[FTC]: Are the kits enough?

[IndySam]

Originally Posted by jcarr

We easily spent $3000 - $4000 per robot in extra parts.

$3-$4k per robot?

I spent $7500 extra to build two FRC robots this year, including two new small Crio's and a new drivers station computer, granted there are probably $2000 in electronics and mechanical parts that were reused of past robots.

I tough FTC was supposed to be cheaper.

[nlknauss]

I added FTC 3 years ago to our program at a startup cost of no more than $2500. Since then, we've been perfectly fine budgeting $1000-$1500 to refresh parts and register. Remember, you can reuse parts from year to year and FTC also has a decent allowance of raw material parts you can use to build the robot.

[VashonRobotics]

We started small (had to) with only the base kit and grew slowly spending on average about $650 each year for parts that the team ordered based on that year's challenge and their design. Now about to start our 4th year - we are in good shape.

If your budget can take it this would be a good beginning:
Base Kit
Resource Kit
Extra battery
Samantha module
2nd DC motor controller
Two more DC motors
Four DC motor leads with in-line breaker (saves motors)
2 or 3 more servos
more Screws and nuts
Then buy parts as you need them and as you can afford.

Will these parts build a competitive robot? Don't know. But I think working to do more with less is what this is kind of activity is all about, isn't it? Necessity is the mother of invention and all that. Don't have 5 servos? Fine, do it with the three you have, somehow. It is awesome to watch the creativity fly!

I like your saying at the end of your post - "Don't tell me it won't work....... MAKE IT WORK!"

[Barry Bonzack]

Originally Posted by IndySam

$3-$4k per robot?

I thought FTC was supposed to be cheaper.

This is a "your mileage may vary" conversation. The 2 teams that won the 2012 world championship, 357 and 4997, built their robots on a much smaller budgets.

One of the teams at the world championship representing New Mexico only used the Kit...and in fact used every single Tetrix and LEGO part offered in the kit, except one piece of aluminum. That piece was displayed in their pit, on a pillow, with a light shining on it.