New FTC Platform

[BHS_STopping]

Originally Posted by Daviddavid

I'm not sure which posts sound like they are hateful, hopefully you don't mean mine, if so, I'm sorry.
I am very frustrated with FIRST, I think they are handling the FTC program very poorly, and I don't think they've been open or honest with the teams and schools. I am a little angry and very frustrated, but it's clear many people feel that way. To some people like me, it's this simple - there are only two good reasons to switch a platform: if the current one isn't good and people want it replaced or if you find something as good or better that is cheaper. Neither is the happening here, so that's why so many are upset. The current Vex platform is very good (FIRST has told teams that for 3 years or so now and encouraged schools to buy it) and the new platform is not going to be cheaper. So there is no good reason - at least not one that is good for teams and schools.
About the Legos, I can't speak for Sam, but I can only speak for me and the friends on my FTC team the past couple years - many of us did FLL and liked it, but we don't want to play with NXT or Legos anymore. To me NXT and Lego are toys and Vex is not, regardless what FIRST wants to try to convince me of.

Again, if you meant my posts when you said people are hating on FIRST, please know it's frustration. If you didn't mean my posts, then good, I still believe everything I've said.

I believe that some teams, in the past, have been equally frustrated with the reliability of the Vex system which, unfortunately, has given our team some grief with the last two competition robots that we have built. The problem with the Vex system is that it is difficult to repair something short of replacing it - it's nearly impossible to fix a motor or a broken transmitter, and is also quite difficult to diagnose a problem if it ever occurs.

Again, our team has had to deal with these issues in competition, and has had to pay some unfortunate costs. Last year in Atlanta, our robot suffered from intermittent control issues due to unknown circumstances. This year, we (FTC 546) also faced a similar issue, in that our robot only operated about half the time it was on the field. We still do not know the source of either of the problems, but we feel that it is simply the nature of the Vex system which led to these issues.

Personally, I like the idea of shifting to a new, hopefully more reliable system. I think that Vex is a great system for learning and classroom use, but it lacks the robustness to be used heavily in a stressful competition setting. The lack of reliability from the Vex system fulfills your criteria for making the switch. Even though the new system may not necessarily be cheaper, I would gladly pay a little bit more money to ensure that the system will work will in competition.

That said, I still hold true to the belief that Vex is a great system which allows students to flex their creativity without having to go great lengths to build a high quality machine. However, the rigors of competition have, time and time again, proved a bit much for the system, which is why I support the platform switch for FTC. I just hope that everyone is still able to enjoy participating in the program, despite the changes for next year.