many times have I seen robots that tried to do everything fail because they were mediocre at everything. Alliances are there for a reason, you need to surround yourself with people who complement your skills and abilities. And if my anecdote is too subtle, there is a reason that FIRST is not about individuals, FIRST is about teaching students that they CANT do everything but instead need to work together to accomplish a goal, chances are that you wont be able to build the best FRC robot on your own, but if you can do one thing well and you find people who do the other things you will build a better machine than if you did it alone. Or for those of you know prefer SQL code:

DECLARE @Robot INT
SELECT @Robot = SUM(Skills) FROM Students WHERE Contributed = 1

That being said, after you specialize there is nothing wrong with broadening your horizons, and never ever be afraid to say, "you know, I dont like doing this anymore." and to change your goals.

Disclaimer: I am not saying not to have a goal of being able to build a robot yourself, I am saying that while that is a great goal, do not kid yourself into thinking you are the best at all things. Accept help and give it often.

Also, I applaud your decision to commit to robotics, I just encourage you to ask yourself why you do it. Ask yourself often and if you cant find a reason perhaps take the time to sit down and ask yourself where you are going and if it helps you towards your goals. (This applies to all things in life)

[Herodotus]

The best thing you can do, in my experience, is specialize in one field, but also learn a bit in everything else.

More important than that, however, is deciding where you are learning from. Online workshops and these forums are good resources but they have nothing on good mentors. Your mentors are the greatest source of information you have access to, and what really set FIRST apart from just learning about these things. Use your mentors as much as you can, always listen to their advice and always be willing to ask questions and actively learn from them.

I cannot stress enough that you need to make the absolute most of your mentors, as they are better than any book or website or anything.

[gorrilla]

asking lots of questions really is the best way to learn something


and CAD is a great tool to use in designing a robot





now my team needs to get on that

[lynca]

Originally Posted by Lowfategg

Best resource I have found so far.

http://first.wpi.edu/

Watch some of the workshop videos, some are better than others.

I agree with the wpi link , There are a few other sites as well that organize material in different ways.

http://www.mentorsearch.us/training

http://www.mvrt.com/2008/resources/trainings.php

http://www.fsrobotics.org/moe365//mo.../moementum.php

[Anna B.]

My advice? Don't just watch and listen, get in there and do it. You can learn a lot from doing, just don't be afraid to make mistakes. You should take those mistakes and learn from them.
-Anna

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by jab0ii

Hi, I'm a sophomore and this year I decided to fully commit to our school's robotic club.

Your attitude is the first thing which impresses me. Looking around on these forums is your first step. Learn the basics of each if you want to become the jack of all trades but don't get into details. Second, make sure that there is someone on your team (both at least 1 student and one mentor) who knows about the full workings of the new control system. For anything else, Chief Delphi is pretty much the place to look. Keep your attitude of gaining the most knowledge you can gain though, it might get you farther that you think.

[R.C.]

Originally Posted by jab0ii

Hi, I'm a sophomore and this year I decided to fully commit to our school's robotic club. The problem is I don't know where to start learning about everything in a robot ( motors, gears, electrical, pneumatics, wheels etc..)
I wish to accumulate enough knowledge that I can literally build a First robot myself when I'm a senior. Any advices will be appreciated!

In my opinion this a great thing, I have done the same and by the end of your sophmore year you will know a little bit about everything. I totally agree with Akash. Start off by looking at previous games, robots and successful teams. 1114, 330, 217, 233, 254/968, 148, 11, 67, 987,25, 1024 are just a handful of good ones. Analyze their robots and look at what they do right. Then go back and check out the KOP and analyze each part and their uses. Learn CAD, Inventor or Solidworks. Talk to other teams and search chiefdelphi, it is a great source of info. After you are familar with these, start looking at the drivetrain. The drivetrain is a very important part of each robot. There are many different types:
-Westcoast
-6wd = rocker = skid steer
-4wd = omnis and offset omnis
-8wd
-crab
-meccum
-omni
and so on, make sure to find out about different types of gearboxes.

Find out the pros and cons of each one and design a few, CAD it out. Then after that, take a look over the electronics and pnuematics. By the end of this you should know a fairly decent amount of knowledge. Look at how to design a proper arm (1323 or 330 or 67), forklift (254/968 has) a cool one) and take a look at team pinks telescopic arm. Research is one of the most important "element of first". I hope this helps and I don't think the poofs would mind showing you a couple of their old robots in person. If you need help, just email me

have fun,

-rc

[EricH]

Originally Posted by rc_cola1323

The drivetrain is a very important part of each robot. There are many different types:
-Westcoast
-6wd = rocker = skid steer
-4wd = omnis and offset omnis
-8wd
-crab
-meccum
-omni
and so on, make sure to find out about different types of gearboxes.

Actually, the West Coast drive is a 6WD "drop" ("rocker") drive. Typically, the true West Coast drive has small (6" max) cantilevered custom wheels, while the larger 6WD class can have any one of a number of differences.

Oh, and "meccum" is actually "mecanum". It's an omni-directional drive.

There's also the rarely-used tank treads, and the occasional 3WD, 2WD, or manyWD. (And for further confusion: the swerve. I still don't quite know what the difference is between crab and swerve, other than the way the steering modules are linked.)

OK, off the drives now...

You really don't want to try to learn everything in one year. Start with one general area, say mechanical. Learn all you want to know about that area, or until you know enough to know that you don't want to know more. Then learn another. And another. Learn CAD along the way somewhere. A good place to start might be drivetrain--it's the most key element of a robot, and it's the easiest to get a working knowledge of and the hardest to master. Yeah, you get one in the KOP. Is that one the one you really want? Maybe not... If not, then let the fun and games begin.

[R.C.]

Originally Posted by EricH

Actually, the West Coast drive is a 6WD "drop" ("rocker") drive. Typically, the true West Coast drive has small (6" max) cantilevered custom wheels, while the larger 6WD class can have any one of a number of differences.

Oh, and "meccum" is actually "mecanum". It's an omni-directional drive.

There's also the rarely-used tank treads, and the occasional 3WD, 2WD, or manyWD. (And for further confusion: the swerve. I still don't quite know what the difference is between crab and swerve, other than the way the steering modules are linked.)

OK, off the drives now...

You really don't want to try to learn everything in one year. Start with one general area, say mechanical. Learn all you want to know about that area, or until you know enough to know that you don't want to know more. Then learn another. And another. Learn CAD along the way somewhere. A good place to start might be drivetrain--it's the most key element of a robot, and it's the easiest to get a working knowledge of and the hardest to master. Yeah, you get one in the KOP. Is that one the one you really want? Maybe not... If not, then let the fun and games begin.

Thanks EricH, i messed up the drives a bit. THE KOP CHASSIS UH???