What is in you dream FIRST robotics team shop?

[Rosiebotboss]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

You mean it comes with one of these (or an army of them if you really are messy)?

Rosie does not even clean up her own shop, we're not going to clean up the X-Cats too!!

[IndySam]

Andy Baker clone.

[thefro526]

CNC machines to make new complex parts and the ability to weld. And if we're really pushing the envelope, I want a trap door that goes right into the andymark storeroom so that we can get parts instantly.

[Billfred]

Assuming we can't clone Baker (or Copioli, or JVN, or any other mentor), my dream shop would have the following:

a) Clean, unlocked bathrooms (you laugh, but...)
b) Suitable internet access, including making sure CD is unfiltered. (This was an issue on 1618 early on; fortunately, it was unblocked quickly once the request went in.)
c) Enough white-board space to ensure we can write things as we desire without having to worry about erasing immediately.
d) Storage for several old robots, and decently-organized materials.
e) Doors wide enough to allow a robot with bumpers to fit through easily.
f) A real water fountain, one that puts out a stream of water about as thick as your pinkie finger. When it's easier to drink the water, people drink the water.
g) A fridge for storing team drinks. (We use the teachers' lounge across the hall for this task.)
h) Enough computers to do what we need to do, and enough space away from them when we need kids to focus. (This we have.)
i) Enough carpeted space to build the relevant field elements.
j) Enough tools to assemble a robot well. (We're not there yet, but we're slowly growing our resources.)
k) A large-format printer. (I used the University of South Carolina's for making 1618's last two robots' side panels, and it really has about the perfect combination of cost, flexibility, and visibility to do the job. I imagine we could also have some fun with monocoque, if we chose.)
l) The ability to allow a pair of vetted mentors to come in and run meetings without a school employee present. (Burnout kills, y'know.)

I may think up more later.

[Katie_UPS]

Massive server space, a comfy programming corner, (as everyone else said) maid service, an automatic can recycler (how awesome would it be to have a robot made out of recycles mountain dew cans!?!?), even better welding stations, Replicas of the most successful FIRST robots (so rookies can see how they work, and so we can figure out some engineering tricks...), food, and a massively awesome organization system, a feild, and many things that I prolly forgot.

[Andrew Schreiber]

My dream shop would simply be one that is well laid out and had some a mill, lathe, band saw, and an arbor press all logically placed so that when in use material is not having to be held across a doorway. A decent amount of the proper hand tools with ample storage space for them (labeled storage!).

Also on my wish list:
Students who are willing to learn.
Parents who are supportive.
School Administrators who support us.
A place for students to do homework (college mentors included ... cough uh me cough)
Some place where Flint's finest don't show up because an alarm somehow got tripped.
Room to set up half a field.
Internet access allowing us to access everything we need.

[Schnabel]

I think it would be cool to have a meeting area that is large, and cool, that is separate from the rest of the shop. This way we can eat in there without the mess from shop dust.

[ComradeNikolai]

-A large area which isn't used as a classroom everyday (hello cleaning every night), as well as not having 90% of the room be occupied by unmovable desks with computers lining them - we had to bring in portable tables to build our robot on
-A programmers' corner with comfortable seating and a programming laptop (or two) which are not used by other students every day
-Enough power tools that we don't have half the mechanical team standing around idly watching the others work
-Enough cabinet space to hold everything from the KoP, as well as anything else we obtain, while not disrupting our coach's space for his classroom materials
-Storage for cool drinks and refreshments other than the vending machines - we only have so much money to spend in them
-A mill / lathe / anything that allows us to make custom parts without waiting and hoping our NASA engineer can expedite it (quick word: he is AWESOME. He got us a custom machined drum for a motor on our robot within 12 hours of asking for it (required some reminding NASA they did sponsor us), and that was I think 4 days before ship. We goofed up majorly, and he fixed it for us)
-An high ceiling: I hit a light once and a ceiling tile another time, and almost dropped the arm on our coach once while testing it. We need room for Fluffy to roar.

[Alex.Norton]

• A large area that is separated into workshop space and carpeted space
• This space is at a school that has a metal working class so that some mills and lathes are provided
• A CNC mill and either a water jet machine or laser for large flat cuts
• A tig welder
• Students that have taken the metal working class before working on the bot
• Around ten computers with five or so preferably laptops, the laptops for programing, the desktops for CAD'ing.
• No more than that many computers so that none can be wasted on frivolities.
• Enough free carpet space for programing, and driver practice
• Enough old bots that several different drive systems can be practiced on with enough space to store them
• The team doesn't have its own space so it does have to clean up every day after working (the shop just gets too messy otherwise in addition that this doesn't take that long to do everyday)
• A teacher at the school who can use the equipment and is willing to pour their life into the team for at least 6 weeks a year
• A different mentor (whether teacher or not) who is very good at getting grants and can teach the kids the in and outs of getting money

However almost everything listed above should come after students that are dedicated, motivated, and most importantly interested and excited about building a new bot. For the first two years, the team I worked on was in a physics classroom that had no free space, no carpet, and our best tool was a hack saw, but the kids were extremely interested in building the bot and everything else, while still hard to work around, didn't seem as important.

[lingomaniac88]

Let's see...
- Machinery that is actually designed for metal (we work in our school's wood shop, so we mainly use handheld tools)
- Computers that are not blocked by the school server (no access to ZIP files )
- Space. Lots and lots of space. (not such a big problem, because the gym is a 15-second walk away)
- An infinite supply of parts, especially metal beams, gears, sprockets, and wiring connectors (the name escapes me, but the things that go into the sides of Spike relays - electrical isn't my specialty)
- An environment in which time stands still within the shop (six weeks go by really quickly, don't they?)

[Abra Cadabra IV]

Among other things, a drill press that's not missing its chuck key and a shop that we don't have to share with the 7/8 Woodshop class. Oh, and lots of space would be nice too.

[Herodotus]

My dream shop would have a full complement of students ready to learn and be inspired....





and a CNC...

[=Martin=Taylor=]

I already have my dream shop....


But now I need a place to park my car

[Wetzel]

The shop 192 had.

[JesseK]

- Access to the shop when the school is closed
- Uninhibited internet access and wireless internet
- One of MOE's carts (though our summer build project is to build it) -- useful for when we do testing in the open cafeteria or gym, and also because our CNC is four doors down from our shop.
- Enough space for 1/2 a field, and enough vertical space to fully test lifts
- At least 2 computers that can handle CAD, as well as higher resolution displays
- More scrap wood for prototyping
- Ooh and an arbor press with appropriate broaches.