[FTC]: Questions about first time at FTC World Championship

[Chris is me]

Also something I forgot to add: While no state competition I'd ever been to required a cart, you'll definitely need one at the Championship. Seems obvious in hindsight but for some reason I didn't connect the dots.

A good FTC cart should be able to basically hold all of your tools too. Carts similar to the ones used for overhead projectors are roomy, hold a robot just fine, and can work well.

[FTC G-FORCE]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Also something I forgot to add: While no state competition I'd ever been to required a cart, you'll definitely need one at the Championship. Seems obvious in hindsight but for some reason I didn't connect the dots.

A good FTC cart should be able to basically hold all of your tools too. Carts similar to the ones used for overhead projectors are roomy, hold a robot just fine, and can work well.

Our cart last year helped a lot. We put our robot, the 12V batteries, spare NXT batteries, the tool kit holding about 3-6 9V motors (it's very good to have spare motors and servos) and just about every thing we need if the robot breaks down or if another team needs a motor or something else. Also it holds the laptop, the controllers, and it's a lot nicer than carrying everything back and forth all day and it's a lot faster and safer for the robot.

[PhilBot]

Here is a link to the cart we used at Championships.

Fits a full size robot and laptop on the top shelf, Battery charger on bottom shelf, and tool box in between.

http://www.target.com/All-Purpose-Ut.../dp/B0002O9HXU

[Madison]

Thanks, everyone, for all of the good advice.

Another question -- are we expected to bring the robot and other things with us when we travel or do we ship them down in advance in a crate? How have y'all handled that in the past?

Is FIRST receptive to sharing a crate with FRC and providing access to it? Probably not, I'd imagine, as it's a logistical headache and runs afoul of their recent concern about overage costs.

We will likely build a small crate and ship it via FedEx Freight to our hotel if the Georgia Dome doesn't accept drayage, but maybe we can find some way of getting it to come along for a ride on an airplane.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Madison

Thanks, everyone, for all of the good advice.

Another question -- are we expected to bring the robot and other things with us when we travel or do we ship them down in advance in a crate? How have y'all handled that in the past?

Bring it with you. No FRC-like shipping provided.

Is FIRST receptive to sharing a crate with FRC and providing access to it? Probably not, I'd imagine, as it's a logistical headache and runs afoul of their recent concern about overage costs.

I don't see why you wouldn't as long as you're willing to pay overage and wait until Thursday to get your robot. But that's a lot of practice time missed...

[JesseK]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Bring it with you. No FRC-like shipping provided.



I don't see why you wouldn't as long as you're willing to pay overage and wait until Thursday to get your robot. But that's a lot of practice time missed...

FRC bots are typically unpacked Wednesday night around 6:00pm. That's still plenty of time to get all of the Wednesday FTC activities done, but not much for practice and not much for conferences either.

I believe we got to our FTC pit at 4:30-5:00pm and setup all of the FTC pits, toolboxes, etc. Then I went to unpack FRC at 6(ish). Since none of the students could come on Wednesday due to the school district's policies, the teacher's 9-year-old daughter did the inspection. What was amazing was that since she did FLL for 2 years, she understood enough to get passed inspections (mom helped of course) with only some minor issues to be resolved by the students. I think the students still did the software inspection Thursday morning, and that only took about 10 minutes.

[JohnFogarty]

It's not only an Idea you are required to have a cart, FTC Teams can play up to 5-6 matches during qualifying. This year 150-200 teams will be in attendance. Inspiration award is availiable to all teams. It would be a good idea to have separate tools though our school is taking 3 FTC teams and possibly an FRC Team. Lord have mercy on the schedule because i'm on the drive time for the FTC and FRC Bot XD.
You may need to be prepared for complete overhauls if nessecesary things WILL get rough out there. 15 seconds wow and i thought ours shot a bunch quickly hahaaa Nicee.

[Rick]

Originally Posted by John_1102

...This year 150-200 teams will be in attendance... i'm on the drive time for the FTC and FRC Bot XD.

How do you know how many teams will be invited this year? The past few have been 50 teams per division (100 teams total). Also, it is impossible for one person to drive or coach for every match of FTC and FRC at the championship. The logistics just don't work.

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by John_1102

It's not only an Idea you are required to have a cart, FTC Teams can play up to 5-6 matches during qualifying. This year 150-200 teams will be in attendance.

No one at FIRST has told us either that a cart is required (we didn't have one in 2008) or that they will allow more than 100 teams. Where did you get your information? I count something like 30-something competitions, and with only the alliance captain of the winning alliance and the Inspire winner invited, I don't even see how the event will get to 100 without allowing open enrollment. I'm puzzled by your comments. Thanks in advance for pointing us to the FIRST documentation of this.

[JohnFogarty]

You forgot The Teir Lottery wich adds the winning alliances partner making the number double, and also we were told we had to bring a cart but the person who told us to was if you rememeber the Nationals Announcer he's from SC so he gave us our intructions for nationals, there will be without a doubt more than 100 teams from FTC there. And i know the logistics wont work for the FTC FRC runnning around feilds but i may have to do it.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Rick TYler

No one at FIRST has told us either that a cart is required (we didn't have one in 2008) or that they will allow more than 100 teams. Where did you get your information? I count something like 30-something competitions, and with only the alliance captain of the winning alliance and the Inspire winner invited, I don't even see how the event will get to 100 without allowing open enrollment. I'm puzzled by your comments. Thanks in advance for pointing us to the FIRST documentation of this.

Are they still doing what they did in 2008 and inviting the first selection through a lottery to fill the remaining spots?

[Monty Python]

Someone at the event I attended this season said that they were (I think they were from FIRST, but I'm not sure). However, eligibility criterion still haven't been released yet, so we can't be 100 percent sure.

From http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...t.aspx?id=4378

FTC World Championship Event Eligibility Criteria


The FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship will be held in Atlanta, April 14 - 16, 2010 (dates subject to change), at the Georgia Dome. 100 FTC teams will be eligible to participate in the FTC World Championship.

Eligibility criteria will be announced in September/October 2009.

Note the 100 teams thing as well.

[JesseK]

Schedule-wise, it doesn't work out if there are more than 50 teams per division. Running a competitions with 32 teams in a single day is rough as it is!

[JohnFogarty]

That criteria is quite ridiculous 100 teams wow

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by JesseK

FRC bots are typically unpacked Wednesday night around 6:00pm. That's still plenty of time to get all of the Wednesday FTC activities done, but not much for practice and not much for conferences either.

I was thinking under the strict following of (2009's) "Only unpack your crate and then put it to the side and do nothing else" FRC rules, you'd have to leave your FTC robot physically at the FRC pit, though I could be very, very wrong.

Originally Posted by John_1102

It's not only an Idea you are required to have a cart, FTC Teams can play up to 5-6 matches during qualifying.

No one stopped my team in 2008 when they didn't have a cart. It just sucked a lot.