Mystery Sprockets

[dlavery]

Originally Posted by Ben Piecuch

After a couple quick emails, I was able to find several teams in the area that were willing to help me with our broaching needs. Turn-around time was 1 day! Try to find that with any other supplier!

So, even though YOU do not have the resources, there are over 1,000 other teams out there that just may. Don't be afraid to ask another team for help. The broaching took an hour of their time, and they were more than willing to actually do the work for me. (I had to fight them off...)

Ben, that is exactly on-point. One of the things that every new team learns is that there is always more than one way to skin a cat. Need to add more sprockets to the robot? Get additional parts similar to those in the Kit Of Parts. Can't find exact duplicates? Get one that is close enough, and work with it to allow it to be used. The sprocket doesn't have the right bolt-hole pattern? Borrow a hand drill and drill out a new one. Don't have the right skills to drill the new holes yourself? Talk to your mentors and see if they can help. They don't have the right skills? Talk to nearby teams and see if they can send someone over. They can't make it? Take it over to them and see if they can do it on site..... etc etc etc

There are lots of ways to get things done. It takes some perseverance, creativity, and innovation, but one of the great things about FIRST is that there is a tremendous community out there to help you make it happen if you can't do it all yourself. My fundamental point is that before you have to resort to buying your a way out of a problem, make sure that you really tap all the resources that you have at your disposal. Some of them may not be obvious at first, but they are there and can add to your experience.

-dave