Rookie Team Shopping List

[Jacob Bendicksen]

Some other miscellaneous things...

Buttons! Many FRC teams give away buttons at the events that they attend, as it's a common way to get a souvenir from each team at the event. Order them or make your own - it just comes down to whether you want to pay a little more, or occupy some freshmen for a week.

Zipties - you can never have too many zipties. In as many lengths as possible. In as many places as possible.

Velcro - this helps immensely with holding electrical components down. Alternatively, you can ziptie them down, but velcro holds well and is quickly removable.

80/20 - we're fans of using 80/20 for prototyping. It's quickly adjustable and just about universal in compatibility. You can use it on your competition robot, but it's significantly heavier than other options (quickframe, 1x1, 2x1, etc.), so it might be better utilized in prototype mechanisms.

Motors - the most common motor in FRC is the CIM motor. It's available on AndyMark, and most other FIRST vendors. CIMs are great for drive bases and high-output applications, but if you need something smaller, mini-CIMs, AndyMark motors, and BaneBots motors, among others, are good options, as well.

Some sort of informational handout - as a PR guy, I can't stress this enough. It's fantastic to be able to have something to hand judges/potential sponsors/nice people that come by your pit. It'll give them something to remember your team by, beyond just a button, and it can also provide contact information, should they be interested in a partnership (or giving you an award).

Good luck! If you have any questions about PR stuff (or other stuff, for that matter), PM me.