What do YOU want in the Kit of Parts?

[apalrd]

A couple of notes:

-Like others have said, we find ourselves turning down the window motor couplers in various ways every year. We almost always end up turning down the funny tapered shaft to be straight round, and using a plastic bushing to support the other end of the coupler. We then usually turn down the coupler to allow us to use the smallest size of AM plate sprocket without the chain hitting the coupler, and drill more mounting holes for the sprocket. Specifically, things I would change to make the coupler more generic and useful:
--Change the shaft size to 1/2" or 3/8", possibly keyed or hexed.
--Outer portion of the shaft coupler should be a standard size and straight (not tapered), allowing a team to use a plastic bushing to support that end of the coupler
--Change the bolt pattern to 1.875" #10 6-bolt circle
--Change the outer diameter of the part so you can use the smallest AM sprocket (32t for 25 chain) without turning down the part

-I really like Victors.

Suggestions:
-Move everything except the required electrical components and CIM motors to FIRST Choice. Possibly throw in some of the strange new motors as well, but the 550 and Window motors are good candidates for outsourcing to AM or Banebots, with provisions for every team to get the legal amount via FIRST Choice and buy more from Andy/Banebots.

-Release all software prior to kickoff, via download. With the changes that are made to the library every year, it would be very nice to not have to learn all of them in the days following kickoff, or waste many hours installing LV on all of the team computers after kickoff. Leave out the vision examples if you want, but provide them separately (as a ZIP of just the vision files, not as part of the library or other example code)

[Chris is me]

More CIMs. This isn't as important (but would still be nice) for veteran teams as it is for rookie teams. A 4 CIM drivetrain is so important to being successful with an at weight robot for the vast majority of games, but the kit only comes with two and the kitbot directions assume you are only using two. As a result you get a bunch of low tier teams using 2 CIMs + other motors when they haven't even used all 4 CIMs yet. I think this single change would improve performance of the lower tier of robots significantly for relatively low cost.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

More CIMs. This isn't as important (but would still be nice) for veteran teams as it is for rookie teams. A 4 CIM drivetrain is so important to being successful with an at weight robot for the vast majority of games, but the kit only comes with two and the kitbot directions assume you are only using two. As a result you get a bunch of low tier teams using 2 CIMs + other motors when they haven't even used all 4 CIMs yet. I think this single change would improve performance of the lower tier of robots significantly for relatively low cost.

I like this suggestion for perhaps the rookie kit.

For veterans, I agree with IndySam on his comments about motors and Victors. After seeing teams this season who used most of the motors in the kit (two being 973 and 3928) I'm tempted to say that teams who are unable to find or create solutions may not be trying hard enough. Yes, more motors like CIMs would make the competition easier, but at a certain point I really think we should stop making things easier on teams so we see more engineering involved.

The suggestion of powertools is a good one as well.

Just +0.02

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by apalrd

Suggestions:
-Move everything except the required electrical components and CIM motors to FIRST Choice. Possibly throw in some of the strange new motors as well, but the 550 and Window motors are good candidates for outsourcing to AM or Banebots, with provisions for every team to get the legal amount via FIRST Choice and buy more from Andy/Banebots.

I don't know about this suggestion...it might be ok for older teams, but young teams and especially rookies need stuff to play with on kickoff day, rather than waiting a week or two to design something and decide what to order and wait for the order to be processed and shipped (and with all the teams ordering parts, it could take a while).

[Akash Rastogi]

It would be cool if rookie teams or even veterans could get a voucher or coupon for Bosch extrusion or 80/20 if a McMaster voucher is not possible.

[ebarker]

Originally Posted by apalrd

Move everything except the required electrical components and CIM motors to FIRST Choice. Possibly throw in some of the strange new motors as well, but the 550 and Window motors are good candidates for outsourcing to AM or Banebots, with provisions for every team to get the legal amount via FIRST Choice and buy more from Andy/Banebots.

Agreed for veteran teams, not for rookies.

Originally Posted by apalrd

-Release all software prior to kickoff, via download. With the changes that are made to the library every year, it would be very nice to not have to learn all of them in the days following kickoff, or waste many hours installing LV on all of the team computers after kickoff. Leave out the vision examples if you want, but provide them separately (as a ZIP of just the vision files, not as part of the library or other example code)

Having the software prior to KO would be great. But FIRST will need to find a webhost site that can deliver a lot of gigabyte sized downloads in a hurry. Right now we can't even download the manual immediately after KO. Software would be impossible without FIRST finding a site to host the download.

Considering that Eric Schmidt is on the USFIRST BOD, maybe google can deliver some of that cloud resource to host the download ?

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

More CIMs. This isn't as important (but would still be nice) for veteran teams as it is for rookie teams. A 4 CIM drivetrain is so important to being successful with an at weight robot for the vast majority of games, but the kit only comes with two and the kitbot directions assume you are only using two. As a result you get a bunch of low tier teams using 2 CIMs + other motors when they haven't even used all 4 CIMs yet. I think this single change would improve performance of the lower tier of robots significantly for relatively low cost.

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

I like this suggestion for perhaps the rookie kit.

Agreed. Veterans should know the utility of a 4-CIM drive, but considering CIMs are also the most abuse-tolerant of motors the rookies could use that leg up no matter how they use them.

[BrendanRadabaug]

i think the thing i want most in the KOP (and have for a while) is the Anderson connectors for batteries. not the already made ones but a kit where we can make custom lengths for the robot and the batteries.

to make one connector you need One - SB-50A red plastic connector and
Two - Anderson Power Products crimp contacts (sized for 6 gauge wire)

so a small bag of one or two kits would be nice to have in the KOP every year

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by BrendanRadabaug

i think the thing i want most in the KOP (and have for a while) is the Anderson connectors for batteries. not the already made ones but a kit where we can make custom lengths for the robot and the batteries.

to make one connector you need One - SB-50A red plastic connector and
Two - Anderson Power Products crimp contacts (sized for 6 gauge wire)

so a small bag of one or two kits would be nice to have in the KOP every year

And a crimping tool.....

[cgmv123]

• Extra nuts for the power distribution board. They're not standard and can be hard to find.
• Crimping tool with integrated wire strippers and cutters
• 80/20\McMaster vouchers
• Different varieties of wheels (plaction w/roughtop, plaction with wedgetop, 4", 6", 8", mechanum)
• Various public relations tools (FIRST branding standards, sample press releases, posters)
• Decorations for build site

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by cgmv123

• Extra nuts for the power distribution board. They're not standard and can be hard to find.

Seeing AndyMark's listing for the power distribution board, it looks like the nut is just M6. Metric is not as easily available as standard in most areas FRC teams call home, but I found another set at Lowe's to use as jam nuts on our board after a scare at Palmetto.

[robokiller]

Just a few things
-raspberry pi
-arduino
-a real netbook

yeah I like software and hardware a little too much

[Gdeaver]

MPU-6050

[BrendanRadabaug]

Originally Posted by squirrel

And a crimping tool.....

but that is what the vise is for.

another great thing to have come in the kit would be a multimeter or even a Battery Beak.

[IndySam]

Originally Posted by BrendanRadabaug

but that is what the vise is for.

another great thing to have come in the kit would be a multimeter or even a Battery Beak.

Multimeters have been in FIRSTchoice both years.