**FIRST EMAIL**/Replacement Parts Deadline 1/13/12 @ 12 pm EST/FRC Manual Q&A System/

[Mark McLeod]

**FIRST EMAIL**/Replacement Parts Deadline 1/13/12 @ 12 pm EST/FRC Manual Q&A System/Team Updates/FIRST Choice/Autodesk Update/Senior Mentor Call



Greetings Teams:

Replacement Parts Requests Deadline: 12 pm EST tomorrow, Friday, January 13th, 2012: If your team has determined that you are missing a part(s), or need a replacement part(s), you must use the FIRST “Replacement Parts Request” system to order replacements.

To begin the process of submitting a Replacement Parts Request, team Main or Alternate contacts will:

• Login to TIMS
• On the right side of the Team Summary page, under the "What’s New" header, click on the link to "Submit a Replacement Parts Request HERE"
• Follow TIMS instructions to complete a Replacement Parts Request

VERY IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!!

This is a "one time only" opportunity to submit a Replacement Parts Request. Please make sure your request is both accurate and complete prior to pressing the "Confirm Request" button.

Once the request is submitted and confirmed there can be no changes to it.

Replacement Parts Requests will be processed and shipped to teams in a timely manner. Please make sure your Shipping Contact information is accurate and complete in TIMS as this is to whom the parts will be shipped.

Please note the system will not allow teams to request a quantity of parts higher than the number originally sent with the KOP. This system is also not to be used to order additional or purchased parts.

FRC Manual Q & A System: FIRST recognizes that teams may have questions about game rules, robot construction, event logistics, and more. FIRST asks that teams use the Question & Answer System (Q&A) to post questions pertaining to a specific section within the 2012 FRC Game Manual. Your posted questions will be reviewed by the appropriate moderator and answered in a timely manner (usually within 2-3 business days). The 2012 Question & Answer System is now open: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...c/game-q-and-a,

In order to access the Q&A system, your team’s specific login info can be found on the Team Summary page in your TIMS record. Please assign one individual from your team to act as the Team Rules Expert and only share your team's unique Username and Password with him/her. This Team Rules Expert should be the only person responsible for posting questions to the Q&A System.

Before posting a question on the Q&A System, we encourage teams to look for the answers to questions first within the 2012 FRC Game Manual and Team Updates. You can review these documents here: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...nd-season-info.

Team Updates: When modifications are needed for the 2012 Game Manual, the applicable section will be updated and the revision made. In order to communicate when changes are made, as well as explanations as needed, we will publish a team update and post it on the FIRST website twice a week-- on Tuesdays and Fridays. The updates are authored by the Game Design Committee (GDC) and are the official word from FRC. The first Team Update of the season has been posted (linked above).

FIRST Choice: FIRST Choice is a menu of items available to registered 2012 FRC teams, for free, as part of their Kit of Parts. Teams may log log in to the FIRST Choice site, hosted by AndyMark, and use a set number of credits to select items they wish to receive. For more information on the program, please visit: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...c/first-choice.

Please note that teams’ FIRST Choice passwords can be found on the right-hand side of the team summary page in TIMS: https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso (please note that passwords are case sensitive).

Excellence in Design Award Sponsored by Autodesk – Update:
The Official Rules and Contest Descriptions for the FIRST Robotics Competition Award for Excellence in Design Award Sponsored by Autodesk are now available! Please visit www.autodesk.com/first for more information for both 3D Design and 3D Animation categories.

• 3D Animation Resources: NEW - View our learning content on our Digital STEAM site that teaches you how to create a 30-sec animation from start to finish. Download the Project Videos (over 60 videos in total!) and Project Files where you’ll find storyboard templates, character rigs and much, much more!
• 3D Design Resources: NEW: Autodesk Inventor Specialist Phil Dollan’s Blog Autodesk Inventor and FRC 2012, featuring tips & tricks from Autodesk for the FIRST 2012 season.

Senior Mentor Call: Join Senior Mentor, Teri Benart and FRC Deputy Director, Frank Merrick for the Senior Mentor call “Robot Transportation Checklist”. The call will be taking place on Thursday, February 9th at 7 pm EST. You may find details and an outline of the call here: http://tinyurl.com/3h94c24.

Go Teams!