New FIRST team in need of materials/donations/loans

[nuggetsyl]

Hey bob. If you need any help in getting you team started in the right direction i can stop over by your high school. I would need some lead time i live in nj but working for the airlines does have it perks.

[Bob Steele]

Originally Posted by nuggetsyl

Hey bob. If you need any help in getting you team started in the right direction i can stop over by your high school. I would need some lead time i live in nj but working for the airlines does have it perks.

Thanks for the offer... I would love to have you drop by sometime..
We are directly next to Boeing Field... not far from SEATAC.
Our school is Aviation focused with all classes using aviation and aerospace as focuses. We have no sports or music. I just moved out here to start their program... from Indiana...

I teach robotics engineering here and also physics (utilizing NXT robots)
We should sure use some help from a team like Team 25
I saw you guys in the finals last year... you were incredible...

thanks for the offer... just let me know and we will make some kind of arrangement... Actually I already used the example your alliance set at the Nationals last year as what Gracious Professionalism is all about...

Hope to hear from you!!!

Bob

[Madison]

Welcome to, uh, sunny Seattle, Bob

I'm not sure what we have for parts lying about our lab, but we might have some things that you can use. I'll poke around for our kitbot packages when I'm able to get out to Redmond next.

If you haven't yet, you should join the PNW-FIRST Yahoo! Group (http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/pnw-first/) and send a message out to that group as well. There aren't too many teams from the area that participate very actively on these forums, but most have at least one member on the Yahoo! group.

The Seattle Robotics Society (www.seattlerobotics.org) is another group that may be helpful. They sponsor an event called Robothon annually that is usually around this time of year, but there's not information about it yet that I'm aware of.

Let me know if you have any more questions about the area or the local FIRST scene

[nuggetsyl]

Originally Posted by Bob Steele

Thanks for the offer... I would love to have you drop by sometime..
We are directly next to Boeing Field... not far from SEATAC.
Our school is Aviation focused with all classes using aviation and aerospace as focuses. We have no sports or music. I just moved out here to start their program... from Indiana...

I teach robotics engineering here and also physics (utilizing NXT robots)
We should sure use some help from a team like Team 25
I saw you guys in the finals last year... you were incredible...

thanks for the offer... just let me know and we will make some kind of arrangement... Actually I already used the example your alliance set at the Nationals last year as what Gracious Professionalism is all about...

Hope to hear from you!!!

Bob

Thanks for the kind words. I will work on my schedule so i can get a trip out there. Email me nuggetsyl@gmail.com I have a few questions i would like to ask

[Tom Bottiglieri]

You should check out the VeX robotics system. A couple team building activities in the fall based around basic robot system design (there's TONS of material around these parts, check out the whitepaper section) will give you a huge advantage as a rookie team. Also, the vex controller is programmed in the same exact way as the FRC stuff.

[Bob Steele]

Originally Posted by Tom Bottiglieri

You should check out the VeX robotics system. A couple team building activities in the fall based around basic robot system design (there's TONS of material around these parts, check out the whitepaper section) will give you a huge advantage as a rookie team. Also, the vex controller is programmed in the same exact way as the FRC stuff.

Thanks Tom!!! I am sure getting some help from the big guys!!!
I saw you guys too in the finals!!! see note above to 25!! great bunch of students!!!

We already have VEX here.. in fact we teach two different robotics classes that utilize VEX and have about 35 kits here... I teach an advanced VEX class utilizing the curriculum from Intellitek... and we have another instructor from the Museum of Flight that teaches an intro class which utilizes VEX too.. its a great system... I also utilize LEGO NXT robots in my Rockets and Robots introduction to physics class that all juniors have to take.

I like VEX but I also want to utilize DC motors and motorcontrollers...
so great idea!!! We are working along that line too!! In fact our JV Robotics team is already signed up for Just Hanging Around!!!

Our Varsity team will be the FRC team...
You see we have no music or sports at the school so ROBOTICS is our TEAM SPORT...

thanks again!!!

B

[Arefin Bari]

Hey bob,

first off I want to say good luck with the new team. Even though I am a few hundreds miles away, if you ever need help (mechanical, electrical, team building and organiziting, offseason), please don't hesitate to ask.

I asked the kids to do inventory of what we have at school. Once thats done, I will figure out what we don't need (keep in mind that the team I mentor now is only a 3rd year team) and would be glad to mail parts off to you. If I don't get back to you by next week, please shoot me a pm or an email (arefin.bari@gmail.com).

-Arefin.

[Tom Bottiglieri]

Originally Posted by Bob Steele

I like VEX but I also want to utilize DC motors and motorcontrollers...
so great idea!!!

Bob,
You probably already know, but just in case you dont... The control system we use for FRC (www.ifirobotics.com) controls the DC motors with custom made speed controllers which take input from a PWM signal provided by the Robot controller. Vex and FRC control systems operate on the same standards, so it is possible to get some hand-me-down Victor speed controllers, make a male-to-male 3 pin header cable for the pwm signal, and hook up the victors to the motor output on the vex controller. This way you can use the Vex controller which you already have to do some full scale fall prototyping.

I know my high school team (195) has a bunch of Victor 883s hanging around. We might be able to get a few of those out to you.

[Bob Steele]

Tom, That's a great idea... We can do that... Is there anyway to take the kit joysticks and adapt them for use with the VEX controller? Has anyone done that? I really want my drive team to be using what they will use in the spring.. but this method will definitely give us something to build full scale and start working on autonomous...

I am really looking for a camera to start working the bugs out... but they are not available from FIRST... any suggestions what we could substitute?

thanks so much for your help!!! If we could borrow 2-4 883 victors from you guys that would really help!!!

I can make the cables...

B

Originally Posted by Tom Bottiglieri

Bob,
You probably already know, but just in case you dont... The control system we use for FRC (www.ifirobotics.com) controls the DC motors with custom made speed controllers which take input from a PWM signal provided by the Robot controller. Vex and FRC control systems operate on the same standards, so it is possible to get some hand-me-down Victor speed controllers, make a male-to-male 3 pin header cable for the pwm signal, and hook up the victors to the motor output on the vex controller. This way you can use the Vex controller which you already have to do some full scale fall prototyping.

I know my high school team (195) has a bunch of Victor 883s hanging around. We might be able to get a few of those out to you.

[Bob Steele]

Hello again,
We are well on the way to having some kind of working drive system to work on this fall. Thanks to team 1039, and team 25
We are still looking for a couple of kit transmissions... Does anyone have 2 that we could borrow for the fall?
or buy or something?

thanks
R

thanks to everyone that asked to help
we appreciate it

[nparikh]

Originally Posted by Bob Steele

Thanks for the offer... I would love to have you drop by sometime..
We are directly next to Boeing Field... not far from SEATAC.
Our school is Aviation focused with all classes using aviation and aerospace as focuses. We have no sports or music. I just moved out here to start their program... from Indiana...

I teach robotics engineering here and also physics (utilizing NXT robots)
We should sure use some help from a team like Team 25
I saw you guys in the finals last year... you were incredible...

thanks for the offer... just let me know and we will make some kind of arrangement... Actually I already used the example your alliance set at the Nationals last year as what Gracious Professionalism is all about...

Hope to hear from you!!!

Bob

That's quite an honor. Our RINOS program is designed specially for this! Standing for Rookies In Need of Support, we've put up a few RINOS manuals that you can find in the White Papers section to help you this coming season. My expertise is Public Relations, Scouting, etc, and I'm more than willing to help with anything else you need, just shoot me an email. We have plenty of experienced people around to help if you ever need.

PS. come to the NJ regional

[Alexa Stott]

As Neil mentioned above, we have the RINOS program. The manual for rookies can be downloaded at the link in my signature.

I wish you the best of luck in the upcoming season!

[Bob Steele]

You RINOS from TEAM 25 are terrific!!!
We will be perusing this information....thanks so much...
what a response!!!!

Originally Posted by AtalanteStar25

As Neil mentioned above, we have the RINOS program. The manual for rookies can be downloaded at the link in my signature.

I wish you the best of luck in the upcoming season!

Heya-
Good luck to the new team. Even though I'm across the country, I'd be glad to try and answer any CAD (Inventor) questions you guys may have! Just shoot me a PM, email, or some other form of message, and I'll see what I can do.

[Bob Steele]

Originally Posted by 114ManualLabor

Heya-
Good luck to the new team. Even though I'm across the country, I'd be glad to try and answer any CAD (Inventor) questions you guys may have! Just shoot me a PM, email, or some other form of message, and I'll see what I can do.

Thanks for the help!! We will have two copies of Inventor for students to use right away and more once we register... I will get my CAD kids in touch with you... I am finding that no matter where you are in FIRST in the country... people are willing to help... It's a nice feeling... thanks !!!

B