[FTC]: FTC Competition kits are here...

[PhilBot]

Woo Hoo....

Unpacked my FTC Competition kit today.

Lots of bits and pieces.......

Best news... the Split Axle clamps are GONE, replaced by a new piece that's called an Axle Hub. It looks like the Motor Hub (shaft adapter), but with a smaller hole to fit an axle (has a larger setscrew).

Also in this kit is a new plastic piece that protects the tabs on the motor from breakage.

The Omni wheel is neat, but yet to see how well it will work on the spongy mat. Only 2 come in the kit, so if you want twin wheels for smoother running, get out the Credit Card

Other than this, there seem to be larger quantities of some of the key parts.... eg: gears, angle brackets, screws etc.

And the new sensor is....... oops running out of ink..... can't spoil the surprize.....

Phil.

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by PhilBot

And the new sensor is....... oops running out of ink..... can't spoil the surprise.....

Does it translate to "infrareday etectorday"?

[PhilBot]

By jove I think he's got it.

More of a tracker too.

Phil.

[ttldomination]

hahaha. Would you mind posting pictures of some of these new parts? Recently our FTC team decided to indefinitely end operations in order to compete in VRC, but my interest has not abated.

[Komodo]

Really?

I thought it was THIS

[Komodo]

You do mean an infrared sensor, right?
Oh well, Dosen't the sonar sensor detect distance as well though?

[wilsonmw04]

What is this competition kit you are speaking about? Is this the same thing we received last year with tweaks?

[jbbjjbt]

Originally Posted by PhilBot

Woo Hoo....

Unpacked my FTC Competition kit today.

Lots of bits and pieces.......

Best news... the Split Axle clamps are GONE, replaced by a new piece that's called an Axle Hub. It looks like the Motor Hub (shaft adapter), but with a smaller hole to fit an axle (has a larger setscrew).

Also in this kit is a new plastic piece that protects the tabs on the motor from breakage.

The Omni wheel is neat, but yet to see how well it will work on the spongy mat. Only 2 come in the kit, so if you want twin wheels for smoother running, get out the Credit Card

Other than this, there seem to be larger quantities of some of the key parts.... eg: gears, angle brackets, screws etc.

And the new sensor is....... oops running out of ink..... can't spoil the surprize.....

Phil.

Phil,
Did you get a whole new kit or just the upgrade?
Jon T

[vavex]

The new parts are in the brand new kit only. The Challenge Kit is the software and the sensor for this year's game. New parts include tube plugs, axle hubs, improved battery leads, and omni wheels.

[amarts]

Has anyone seen a itemized parts list? The students would like to inventory our kit.

I was a little disappointed we didn't get a NXT rechargeable battery and charger.

Andy

[PhilBot]

Originally Posted by jbbjjbt

Phil,
Did you get a whole new kit or just the upgrade?
Jon T

Got the full kit. Plus I just ordered some extra Omni wheels right off the bat.

After all the demos, presentations, and traning sessions, our hardware is looking a bit worse for wear. Purchasing a full kit is the cheapest way to get a BUNCH of spares. Plus you can never have enough NXT's

I agree about the charger... I hadn't noticed that it didn't have a rechargable battery pack included.

The Infrared sensor is actaully an IR direction finder. (IR Seeker II)
It has 5 detectors that provide 9 detection beams (when you include the small overlap zones).

As has been stated elsewhere.... PITSCO sells a small IR emitting ball that they use for Robo-Soccer. It's a good way to experiemnt with the sensor if you can't wait to find out what it's real purpose is.

There was also talk about new Gears and Chains on one of the flyers that came in the box.... didn't see them last time I was on LEGO store.

[jefft]

Here are some pictures.. sorry for the low quality..
You can find the picture of the omni wheels on Pitsco website.

Phil, are you coming the the MD FTC Kickoff?

Jeff T.
Maryland.

[PhilBot]

Hi Jeff.

Sorry, no, we won't be at kickoff in La Plata. We WILL be there in spirit though, as the team watches on the big-sceen at our GEARS facility.

We're eager to get brainstorming and try out some of the new components and new LabVIEW environment.

Phil.

[basicxman]

Must get mine A.S.A.P.

Not too fond of a new axle hub - how is it? I did actually like the old ones quite a bit, any news if we'll be able to use the old ones?

Can't wait to see what FIRST does with these:
http://parts.ftcrobots.com/store/det...&c=1&t=0&l= 0

http://parts.ftcrobots.com/store/det...&c=1&t=0&l= 0

[ptan]

Hmmm... Strange... I haven't gotten ours yet.

BasicXMan: Did it come directly from PITSCO/Lego Education or did it come from Spectrum? Also, when did you place the order for the full kit?

Paul Tan.