Yet another new mentor question - how much to order preseason?

[electroken]

We already know we'll need bumpers this year, so a box of solid pool noodles would be nice to have ahead of time. I'm sure the Florida teams can buy them whenever they want them. Probably a bit tougher to find in Minnesota in January.

[Lil' Lavery]

It all depends on your resources. If you're on a tight budget, order what you'll know you need ahead of time, and then make other orders as soon as you need a part. Determine what resources you have left over from last year, and if you want to re-use any of your electrical components from your previous robots (namely the RoboRio, power distribution board, speed controllers, or voltage regulator module).

Have enough raw material and hardware on hand to be ready to prototype right away. For prototyping, typically that can be some plywood, 2x4s, and wood screws.

If you have a bit more resources, buy yourself a new set of electronics and make educated guesses as to what you'll be using in the build season. We always place orders with Vex, AndyMark, and McMaster during the pre-season at the very least. We stock on up on electronics, wire, raw aluminum, polycarbonate, fasteners, shafts, bearings, gears, sprockets, VersaPlanetaries, and WCP SS gearboxes. We also take inventory of our tools and see what could use replacements.

[Ben Martin]

There are a few things to have that are pretty useful for everyone:

- make sure you have a backup of each control system component and the radio
- pool noodles
- Versaplanetaries with a variety of ratios -- hex output shaft would be the most useful
- Sheets of plywood
- 2x4's
- Wood screws
- Many of your primary choice of fastener
- hex/thunderhex shaft
- hex hubs
- hex sprockets + chain
- hex bearings

Also, a step bit for making 1.125" holes

Right now, the 775pro is the best mechanism motor on the market -- I would have at least 4 handy for prototyping with the VP's previously mentioned

You want to have everything you'll need to get prototyping quickly -- VP's plus a good motor and hex infrastructure to support it is one of the quicker ways to do that while having the flexibility to change ratios.