Musings from a FIRST Inspector for 2009

[lukevanoort]

I'm going to repost what I said last year on this topic:

To give some advice from the team/student's perspective:
1) Relax. Inspections are only stressful if you let them be. Remember, both you and your inspector are trying to enjoy the competition, not stress each other out. Tell an amusing anecdote or two if it helps (just don't start on some bad "a blonde walks into a bar... ouch" type of jokes and stories).

2) The scale is usually open for use for a lot of the day. So, the first thing you should do after uncrating your robot is to go weigh it. It makes for an unpleasant surprise if you discover at 5pm that you are over the weight limit. It doesn't have to be part of an inspection or any sort of official weigh-in, just get an idea of where you stand.

3) Partial inspections are your friend. Since there is only one sizing box, in my experience, a lot of time is wasted waiting to use it. Get weight/sizing done early and the rest should be a breeze. If you know your electronics won't pass at the moment for some reason, go ahead and do the rest while you wait for the parts to fix the electricals. The same goes for just about anything. (Just don't try to get a partial inspection when the incomplete subsystem poses a hazard to the inspector)

4) Know the rules well and keep copies of relevant Q&A responses and the rulebook at hand. Everyone fears getting an incompetent (or just inexperienced, which can have the same result) inspector, and it does happen (usually pretty rarely though). Knowing the rules like the back of your hand is the most effective way to get through such an inspection.

For this year, I want to add extra emphasis on #4. In previous years, (disclaimer: this is based on my personal experience from 4 yrs of being a student going through the robot with the inspector, YMMV) inspectors are a mixed bag. Inspectors are intelligent and helpful, but knowledge of the rules is highly varied. On occasion, you'll get an inspector like Al who can detect electrical problems from 20 paces with his back turned, and on other occasions you'll get an inspector who barely understands the basics. I have seen teams passed with blatant rule violations and seen changes required to perfectly legal robots. With the difficulty interpreting stuff like the bumper requirements this year, you absolutely must know the rules well, and have a rulebook on hand, even if your robot does not have any unusual features. If something comes up, do not be afraid to disagree with your inspector, but be nice about it and support your argument with facts; otherwise, you are just whining.

[JimWright949]

The robot inspectors are here to help you. A lot of us are team engineers as well as inspectors so they know what you have gone through to get to the regional. You can ask them for advice on things as well, especially early on Thursday.

So if you’re over size or over weight they can show you how they solved those problems in the past.

-Jim

[Russ Beavis]

There's a decent chance that the pan/tilt assembly is electrically connected to the camera's power return. Beep it out with an ohmmeter.

Russ

[Elgin Clock]

Just a few words of advice for all teams in which I have seen personally & cringed at.
They are not official rules (that I know of) but, rather more common sense things to be aware of.

~Do not fool around at any time over the course of the weekend with the sizing box, or the scale.
These are tools that FIRST uses to make sure you are in compliance & can compete fairly with everyone else.

~Do not do stupid things like stand on the scale to weigh yourself, or jump in the sizing box for a picture unless you ask someone in charge of that area. If they say it's ok, at least you have deniability if something breaks.
The odds are though, that an inspector who does not want to have to deal with the hassle of a broken scale will NOT let you use it for yourself or let you play around in the sizing box.

I've seen regionals where the inspection process is in a back room or so far off to the side that these are usually non-issues.

I've also seen regionals where the scale was right next to a walk way & when that walkway was crowded many people just walked right over the scale.
That's not cool.

Please do not do these things.
Treat these tools that FIRST uses as you would your own robot, or team tools, or better yet your own tools & be very respectful of them.

$0.02

[David Brinza]

Addressing lukevanoort's concern: this year's robot inspectors are certified: they must pass an on-line test to become an official inspector. You should not encounter any "clueless" inspectors this year.

A big incentive for getting through inspection early on Thursday is the "fast lane" for practice matches. Robots that have completed inspection (i.e. passed and have the signed inspection sticker on the robot) may be allowed to fill in for no-show robots in practice matches. Robots that have not passed full inspection can participate in their scheduled practice matches after completing a brief safety inspection.

[Ian Curtis]

Originally Posted by David Brinza

Addressing lukevanoort's concern: this year's robot inspectors are certified: they must pass an on-line test to become an official inspector. You should not encounter any "clueless" inspectors this year.

A big incentive for getting through inspection early on Thursday is the "fast lane" for practice matches. Robots that have completed inspection (i.e. passed and have the signed inspection sticker on the robot) may be allowed to fill in for no-show robots in practice matches. Robots that have not passed full inspection can participate in their scheduled practice matches after completing a brief safety inspection.

How long have inspector's been certified? (i.e. in which year did this practice start?) Is it a new thing?

[David Brinza]

Originally Posted by iCurtis

How long have inspector's been certified? (i.e. in which year did this practice start?) Is it a new thing?

This may have been in place for lead inspector's for some time (Al?). This year I was sent an e-mail notification from the FIRST Volunteer Resources Coordinator that I needed to complete a certification test. I assure you that robot inspectors will need to be quite familiar with Section 8 of the Game Manual to get a passing score.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by David Brinza

This may have been in place for lead inspector's for some time (Al?).

I am tested (testy?) all the time. First is trying hard to insure that all inspections are uniform across the world. Russ Beavis has been devoting most (or all) of his time to keeping us up to date and being the go between with First. First is putting a lot of energy into this endeavor to help make your season better. Our big test is next weekend. Wish us luck.

[Uberbots]

Originally Posted by iCurtis

How long have inspector's been certified? (i.e. in which year did this practice start?) Is it a new thing?

iirc there was such a test last year, but it might have been only for the refs.

[Russ Beavis]

We started using an inspector quiz in 2007 but it hasn't been enforced until this year. Referee cert started being enforced last year (if memory serves).

For anyone taking the inspector quiz - don't fret. It's an "open book exam" and you've got 2 minutes per question with 15 questions. The primary goal is to ensure that you've read Section 8. If you've done a pre-read and are familiar with the organization of Section 8, you should be able to easily pass.

Russ

[Carol]

Originally Posted by Russ Beavis

We started using an inspector quiz in 2007 but it hasn't been enforced until this year. Referee cert started being enforced last year (if memory serves).

For anyone taking the inspector quiz - don't fret. It's an "open book exam" and you've got 2 minutes per question with 15 questions. The primary goal is to ensure that you've read Section 8. If you've done a pre-read and are familiar with the organization of Section 8, you should be able to easily pass.

Russ

You guys have it easy - the referee cert is 20 questions with 1.5 minutes per question!

[A Bear]

I cant wait to see how it will turn out this year with the new inspecters

[Russ Beavis]

The duct tape question has already tripped up a few inspectors. Very interesting...

I don't want to give away the ending for those who have not yet taken the test (although a quick search on the FIRST Q&A will provide the answer).

Russ

[David Brinza]

I'm really certifiable, since I earned a completely different cert in Manchester a couple of weeks ago. I got my inspector's certification completed earlier this week.

I'll be inspecting in San Diego, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

[lukevanoort]

Originally Posted by Russ Beavis

The duct tape question has already tripped up a few inspectors. Very interesting...

I don't want to give away the ending for those who have not yet taken the test (although a quick search on the FIRST Q&A will provide the answer).

Russ

That really worries me. It may be only one rule, and, hopefully, a relatively inconsequential one, but it implies that potential inspectors are not actually reading the manual (not carefully anyway), and just going off of past experience.