What makes a "Powerhouse"?

[TKM.368]

Originally Posted by David Brinza

Thank goodness for the 65 lb allowance -we used 90% of that for the Arizona Regional.

Thank goodness for bad weather which upped it to 65!

[AustinSchuh]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Coming from one of the so-called "powerhouse" teams, I think I'm going to have to disagree with this one.

If you look at what 254/968 made during that first week though, you are pretty much following his rule. During week 1, the only parts that were machined were the ones that had already been prototyped and shown to work. Those parts were also pretty low risk. Wheels, chain tensioners, and axles that have been shown to work very well during previous years don't really need to be prototyped or thought through quite as thoroughly as a ball magnet.

[ChrisH]

In 2005 team 330 did not start cutting metal until week 4. This year we started earlier, but that was because we had lots of welding, which can be a bottleneck. It is much easier to build a robot when you know what is going to look like before you start.

[NyCityKId]

I. LOVE. THIS. THREAD!!!!!!

ive been looking for something like this for a couple of hours now. the funny part is ive been skiming past this thread for a couple af days now and i the title didnt catch my attention. glad i finally decided to take a look though

[synth3tk]

I agree, this thread is an awesome resource. We've already started working on a few of the activities mentioned in the original post.

[lil'est lavery]

The offseason is also a great time to work on things such as chairmans outreach or an offseason project. Just like it was stated earlier, the offseason is a perfect time for your team to get together. We are all involved with robotics because it's something that we enjoy, so enjoy it but spend some time with your team that doesn't include standing them up for the robot. The best teams are the ones that work as a team and have fun.

Studying the game and waiting before you start build is a good thing, but be very careful of how long you wait. Build season flies by and things are going to happen that cause you to lose time. It is very easy to get much further behind than you had planned so just remember to plan and work efficiently.

[lscime]

Originally Posted by Sunshine

Just one question, what is an off season?

Team MARS calls everything after Atlanta the "Pre-Season."

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

If we did not start ordering and manufacturing on kickoff day, we simply wouldn't finish.

Perhaps a better way to put this is: Be sure your design is almost complete before building anything. If design takes a week, that's OK.

I can't claim to be from a powerhouse team (but we were very lucky this year), but we're working on it. How? Well, not with fancy CNC machinery and gobs of cash. More like hard work and stick-to-it-iveness.

ANY team can be a powerhouse. It is not the budget or facility that defines this, it is the ingenuity and drive of the team.

Sometimes we hear members of other teams say things like "sure, if we had xxxx we could build a good robot too" - but that's not true. A poor design, perfectly executed, is still junk. A great design, built with hacksaws and hand drills, will always perform well.

[Cheerleader1073]

What makes a 'powerhouse' team you ask? Strong relationships. From professional relationships with teams and businesses, mentors and students, and teams with teams, to endless friendships made amongst the students, FIRST is unique in the sincere and fierce relationships it allows everyone to make throughout the season. Our team won Granite State Regional this year, but it wasn't just about the robot. Everyone there had an excellent robot, what made us win was the three teams (thank you 1519 and 1058, you were both wonderful picks for us!) became friends so the drive teams just simply worked so well together! Nothing was fake at all, we're all still friends and picked each other at every off-season we went to, even in the mentor matches. Keep your friends close really applies, especially with how FIRST has instilled in us all the ethics of 'Gracious Professionalism'. I'll never forget this year not because of the multiple wins or awards or amazing robot we had, but rather because of the FUN and friends I've made throughout the year. So, you want a 'powerhouse', successful team? Build strong relationships with sponsors, your community, within your team, and with other teams!!!

[LeelandS]

An excellent guide. It doesn't just focus on the mechancial aspect of things, but on the importance of team unity, design and planning, and knowledge of the rules and of your own robot. Covers everything I could possibly think of and more.

If there were more than 5 starts I could give this thread, I would.

Thank you for posting this! I will most definately be sharing this with my team.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by doramider7

Just one question, what is an off season?

Been doing this for four years now. I thought I was getting into a season that lasted a couple of months. Now Irealize that it is a 12 month job that I love. We do many of the things you suggest but you have taught me more.

Off season event are team run events that are like a regional but more pared down usually held in a high school gym.
The most famous of these is IRI which is an invitational held in Indianapolis in July and is actually an exception to the rule for most off seasons as it is larger than any regional. This year it had 78 teams and would have had 81 teams if it weren't for some teams dropping out.
Most off seasons usually have around 24 to 36 teams in them and they are not quite as intense as an official FIRST event (again IRI being an exception).

[pandamonium]

powerhouse teams seem to have the robot complete between 1 and 2 weeks early, to allow room for programing, autonomous mode, and driver training. This is attributed to dedication and planning but I think that it is important to note that some teams do not build until the last minute.

[Chris27]

Originally Posted by pandamonium

powerhouse teams seem to have the robot complete between 1 and 2 weeks early, to allow room for programing, autonomous mode, and driver training. This is attributed to dedication and planning but I think that it is important to note that some teams do not build until the last minute.

I think a huge characteristic of the power house teams is continuous improvement of both strategy and robot functions throughout both the season and offseason. I'd say the robot is never complete.

Besides, the powerhouse teams have awesome programmers. They only need a day of programming. Two is being generous...

[Cyberphil]

This is an amazing thread. Such brilliance and true understanding is shown here that other people fail to see.

Chris, you have opened my eyes (and I am sure many others) to the wonder and brilliance of the, "Powerhouse," teams. I have personally talked to many of these teams, and the main difference between them and us is the exercises they do during the less important time of the season. They are constantly prototyping, learning, and doing things that make their team better each and every year.

Thank you very much for creating this thread. It is because of things like this that makes you the perfect person to win the Woody Flowers award.

[Chris Fultz]

Originally Posted by pandamonium

powerhouse teams seem to have the robot complete between 1 and 2 weeks early, to allow room for programing, autonomous mode, and driver training.

If you look through some other threads (example, read JVN's 2010 Build Season paper from 148), I think you will see that many of these teams don't build much of the "real robot" at all week 1 or week 2. That time is focused on strategy and prototypes of designs to play that strategy.

Don't be in a rush to build a robot until you know what robot it is you need to build.

EDIT - My error in reading the post - I missed the "early".