Rookie Team Support

[Crazyboy]

So I spent a lot of time working with rookie teams at the regionals I've attended this year, and I've made a few realizations. FIRST has super great documentation for electrical systems, with the datasheets and whatnot, and with the rules really spelling some basic stuff out. Programming, for LABview at least, also has great resources. The thing is, they aren't necessarily complied. Making a rookie team guide for these things would be great, IMHO. I know FIRST has the Robot Quick Build (RQB) posted on their site, but I don't know if rookie teams are provided a link to it. Something like that guide, just more in-depth and perhaps providing the "why" about certain steps rather than "just do it because it's the right thing to do" could really help rookie teams. I'll be working on the electrical component, and probably will be able to handle some of the LABview stuff by hunting down local people who know the language.


Now, the reason I'm posting here is because I think something for mechanical needs to be put together. I've worked with two teams to fix there 6-wheel drive train when their middle wheel isn't lowered, and I'm sure there are many more. Rookie teams are going to be making a lot of the same mistakes across the board. Let's make a list of maybe some basic mechanical mistakes and how to fix them. Maybe if you learned how to tap a thread from a wikiHow article, include that too.

TL;DR: Helping rookie teams not make mechanical mistakes


I'll start us off:

1. 6 wheel drive trains are fine, just be sure to offset the middle wheel down to allow the robot to sit on only 4 wheels at once and be able to turn
2. Don't run window motors with Jaguar motor controllers. Sometimes, under certain conditions, the two don't get along.
3. Remember that your robot will be driving on carpet at the competition. Testing your robot on tile flooring in your school's hallway will not tell you how well it will drive in the competition.
4. Certain wheels can not withstand extremely high RPM values. Always be sure to check with the manufacturer to ensure you will not be spinning the wheel too fast.
5. Did you know you can hold weight back from the bagged robot? 30lbs?