$4,000 Robot Budget

[icomella]

Where are the rules/guidelines for the robot expenses posted? If you use materials you already have (extra extrusion, wires, roboRIOs, etc) from past years, do you have to count it in the $4,000 budget? Also, what are the exceptions to the $4,000 rule, if any?
Thank you!

[meaubry]

Check in the Robot Rules section around page 66 - I think you'll find a plethora of information regarding cost accounting of all kinds of parts.

[Kevin Sevcik]

Originally Posted by icomella

Where are the rules/guidelines for the robot expenses posted? If you use materials you already have (extra extrusion, wires, roboRIOs, etc) from past years, do you have to count it in the $4,000 budget? Also, what are the exceptions to the $4,000 rule, if any?
Thank you!

Yes. The budget rules state this clearly. You have to cost anything that isn't included in the Kit of Parts, FIRST Choice, etc.

[ctt956]

Section 8.4 in the game manual. For the limit and the exceptions, R10:

R10. The total cost of all items on the ROBOT shall not exceed $4000 USD. All costs are to be determined as explained in Section 8.4 Budget Constraints & Fabrication Schedule. Exceptions are as follows:
A. individual COTS items that are less than $5 USD each and
B. KOP items

[Doug G]

Originally Posted by ctt956

Section 8.4 in the game manual. For the limit and the exceptions, R10:

Remember that $450 of PDV counts as KOP items... ie: 5 Talon SRX's

[Paul Copioli]

Originally Posted by Doug G

Remember that $450 of PDV counts as KOP items... ie: 5 Talon SRX's

The Talons were also in FIRSTChoice so they are already KOP items.

[Kevin Sevcik]

There's so much stuff that's except because it is or used to be a KOP item that I often wonder how anyone comes close to a $4000 budget at this point.

[ATannahill]

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe

Paul,

Where in the manual does it state that FIRST Choice items are KOP items. I know it is in there somewhere but I can't find it.

Glossary:

Originally Posted by Glossary as of 2017 TU03

KOP Kit of Parts, the collection of items listed on any Kickoff Kit Checklists,
distributed via FIRST® Choice, or paid for completely, except shipping, with a
Product Donation Voucher (PDV).

Edit: And in Section 8.1.

[Raysaran]

Originally Posted by Kevin Sevcik

There's so much stuff that's except because it is or used to be a KOP item that I often wonder how anyone comes close to a $4000 budget at this point.

I think we got pretty close one year. Electronics are expensive

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Doug G

Remember that $450 of PDV counts as KOP items... ie: 5 Talon SRX's

What's confusing about this to me, is that I thought, in the past, you could cost each instance of a KoP item at $0, even if you had more of those than were included in the KoP. I've never HAD to do this, but I always thought it was a thing you could do.

Does the PDV rule work differently than the rest of the KoP costing rules? Because otherwise, you could argue anything on the AndyMark website costs $0, in any amount, and that just seems like nonsense.

[mypie4050]

Originally Posted by icomella

Where are the rules/guidelines for the robot expenses posted? If you use materials you already have (extra extrusion, wires, roboRIOs, etc) from past years, do you have to count it in the $4,000 budget? Also, what are the exceptions to the $4,000 rule, if any?
Thank you!

I am curious - are you planning on spending over $4000 on your robot? We rarely spend over $2100, (not including KOP items).

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by mypie4050

I am curious - are you planning on spending over $4000 on your robot? We rarely spend over $2100, (not including KOP items).

The only teams I've ever heard of who were seriously constrained by the budget limitations were using top of the line sensors in several places on their robot (e.g. a swerve drive with 2-3 sensors per pod, plus other automation). Those sensors can easily eat hundreds or thousands of dollars.

[rich2202]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Does the PDV rule work differently than the rest of the KoP costing rules? Because otherwise, you could argue anything on the AndyMark website costs $0, in any amount, and that just seems like nonsense.

Q117 Costing of an item partially obtained with a PDV?
In the event that a VENDOR has supplied a PDV (thus items via that PDV are a KOP item), however the COTS items purchased cost more than the value of the PDV (the PDV was used to offset the cost), does that item now become a KOP item, particularly for the purposes of R10 and R11? Say that the PDV was $40, but an item cost $100. Is the cost not reported per R10 since this is now a KOP item? Another example: the cost is $1000. Is this legal per R11 since it is now a KOP item?
asked 6 days ago by FRC 4263
KOP

Answer
Apologies for the confusion! We have updated the language in Section 8.1 in Team Update 03 to more clearly specify that for an item to be considered part of the KOP it must be "paid for completely, except shipping, with a Product Donation Voucher (PDV)."

https://frc-qa.firstinspires.org/qa/117

[icomella]

Originally Posted by mypie4050

I am curious - are you planning on spending over $4000 on your robot? We rarely spend over $2100, (not including KOP items).

No, we are not planning to go over budget.