**FIRST EMAIL**/Championship Essential Information Document Available Now!

[Mark McLeod]

Greetings Teams:

Wow! 41 Regionals are now over, and the Championship starts next week - we can hardly wait! We have some important information for you to read prior to getting to Atlanta

Essential Information Document - Download, print and read this document - it contains vital information for your team! Please also share with all team mentors and members. It is found under the FRC headlines here: http://www.usfirst.org/community/frc...lt.aspx?id=966

Please remember all pertinent Championship information is posted on our website at http://www.usfirst.org/community/frc...nt.aspx?id=432

This is where you will find information on:


* Pre-Order Lunch form (deadline to order is Friday, April 11th)
* Site Info
* Pit Map
* Shipping and Drayage
* Public Agenda
* NASA Web Cast
* FIRST Finale Tickets and Description (coming soon!)
* FIRST Robotics Conference
* Atlanta (visitor and transportation)

We look forward to seeing you all in Atlanta!

Go Teams!

[blaxbb]

After reading this and looking at the pit map, I am curious how teams get batteries to and from the pits during elimination, considering they are a mile away round trip.

[Josh Murphy]

Originally Posted by blaxbb

After reading this and looking at the pit map, I am curious how teams get batteries to and from the pits during elimination, considering they are a mile away round trip.

You do one of two things.
1) Charge as many batteries as you can and take them with you
or
2) take your chargers to the field with you and plug in out there and charge.

We have done both in the past and either one works. They may do things differently this year about plugging in on the fields, who knows.

[GaryVoshol]

Anyone know what the "Sneak Peek" is?

[Joe Ross]

Anyone else notice they don't want any wireless networks?

Wireless Networks
Teams will not be allowed to set up their own wireless networks at the Championship. While we certainly
appreciate the positive potential team-created wireless networks could represent, there is a chance such
wireless networks could interfere with planned activities during the event.

[Ricky Q.]

Originally Posted by GaryVoshol

Anyone know what the "Sneak Peek" is?

New control system demo?

[Kims Robot]

Wow that was weird... I thought I was blind a few times, I clicked on the link and saw the same old FRC community website... then clicked on events/championship, and the essential information document doesnt have a highlight.

Of course 4 hours later I realized it was over in the far right hand corner in fine print... anyone know why they didnt just link it off of the championship page where the link for essential information is?

[chaoticprout]

Originally Posted by Joe Ross

Anyone else notice they don't want any wireless networks?

Does this mean no unofficial Sundial? If so, ugh. Sundial is HUGE at champs where its a 10 minute walk. If you're late, you can't just go straight to the field.

[Bongle]

Originally Posted by GaryVoshol

Anyone know what the "Sneak Peek" is?

Might be the new FTC system.

On that note, there's a new post up on the FTC blog: http://firsttechchallenge.blogspot.com/

[Mark McLeod]

Probably not the new FTC system since the demonstrations are taking place on the full FRC playing fields, Curie & FRC practice fields, rather than in the FTC areas.

[KathieK]

The Showcase (new platform competition) for FTC is taking place in the FTC pits, Bldg. B, Hall B2. Come by and check it out.

[Tom Bottiglieri]

http://www.usfirst.org/uploadedFiles...0%20CMP%20.pdf

direct link

[Anne Shade]

By the way,

The document has been updated since last night. Under load in, it now says this:

Three team members from each team will be allowed a single entry to the Pit on Wednesday
evening. The specific purpose of this entry is to allow teams to uncrate their robots so that the crates can be
removed before general entry and load-in on Thursday morning. As a courtesy, teams may also plug in their
batteries for charging. Wednesday evening is not meant to be for general load-in or pit setup.
Each of the three team members may bring with them what they can individually and reasonably carry safely
to accomplish the intended tasks. Unlike in previous years, carts, wagons, trolleys, dollies, handtrucks, slings,
litters, etc. will not be admitted into the pit on Wednesday evening. Additionally, pit materials in excess of
those needed for the intended tasks described above may be brought into the pit on Thursday, but cannot be
stored at the venue overnight on Wednesday.
Once the three team members have uncrated their robot and plugged in their batteries, they must exit the pit
area. A team may uncrate the robot(s) of another team(s) that has made advance arrangements with them,
but their three admitted members must do so before leaving the pit area on their initial entry; additional team
members will not be admitted as proxies of another team. Please assist us in making this a smooth and
trouble-free process by adhering to the above guidelines.

Those of you who read the copy of the document on the site last night may want to re-read....

[Kims Robot]

Im guessing Sneak Peak has something to do with Interpeak. Possibly the new FRC control system? Im not sure why Interpeak popped into my head so fast, but I think we use some of their products here at Harris.

But this is going to be annoying:

Unlike in previous years, carts, wagons, trolleys, dollies, handtrucks, slings, litters, etc. will not be admitted into the pit on Wednesday evening. Additionally, pit materials in excess of those needed for the intended tasks described above may be brought into the pit on Thursday, but cannot be stored at the venue overnight on Wednesday.

I just spoke with FIRST and they said NOTHING with wheels will be allowed into the pit on Wednesday evening. They said even if we are trying to carry in batteries, they must be what we can carry in our hands (so even your batteries cant be in a rolling suitcase). I guess in a way it makes sense because they said that there were a lot of issues last year with teams trying to pile things up on top of a single cart so that three people could get it all in... I guess I understand the safety issue, as I saw some of the issues last year, but walking all the way from the Marriot, I really dont want to carry 8 batteries, 4 chargers and all of our drills in our arms. Hmm I guess I need to bring my hiking backpack??

I also asked about the "stored in the venue overnight wednesday" as I wasnt certain the intent of that. We packed a ton of stuff in our crate (including our cart), so I was concerned they were going to police the pits and make us carry it all out. They said we can leave all that there, they just wanted to enforce the not bringing anything extra in.

[Chris Marra]

Originally Posted by Joe Ross

Anyone else notice they don't want any wireless networks?

It is very disappointing that they need to explicitly ban these. There were plans for TBATV networks to be setup in every division allowing teams to get to the match archives without having to use the Autodesk internet access booth. Now I guess we will need to rely on the mobile site and the possibility of Autodesk providing that service again.