Coverings/Banners/Shelves [Team Pit Layouts]

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by Ryan Foley

Teams 237 and 610 both had really cool crate workstations last year, check them out if you can.

Thanks for that shout out Ryan!
I looked in the galleries of CD and I thought we uploaded a pic of our workstation/crate but I was apprently wrong.

When I get a chance I'll upload one. We actually won the Imagery award this past year @ the Hartford, CT regional highly in part to our modular workstation/crate design that we spent only about 2-3 months of weekly meetings in the off season & a couple weeks of labor during the build season building it.

Here's one pic of the start of one of the sides & a thread discussing it.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=33732

[Alan Anderson]

The TechnoKats pit frame has proven useful for more than just competitions.

For the American Cancer Society Relay for Life this summer, it was fitted with homebuilt rear-projection screens on all four sides and converted into a gigantic display kiosk. It stood by the side of the Kokomo High School running track, near the start/finish line. During the luminaria ceremony at dusk, as the names of victims and survivors of cancer were read, the names were also scrolled on the screens. Afterwards, it showed a presentation of photos from previous years' Relay for Life events. For much of the rest of the night a countdown clock was displayed, giving the time left until the Relay was over.

Students have occasionally suggested having a video game party at the shop, projecting the screens on what's come to be called the "game cube" display.

[synth3tk]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Lots of nice clicky links to click and pics to study.

What we had last year was the provided table, our own power strip, a yellow toolbox, and crates with extra parts. Coats first went under the table, then later on we put it on the stands across the walkway. Very messing and disorganized.

[ebarker]

I'm saving a thread and stuffing this imagery question here.

Frequently you will see the arena announcer with a "team flag" when introducing a team for competition.

Tell me more about this! Are they very popular? What is the correct size, etc?

[Richard Wallace]

Team flags are very popular. At most events I've attended there have been a dozen or more teams with flags.

A few years ago one of our team parents made us a flag. It's made of green silky stuff with silver logos sewn on both sides, and it is attached to a 5 ft. wooden pole. I think our flag's dimensions are about 3 ft x 5 ft, but I've seen other teams with larger ones -- some similar to the ones you see on the sidelines at football games, being handled by fast running cheerleaders.

FRC emcees seem to prefer the smaller size because it can be managed with one hand, and quickly swapped out during introductions when several teams have flags.

At most events there is a volunteer who will accept flags from teams as they go onto the field, and then return them while robots are being carried away. Usually it is the human player's job to find out who that volunteer is. Don't forget to collect your team's flag after your match is over!

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Dave,
Remember that many teams with elaborate pits have built them over several years. The nicest I have seen all have low numbers with teams like 45, 66, and 93 being some that standout in my mind. However, the Martians have an exceptional pit too, well stocked and very workable. But don't be fooled by fancy stuff either.
Concentrate on work flow first. What do you need to work on the robot, minimum tool list, nice cart that transports the robot and provides a good work surface, storage and something that can hold up the tools while you work on replacement parts. I also have seen some teams that use the shipping container as a pit. When they remove the robot, it opens up to shelving and workspace and includes work lights and a bench.

[ebarker]

I guess my bottom line is if we did a flag for the emcee what is the ideal size ?

It seems like 3x5 is popular and should be the max size considering all. A smaller flag is easier to handle but is harder to see from the stands.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by ebarker

A smaller flag is easier to handle but is harder to see from the stands.

Ed, I've sent your inquiry to a mentor for FRC 1902 who makes flags. She will have information regarding size and materials. If you don't hear from her in a day or two, let me know.
--
One of our parents made a smaller sized flag for the team 2 years ago. It works very well and can be seen easily from the stands. Our FIRST emcees are masters at using the flags and other things like hats, vests, capes to introduce the teams. One thing that I've noticed is that the emcees have to do this all day long and the larger flags are heavier and more cumbersome. The smaller flags do the same thing and seem much easier to handle and store.

Also, during the parade at the beginning of the Championship, it is always exciting to see the teams' flags, mascots, and other innovative ways they've created to brand themselves. One that stands out for me is the Chinese dragon. I love that thing!

[Sayrah]

Ed,
I am the 1902 mentor that makes flags and banners. I have been making flags for the local high school marching band for 6 years now. A normal size flag is usually 36 inches in height and about 52 inches long. For a flag that is going to be used on the field, I suggest using a poly-silk rather than house flag material. The poly-silk is much lighter in weight. If you want the flag to take some punishment though, house flag material is more durable. You can buy a polyester blend lining material at the fabric store, but your color options will be limited. The band orders all their material from thebandhall.com. Poly China silks run $2.50 per yard and come in lots of colors. If you have any more flag questions, need assistance in making a flag feel free to PM me.
Sarah

[joeweber]

Caution with flags and such, check the height restrictions in the pits. They are limiting how high you can build in the pits.

Our team uses the ship box to make shelves from. When completed the shelves are 4 ft tall and 8 ft long. We use one sheet of plywood and 1 x 12’s for the sides and 1 x 6’s for the shelves, which are staked under the ship box for skids. We slot the 1 x12’s for the 1 x 6’s to go into. Drawings at http://team1322.org/other_tipps.htm

[ebarker]

Sarah,
I'm thinking maybe the best way to go is to have the flag printed if we can allocate the money. Otherwise maybe the old fashioned way.

We are thinking something like this. Maybe sports will pitch in and buy some flags to help defray the setup costs.



Good point on the booth height. The top of our pit is at 9.5 feet, 1 half foot under the 10 foot limit, as seen in the 1st photo.

http://www.kellrobotics.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=68&Itemi d=1

[Laaba 80]

Last year, our teams pit worked out well. We have some adjustable shelves toward the back of our pits, for storage, and compters. On the left side we have a board showing our sponsors. On the left side, we have a table, which we put our acrylic toolbokes on. We also have our battery charging station on the right side. I wish I had a picture of it because it really is cool. It is all clear, and can charge up to 6 batteries at once. We also have a touch screen which we use to turn on/off, check the voltage of batteries, and keep track of the amount each battery has been charging. In the middle of our pits, we have room for our robot, and a few people in case we need to make repairs. This method worked well for our team. Good luck coming up with your pit design.

[EStokely]

After several years we have pretty much decided the crate is the best thing to use. We have it set up in our build area during the 6 weeks so everyone gets used to finding tools in it.
We outlaw backpacks and coats in the pit, although I like the coat rack ideas I have read about here.
PIH sponsored a aluminum 10 foot square framework made out of 45 mm extruded Al. It helps define our space and we hang a 10 foot (across) banner with our sponsors listed.
The only picture I have is during Thursday after we figured out out to work around a cement post that was in our 10 by 10 pit area...so we are still organizing the area.
In general we seem to bring more than we should, which forces us to put it somewhere. We may outlaw the bins this year in an effort to limit the 'extra' last minute stuff from coming in.

A well organized pit is well worth the effort, and if we ever get to the point where I call ours well organized I'll be happy

[nparikh]

Originally Posted by Alexa Stott

On 25, we have a coat rack in our pits to help organize our pits. It has worked out really well for us the past two years.

Also, we use some simple plastic shelving to store everything on, in addition to a wooden work table. To display our sponsor's name, we have a little nameplate that attaches to the front of the table. As for banners and other decorations, we try to throw some of those up if we're up against a wall/bleachers/etc, but we don't really make that a priority.

Alexa forgot the PVC tree that we try and bring to regionals (depending on if we are driving / can find a way to get it there) that we use to hang up the achievements closest to our hearts. It displays 4 or 6 banners.

[EricH]

Ed, be careful about pole material and length. I have seen a PVC flag pole break...on the field...while Mark Leon was introducing the teams. (He then assigned the team homework: do the math to find how much force it took to break the pole. They brought it to him just before their first match the next day.) PVC is usually a good choice, if it's not too long. Other materials may also work.