Storage Hunter Finds a FRC Robot

[BrendanRadabaug]

Originally Posted by Cuog

I don't. Have you looked at the prices of all the components "faked" onto that bot? They're not cheap. And if there was more than just that bot there's plenty of room for money making if they can move the products.

yes but by only going on what we saw and with such a huge market, yes the robot is worth about $1,449 of parts not including IFI electronics, the blue box or metal. there is a very wide market of mixed up parts that would not sell well unless to a first team. i cant go off of the battelbot because we did not see the insides or the other one because all i saw was what looked like a Arduino. and he can probably make money back from the rest of the unit.

[Cuog]

Originally Posted by BrendanRadabaug

yes but by only going on what we saw and with such a huge market, yes the robot is worth about $1,449 of parts not including IFI electronics, the blue box or metal. there is a very wide market of mixed up parts that would not sell well unless to a first team. i cant go off of the battelbot because we did not see the insides or the other one because all i saw was what looked like a Arduino. and he can probably make money back from the rest of the unit.

Thats kind of my point. This one item from a unit has the potential to make back most of his money, making the rest mostly profit. I wouldn't underestimate the use of the more generic components like motor controllers to average robot builders as the ones used in FIRST are very versatile compared to what most hobbyists use.

[Garrett.d.w]

I have recently priced out these parts because I am building a robot on my own time and THEY ARE NOT CHEAP. I got a price of at least $500, (two motors, simple drive train, victor speed controllers, etc) and this was to be controlled using an arduino.

Now lets consider an FRC robot. Lets factor in the cRIO modules instead of an arduino. Correct me if i'm wrong, but a new cRIO module goes for around $649, and there are three. So we are talking AT LEAST $2447 (drive train plus cRIO). Two IFI radios (Probably $150 a pop new), bringing the total to $2,747.

If he knows what he is doing, he'll turn a profit easy.
On the flip side, if he doesn't know what he is dealing with, some team will get a real bargain.

**Please keep into consideration that this is a rough estimate that is probably high, as the price of the modules varies considerably.

[MrForbes]

Judging by what was done to the robot, no one involved has a clue what any of the parts are, so they'd be hard pressed to get much money for them.

[IanW]

My question is how did a team (1277 IIRC) lose possession of all these parts? Unless they were temporarily donated for use in the show, why would they be abandoned? I for one would gladly take some parts like that off their hands if they don't want them...

[Cuog]

Originally Posted by Team2374

My question is how did a team (1277 IIRC) lose possession of all these parts? Unless they were temporarily donated for use in the show, why would they be abandoned? I for one would gladly take some parts like that off their hands if they don't want them...

Usually when an organization abandons a storage unit its due to an oversight. Whoever was in charge of paying the bills probably forgot to pass it off to the next person when they left, or assumed someone else had it covered. If the leadership isn't paying enough attention to what's being done its very easy to overlook something like this, especially if few on the team even knew the storage unit existed.

[bearbot]

nice

[Lil' Lavery]

Most elaborate game hint ever.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Garrett.d.w

I have recently priced out these parts because I am building a robot on my own time and THEY ARE NOT CHEAP. I got a price of at least $500, (two motors, simple drive train, victor speed controllers, etc) and this was to be controlled using an arduino.

Now lets consider an FRC robot. Lets factor in the cRIO modules instead of an arduino. Correct me if i'm wrong, but a new cRIO module goes for around $649, and there are three. So we are talking AT LEAST $2447 (drive train plus cRIO). Two IFI radios (Probably $150 a pop new), bringing the total to $2,747.

If he knows what he is doing, he'll turn a profit easy.
On the flip side, if he doesn't know what he is dealing with, some team will get a real bargain.

**Please keep into consideration that this is a rough estimate that is probably high, as the price of the modules varies considerably.

Whoever bought this stuff isn't going to make MSRP off of it. I would never buy components off some random robot that have probably been abused and have no guarantee of working properly.

The guy would be lucky to make half of MSRP and it's going to take quite a bit of work. There isn't a big market on Craigslist or Ebay for FRC robot parts. I certainly would not want to hang my hat on making money via selling used robot components.

[Garrett.d.w]

Originally Posted by Cory

The guy would be lucky to make half of MSRP and it's going to take quite a bit of work. There isn't a big market on Craigslist or Ebay for FRC robot parts. I certainly would not want to hang my hat on making money via selling used robot components.

Very true. Though I have to disagree on the size of the market. There are a lot of teams out there who would be itching to get their hands on some components to build a second robot.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by Garrett.d.w

Very true. Though I have to disagree on the size of the market. There are a lot of teams out there who would be itching to get their hands on some components to build a second robot.

This is very much a case of having to seek out the market, rather than the market finding you. If you just posted this type of stuff on ebay or craigslist, you'd be likely to get low-balled, if any serious offers at all. You have to know what these components are and who to sell them to in order to find a serious buyer. I doubt this is the case.

[Marc S.]

I win!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WQ1xg-5n4Q

[ratdude747]

Originally Posted by Marc S.

I win!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WQ1xg-5n4Q

I get 2nd place. look at 10:13 for the bots

looked scripted to me...

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by lemiant

Has anybody emailed them and asked about this?

I'm not going to waste my time, as that would imply that I find their show worthwhile.

Originally Posted by Molten

Seriously though, I would bet this is the sort of thing that passed through their minds if any.

Remember we're talking about TV here. The vast majority of the writing staff is technologically illiterate. They wouldn't know a robot from a cow, and they sincerely believe that the entire country is as ignorant as they are.

Originally Posted by Brandon Holley

I'm kind of surprised so many of you are jumping to the conclusion that there is no way a team could've put a robot together to look like that.

What the photos show is not even close to a robot, it's just a pile of parts zip-tied together. There is no control system, no drivetrain, no power system...nothing. See my comment above.

Originally Posted by squirrel

Judging by what was done to the robot, no one involved has a clue what any of the parts are, so they'd be hard pressed to get much money for them.

Exactly. Not knowing the market, they won't get a dime for them.

Seriously, you can watch them cut the lock off the unit, throw open the door and !behold! - pretty robots perfectly staged for the cameras. If you believe that isn't fake, PM me because I have a bridge here in Fort Lee I don't need any more and I can sell it cheap.

Sorry to be a curmudgeon, but fake reality really gets my goat. Especially when the producers of this pap expect us to buy it. How stupid are we really?

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by DonRotolo

Sorry to be a curmudgeon, but fake reality really gets my goat. Especially when the producers of this pap expect us to buy it. How stupid are we really?

It isn't directed at the FRC community - particularly, the mentors. It is directed at the general public. Now you make ask: how stupid are we really? Uninformed, ignorant, and curious goes along with this.

The robot is a prop used to capture the uninformed, ignorant, and curious and you've been caught in the net, as well.

Jane