Community/Open Source Chassis Project

Originally Posted by sdcantrell56

Not to sound too dismissive, but isn't this the idea behind the kit frame? Now there is a separate issue that we will not know fully until kickoff, that the kit frame might not be included, but if it is, then it is a simple means for less experienced teams to build a drivetrain

The goal of the Kit Bot is to get teams with little to no experience rolling (almost) out of the box. Many teams love this frame, and modify it to meet their needs. Others disregard it entirely. I fall into the second camp, and here's why.

With a competition as high impact as FIRST, I don't feel comfortable using a material that I wouldn't trust my own weight on. In addition to this, I have unintentionally put one of my custom fabricated chassis' corners entirely through the side panel of a properly assembled kit frame. I simply don't trust the kit frame without modifications. Modifications are something that I love for not specialized applications. Mod your toaster? Props to you. FIRST is a highly specialized competition, that requires complete control over as many variables as possible in order to succeed in competition. I would personally rather have control over every single detail of my frame.

What would make me very happy would be FIRST giving teams the option after seeing the game to either order a kit frame, or have box extrusion shipped in for the teams that don't want the kit frame.

As far as an open source chassis, go for it. I did some design work on one in the past, it's in Inventor 11 (I believe). Assuming I can find the CAD, would you like it?