Things to bring to an event

[EDesbiens]

Originally Posted by GreyingJay

Don't forget the most important thing: buttons to hand out

But... Buttons are expensive to buy from another team! So is a machine to make them... And, how can I have the time to make them myself?!? Anyone wants to gift some?

[EDesbiens]

Originally Posted by GreyingJay

Update your driver station laptop before you get there. I presume you can't update your RoboRio, CANTalons, etc. because they're currently in a bag, but get the firmware files ready on your PC and know exactly how to do the firmware update so that you can do it quickly when you get there.

I tried to connect to them but the ethernet cable wont go through plastic!

I'll try to get every firmware update ready then... Should have thought about that during build season!

[GreyingJay]

Originally Posted by EDesbiens

But... Buttons are expensive to buy from another team! So is a machine to make them... And, how can I have the time to make them myself?!? Anyone wants to gift some?

Hahaha!

Probably too late then for this regional but here are a few Canadian suppliers we have used, that have good prices for buttons:

sixcentpress.com
buttonbros.com

[vhcook]

Do not forget your robot lockup form.

[EDesbiens]

Originally Posted by vhcook

Do not forget your robot lockup form.

Do you have ideas of other important documents to bring?

[Drakxii]

Originally Posted by EDesbiens

Do you have ideas of other important documents to bring?

Bill of Materials

[Sperkowsky]

Originally Posted by Drakxii

Bill of Materials

You don't technically need a physical copy but it is nice to have.

[cgmv123]

Originally Posted by EDesbiens

Do you have ideas of other important documents to bring?

Team roster and consent forms from those that didn't complete it online.

[Captain_Kirch]

We have two long tool chests with a workbench surface on top, a road case for extra storage with a drill press bandsaw and sanding station on top, a robot cart with tool storage built in and of course a battery cart. Between these 5 pieces we have pretty much our whole shop out at competitions with us, and its all tucked away under some sweet sweet work surface(a real commodity in a 10x10 pit).

I can't say enough about these benchtop tool chests, they're great. I would reccomend them over any of those tall stacked chests you can find. That's more of a future purchase, but they're great, look into them!

Bring whatever spares of cots parts you have on hand as well. WHEELS! Stronghold is brutal, if you have extra wheels, bring them. If you have the carry in weight, bring spares of anything else that could easily get broken(pick up arms, hanging mechanisms, etc). Did I mention wheels? You should bring extra wheels.

If youre using those plastic totes that first does the KOP in, they'll be fine but you should totes (ba-dum-tiss) find a better solution by next year. Something you can work on top of, maybe with wheels, did I mention wheels? Wheels are great, put them on all your stuff. Seriously though, try carrying a tote filled with 50+ pounds of spares all the way out to your trailer, its awful. Or better yet try to find that one thing you're looking for in a stack of totes in the middle of a busy pit.

Team 1538 This is a long post! I'll stop now. Best of luck.

[EDesbiens]

Originally Posted by Captain_Kirch

You should bring extra wheels..

What if I don't have any?!?!?! I didn't order any extras...

Thanks for the suggestions!

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by EDesbiens

I meant motor controllers!

So I can download the updates before the event and install them there?

If you have installed the FRC Update Suite, you have all the latest firmware already. Many teams are unaware of this, and at the Indiana events many asked me for a copy on a flash drive. They were surprised when I showed them how to find what they needed on their own computer.

The roboRIO firmware is in the C:\Program Files (x86)\National Instruments\Shared\Firmware\cRIO\76F2 folder. Everything else (i.e. PCM, PDP, Talon SRX) is in C:\Users\Public\Documents\FRC.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by EDesbiens

That's pretty basic!

Based on how many kids smell by the end of an event... apparently not so.

[Joe G.]

Self drilling/tapping screws. Although we never intend to use them during the season, these things are amazing for quick/dirty repairs and additions in the pit.

[BenjiSG]

Good things to remember:

• scouting materials, provided you're doing scouting
• spare electronic components (stuff breaks)
• food, or at least plan for food - competitions are twice as hard on an empty stomach
• toiletries, if you plan on staying overnight nearby
• any sort of fliers/pamphlets for showing your team off to other teams/judges - it'll help you get picked and maybe win some awards
• something to entertain yourself with on the trip there/back

Best of luck!

[IronicDeadBird]

Water Bottles