Update 20

[EricH]

FIRST has released Update 20, found here. No changes, just a "what to expect at Championships" kind of thing.

[David Brinza]

Most of Update #20 deals with inspections at the Championship. The message to the teams is: be prepared!

There are a lot of robots to be inspected, so to make sure your team gets through the process efficiently, please review the 2007 Robot Inspection Checklist and make sure you robot is in compliance. If it is not, plan to correct the problems as soon as possible. If you've got a lot of work to do on your robot, please get partial inspections started as early as possible - the inspection lines can get really long on Thursday pm.

[Rosiebotboss]

Thank you FIRST!!

The info in this update is EXACTLY what Al, Ed, Dave and I (and others) have been talking about in the other threads regarding inspection.

[Rich Ross]

Thanks to first and all the inspectors out there for reminding us of things we may have forgotten.

[Richard Wallace]

Thank you FIRST, especially Russ Beavis! This update is a nice summary of excellent advice from several experienced lead inspectors.

When I last inspected robots at the Championship (2005) I encountered several teams that were not as prepared for inspection as they could have been. Following the guidance in Update 20 and getting properly prepared will go a long way toward making your team's Championship experience the celebration that it should be, instead of the ordeal that some unprepared teams go through on Thursday.

And oh, yeah, Thursday dinner with your team will be much better if you are out of the pits long before 8 pm.

[artdutra04]

Finally, a Team Update that we can all agree to!

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by David Brinza

Most of Update #20 deals with inspections at the Championship. The message to the teams is: be prepared!

There are a lot of robots to be inspected, so to make sure your team gets through the process efficiently, please review the 2007 Robot Inspection Checklist and make sure you robot is in compliance. If it is not, plan to correct the problems as soon as possible. If you've got a lot of work to do on your robot, please get partial inspections started as early as possible - the inspection lines can get really long on Thursday pm.

Also remember, many regionals do not have experienced Inspection Teams. At San Diego we had a double inspection team, veteran inspectors from LA working with mostly newbies from the San Diego area. At the Championships you will have experienced inspectors with wide areas of expertise.

Every year I have insected at the Championship (2003-2006) I have found at least one robot with some sort of rule violation. The excuse I alsways get is "But we passed at XXX Regional!" Sorry, just because you didn't get caught doesn't mean it is right. BTW most of the rule violations I've seen are minor things and easily fixed. I've even helped teams find replacements for illegal parts.

So be prepared, Championship Inspectors really do start from the ground up. It takes 20-30 minutes to do an inspection right. If you have to leave in the middle for a match, we understand, most of us are on teams too.