New FIRST team in need of materials/donations/loans

[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