How long for planning??

[DonRotolo]

We usually take about a week. All day Saturday, plus a 'think-at-home' day Sunday, to figure out what specific ways the game will be played and won. We compare notes on Monday.

Then 2-3 days to list the specific CAPABILITIES the robot must have. (If you can't start the sentence with "The robot should have the ability to..." then it's probably not a capability). Those we pick are then sorted in order of absolute importance.

Then for a day or 2 we brainstorm MECHANISMS to accomplish the CAPABILITIES we need. Here, we focus on what we are reasonably able to get done - no dreaming here! Folks go off to make sketches and prototypes (wood, pink foam, cardboard & tape, whatever will show the idea).

We do a formal design review on Saturday. Monday starts building the first robot mechanisms in metal, with some teams not starting that until maybe Wednesday - parts take time to arrive.

[Renegades2012]

My team at this point consists of myself and my sister. Our coach is my dad and our mentor is my brother. We do not have many people in our team and I don't know who to ask because my friends are on the team at my school. We have our frame, motors, and wheels together. It took us all this week to do that. Is that a reasonable time?

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally Posted by Renegades2012

My team at this point consists of myself and my sister. Our coach is my dad and our mentor is my brother. We do not have many people in our team and I don't know who to ask because my friends are on the team at my school. We have our frame, motors, and wheels together. It took us all this week to do that. Is that a reasonable time?

Depends on a few things:

1.) How long have you been working a day (roughly speaking)?
2.) How elaborate are you planning on making your robot?

If you're planning on an elaborate bot, or you're putting in three plus hours a night already, you're probably a bit behind schedule. Considering your team size though, and the fact that you're a new team, you guys are probably on a good track. Best of luck and don't be afraid to reach out to your school team for help should you really start to fall behind. I'm sure they'd be more than able and willing to lend a hand.

Peace