Beginner team, where to begin?

[purduephotog]

I really appreciate the ideas.

As it turns out, with the KOP changes it looks like the money I was planning on spending for team supplies and hardware will instead go to the cRIO and whatever else they aren't leaving in.

Way to completely derail what I thought was some good ideas.

I'll keep a running total though and see it through.

[synth3tk]

If you don't plan on building two robots that will function simultaneously, then you can just use last year's cRIO and whatnot.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by synth3tk

If you don't plan on building two robots that will function simultaneously, then you can just use last year's cRIO and whatnot.

It's a rookie team. Good thought, but not applicable.

Next up: fundraise your tails off so you can have that thousand dollars, and then carry out suggestions here.

[synth3tk]

Ahhh, ok. My bad. I saw the part where he said they had last year's KOP, and thought that meant that they owned a cRIO.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by synth3tk

Ahhh, ok. My bad. I saw the part where he said they had last year's KOP, and thought that meant that they owned a cRIO.

It could mean that...

However, the controls kit could easily be ordered separately. Depending where they got the KOP from, they might/might not have a cRIO and all the other good things. If they got it from another team, it may be that the team kept the control system.

[purduephotog]

Originally Posted by EricH

It could mean that...

However, the controls kit could easily be ordered separately. Depending where they got the KOP from, they might/might not have a cRIO and all the other good things. If they got it from another team, it may be that the team kept the control system.

I do apologize for confusing everyone. I've been in such a rush at work trying to keep the sponsorship going and try and obtain supplies that I may have confused things.

I, personally, am transferring from one team to another. I'm also transferring the corporate sponsorship from that team to a new one. The new team was a rookie team last year- so they have 0 buildup of supplies and materials to work from.

I had about 1k left in my budget from the previous team that I wanted to outfit the new team with stuff they need- things that any team that has had 3 or 4 KOPs with would have in abundance- motors, brackets, wheels, bearings, bolts, fabric.

The new team also has no metal working equipment- so things like small gauge crimpers, wire supplies, UHF pins for cabling, resistors, soldering irons, drills, step bits, drill bits- they don't have any of that. The school I was coming from had it in spades and I had been spending about 500-1000$ a year for 5 years to build up that material.

So... yes, we have 1 cRIO- but reusing that means not having a functioning robot to test on AND (in my opinion) increases the odds of a failure at the competition. No one knows nothing about the strength / shock / survivability of the cRIO platform and it's associated hardware (except that it is VERY shock sensitive).

So I am very very grateful for all the ideas in this thread- you've given me many directions to think of and, if I am invited to join the steering committee I'll be bringing my experiences from the other team, all the research I do here, and your suggestions for this new team to the table.

(For instance- how many of you have a million pieces of key stock laying around? I used to. I have none now. Something as simple as that...)

[EricH]

Originally Posted by purduephotog

I, personally, am transferring from one team to another. I'm also transferring the corporate sponsorship from that team to a new one. The new team was a rookie team last year- so they have 0 buildup of supplies and materials to work from.

I had about 1k left in my budget from the previous team that I wanted to outfit the new team with stuff they need- things that any team that has had 3 or 4 KOPs with would have in abundance- motors, brackets, wheels, bearings, bolts, fabric.

This means that the cRIO is in fact the important item to get. So, all you have is last year's KOP, and whatever tools/parts you can beg or borrow.

If I were you, I'd post an item in CD-Swap, saying something about needing old motors, trannies, and KOP items on the cheap. (The one place I haven't seen mentioned yet in this thread...) Somebody, somewhere, probably has a surplus of some of the motors and other stuff of that nature. This will help build up that supply and allow you to spend more on stuff like tools.

One other tip, for now: if you have woodworking equipment, steal a page from 1726 and RAGE and build with wood as your primary material. That way you can focus on the electrical equipment and the items that have to be metal (and, if you do it right, you can use KOP metal in places other than the drive frame).

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Jason,
Now that we have the whole story let's approach this on a different basis. Although no longer a rookie team they are still in a bad way. So prioritize by looking at the tools and supplies that are a must have for build, those that would be nice and those that are luxury items for the future.
On my list of must haves:
electrical tools, i.e. wire cutters, strippers, soldering iron and crimp tool.
mechanical tools, i.e. nutdrivers, screwdrivers, rivet gun, drill and bits, center punch, saw and files.
electrical supplies, i.e. wire of various sizes (at least #10 and #18), crimp terminals, interconnect cables, heat shrink, electrical tape, tywraps and solder.
mechanical supplies, i.e. hardware (asstd. screws, nuts and lock washers), rivets, aluminum (sheet and angle, add box tube if that is a favorite) key stock, lubricants.

Would like to haves include vise grips, heat gun, pliers, asstd. connectors, spares for KOP items especially a few extra CIM and FP motors and speed controllers, bench vise, hole saws, more drill bits, portable drill, extra battery charger and batteries (for drill and robot), deburring tools.

Please add your personal favorites to this list.

[Greg McKaskle]

So the starting point is the same as most other rookie teams from last year except for a sponsor/mentor exchange.

Personally, I'd place higher value on tools and kit enhancing materials. If you find that some element in the kit needs replacing, all components are available either from the stock of other teams or brand new. Spending the money on a backup of the entire control system seems like overkill.

"No one knows nothing about the strength / shock / survivability of the cRIO platform and it's associated hardware (except that it is VERY shock sensitive)."

There is still plenty to discover about the system, but the failure data is already being used to address the issues encountered last year. As for the shock sensitivity, can you be more specific? I assume you are referring to the Driver Station?

Greg McKaskle

[sdcantrell56]

You say you have good woodworking equipment. I would use that as an excuse to build as much as you can out of wood. Look at old rage robots, or more recently 1726, and our robot, 1771. Wood is a great material to build with as long as you use high quality wood. I would recommend 1/2" or 3/8" thickness baltic birch which can be had for $30-$40 per 5'x5' sheet. Join it together with simple wood screws and wood glue or epoxy and you'll have a very robust robot. Also its a lot less hazardous for new people to learn to machine parts out of wood than aluminum.

[Trying to Help]

I want to thank everyone who contributed to this thread. While I work with a team that isn't new, it might as well be from the standpoint of tools and parts. All the responses will help me try to plan.

- Trying to Help

[darkangel]

http://www.northerntool.com/

Try this site for tools. We managed to cover most of what we needed for about $500.

[Akash Rastogi]

RC (1323), Tyler (2753) and I have compiled a couple good pages of links to supplement the links the FIRST website provides.

http://grizzly.com/
http://www.cdcotools.com/index.php
http://www.harborfreight.com/

www.mortteam11.org/links

http://www.team1323.com/pages/links.html

http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...nt.aspx?id=478

http://www.mentorsearch.us/node/3

Hope this helps, I was considering making a new thread a week ago of resources for rookies but I guess this is just as good.

[Josh Fox]

If you're looking for more resources or reading materials here's Team RUSH's Toolkit for Success.

It documents everything our team does to operate, raise funds, organize the team, etc.

Good luck!

[joeweber]

Originally Posted by sdcantrell56

You say you have good woodworking equipment. I would use that as an excuse to build as much as you can out of wood. Look at old rage robots, or more recently 1726, and our robot, 1771. Wood is a great material to build with as long as you use high quality wood. I would recommend 1/2" or 3/8" thickness baltic birch which can be had for $30-$40 per 5'x5' sheet. Join it together with simple wood screws and wood glue or epoxy and you'll have a very robust robot. Also its a lot less hazardous for new people to learn to machine parts out of wood than aluminum.

A good Replacement for wood is HDPE (High denisity poly ethiline). You can use all the same tools that you use for wood. It is easy to work with and no splinters. It can also give a pro look. Our first year was in our 8x9 basement room. We now have a large heated garage with all the tools we need.