The build schedule: how do you guys do it?

[Gray Adams]

Originally Posted by RayTurner1126

how do you have time for homework? (any APs) that is one thing many on our team struggle with, I know that I was there almost every day of the week, and we have full team meetings on mondays and wednesdays (4:30-8:30), and saturdays (9am-5pm) minimally, but i and many teammates struggled to be there so much with homework. just curious how many teams find a balance.

We have an hour long class period all school year, which flips from training time during the fall to homework (for other classes) time during build. The hours from 3:30 to 4:30 or 5:30 are generally unproductive due to sports and such, but after that, everyone is generally expected to stay until 9.

There were a lot of long nights (mornings?) doing homework during build.

[techedguy]

We've done the 'too few' hours season, and the 'too many meetings' seasons -- this year we struck a balance, and merged some of our departments to be more collaborative. Much of our process has been learned through our own trial and error and from learning from Skunkworks 1983, Xbot 488, and others. This is after 4 years of refinement and of course I will tweak some more as I am changing schools in the area and the team is going with me as it will be and has been a multi-school team - and I'm the only school related coach/mentor so there's no one to leave it to!

Our Schedule: Team Attends Kickoff, goes back to the building to brainstorm game and review rules and details.
Week 1 - 4-5 sub teams are formed, each team responsible for having their 'game winning' concept with at least partial CAD by Friday. Each team assigned a separate mentor/parent/alumni (as available). As coach this year I floated and tried not to cross pollinate, just encourage, coach, and question as I floated between groups. They work in silos to keep ideas original and avoid 'groupthink.' Prototypes and proof of concept models highly encouraged! Friday night the teams meet, invite parents and sponsors, and present their designs/concepts. Saturday - with a prioritized selection criteria - each of the designs is picked through, discussed, and then a 'solution' is selected - we then shift into high gear working on this selection.
Week 2-3
Build Team - Saturday of Kit 'bot chasis is assembled with electronics to give the programming team something to work with. Then they start prototyping the real deal.
Controls - wires up the kit 'bot for programming to begin - plans out what the competition controls will require - materials ordered ASAP.
Design - CAD work begins, Build/Design group is divided, but collaborative - they intermix and work together throughout the process so one isn't 'waiting on the other' - they are all part of the build process and the CAD is updated as issues come up.
Should have a competition chassis with full running gear - game object manipulator (shooter this year) can still be in process or getting finalized through Week 4 - but the drive chassis should be ready to accept it if at all possible. Secondary/Practice robot parts can be made along side competition parts as doable.
Week 4 - finalize parts and assembly, make spares while programmers and drive group put the 'bot though paces and start debugging code and mechanical faults. Build group focuses on finishing practice 'bot at this time.
Week 5 - Practice, fix, practice, fix, practice, fix, etc. Build group making repairs and working up final chassis. Fully detailed CAD updates to permit both chassis to be identical.
Week 6 - We always forget about bumpers until this phase - so a late night or two of wood, pool noodles, tape, glue, cloth, grumbling, frustration, numbering and staples right before bagging it up.

Vinyl and decals have always been applied in the pit the morning of regionals - so they go on the final, final, design and our sponsors are all on there and didn't get removed in a modification.

We started training, fundraising, and organizing in June - once a week. Twice a week starting in Sept. Then 4-5 days a week through competition season.

Build Season Meetings: Mon 2:30 - 4:30 - Team Leaders Meeting - planning for the week and cross department/subteam collaboration planning. Online calendar kept, time-clock maintained, team email accounts available. (Communication is big).

Tues,Thurs, Fri - 2:30 - 9PM (Fridays run over). Saturday 9AM - 6PM. Sundays and Wednesdays are held out as non meeting days (unless we see we need the extra time - then those who are able work those days when needed do so.)

Parents arrange care and feeding of the group each meeting night, we sit down to a family style dinner each time for 30-45 minutes and converse - rarely about the robot) rotating set-up/clean-up duty through the sub-teams.

Blurring the lines between sub-teams/departments was very beneficial this year and killed a lot of in-fighting and fault placement.

Post Bag-Up -- Still meeting regularly, secondary chassis finished and drive practice 2-5 times a week (as permitted) until regional.

On average our Seniors had over 175 hours each during the 6 weeks, Juniors 160, Sophomores, 140 and Freshman 130 or so. With about 15 regular attendees we had 2800 student man-hours logged in the 6 week period. (we maintain a time-card system). Highest hours in the team were 237 and 236 - both were on the build team (go figure). (all of these hours are for the official build season only - that's where I drew the data from). Some students only had 50-60 hours, many of them have jobs, some working with our industry partners!

Homework: Sunday and Wednesday are open for the big stuff, some team members sneak it in when they aren't as critically needed during the shop time/lab time. Passing grades are required to leave school for Regionals, so there is an emphasis to maintain GPAs.

Hope it was informative, dunno if it's a plan anyone else could follow, but it has worked for us so far. If I could magically have the robot ready by Week 2-3 believe me I would - but we haven't thus far.

[brennonbrimhall]

Originally Posted by Ekcrbe

At no point did we ever need more than three (maybe four) working on wiring or programming something. A small group may mesh better, anyway.[/list]

There's some truth to that. Small groups are better coordinated, know each other better, and are sometimes more effective than larger ones. Knowing what works best for you may be the key to being most efficient. Communication during the build season is key, and sometimes stifles the progress of those large groups.

[Pauline Tasci]

Weeks
1. Understand game...start thinking of possible designs
2. Debates on design and choose one Split into sub groups
3.Start CAD and begin teaching everyone about the sub group they chose (ex. welders weld some random things)
4. Order parts and begin putting it together
5. (hopefully) finish robot and go to scrimmages
6. Driver practice in an ideal world...never happens

but in all 6 weeks... have fun

[Mark Sheridan]

Does anyone else have school finals during week 1? We lose most of week 1 because the students have finals Monday to Thursday. So we just show them the game Saturday and let them chew on it a bit before they get back to their studies.

Luckily, they get the friday off so we use that to simulate the game and come up with our design goals.

Losing the essentially the first 6 days (maybe count it as 5.5) is a big blow. Right now we are working hard on coming up with a drivetrain that we can use again and again (like 254 and 25). We really need something like that so the mentors can make sure we have the right parts in stock and ordering ones we need once we know what the game is. Be able to make small adjustment to a proven design can really help us jump ahead in the build season or rather catch up to every other team.

In regards to homework, we sort of did it unofficially this year, but next year we are going to copy team 27 and have homework sessions during the weekday meetings from 3:00 to 5:00 (maybe to 6:00 if a student as a lot or sports). We typically meet tuesday Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Tuesday and Thursday meetings are typically the least effective because of homework. I want these to be more effective by forcing students to finish their studies before working on the robots. It could also allow us to add wednesday and monday meetings without hurting the students' grades.

[Borobo]

these are our weeks for this season
1)
-start design, we already know the drivetrain and frame we're going to use (with slight game specific modification)
-machining team begins manufacturing frame on Cnc
-order parts we know we'll need (bearings, wheels, axle, gears, etc.)
2)
-prototype, think, design manipulators, game specific systems, and intermediary elements (stuff to get the manipulator to the game piece)
-begin manufacturing the above on manual mills, lathes, CNC if necessary, but our frame is very machining heavy
-begin manufacturing gearboxes
3)
-recieve ordered parts, put together gearboxes, etc.
-finish frame
-build, refine functioning drivebase
-start working on software
4)
-finish manufacturing game specific everything
-begin putting together, find tons of problems
-solve problems
5)
-finish assembly
-make adjustments for effectiveness
-finish software with closed loop control now that the robot is basically at its final mass
6)
- driver practice
-attach lexan shields and stuff
-put zip ties EVERYWHERE

[Zebra_Fact_Man]

Our team generally plans as such:

1. Rules, strategy, preliminary design
2. Design,
3. Frame, welding, chassis, programming, preliminary electrical
4. electrical, manipulator, bumpers
5. install code, finish subsystems
6. practice

This past season, we ran into a case of the lack-of-funds and had to build our robot on a shoestring budget which complicated and extended the duration of week 2/design. Then we couldn't find an available welder until week 4, thus losing week 6 entirely and most of week 5; mostly due to a lack of preseason planning. Other than those two issues, this worked fairly well for us.

[Peter Matteson]

Originally Posted by Zebra_Fact_Man

Our team generally plans as such:

1. Rules, strategy, preliminary design

22 post before some even posted Strategy as a week 1 goal!

If you don't figure out a strategy for how to play/win the game how will you know what to build?

The first thing you have to do is figure out how to play the game before coming up with any mechanisms/designs. If you go straight into designing the parts first, you will miss something.