What do YOU want in the Kit of Parts?

[YAK'ker]

I'm with Dale on this - I think 90% of the KOP could be omitted and that could be used to help reduce entry fees for the teams. I also agree on the software; all of it should be available to download for free for registered teams, as many times as we need it.

Some of the parts have been defective and/or are incompatible with new regs; parts should be tested beforehand and ONLY those parts that are required for communication updates every year should be provided.

I believe we would see a LOT more adherence to specs and yet more creative solutions if the KOP were reduced greatly. Teams would have to make sure their design solutions are within the strict parameters and not assume that because they are in the KOP it's OK.

Reduce the fees! A lot of the reason we don't see more FIRST groups is because of the high entry fee. There are a plethora of other robotics competitions out there that don't require the financial input. A lot of communities are hard-put to come up with that much. Heck, we can't even afford an art program at our school, anymore....spending $5K on a kit is hard to justify.

[sanddrag]

New things I liked that we made good use of:

Expanded FIRST Choice through AndyMark
Banebots voucher
Digikey Voucher

What I'd like to see:

More Victor motor controllers. This is the big thing we always need many of and get shorted on every year, and our old robots are not functional anymore because we can't afford more Victors every year. I would gladly do without probably 50% of the rest of the kit for more Victors.

More CIM motors (can't recall a time when we didn't use the maximum allowed, which was more than what was included).

#25 Chain and master links, FR8-ZZ bearings, black zip ties and black adhesive mounts, heat shrink, some non-insulated flanged spade terminals that fit Victors (must be flanged), Sharpie markers (original type) since people always lose or take them.

A good chain breaker tool for #25 chain (the normal type aren't good for #25).

More game pieces if they're proprietary (we always need more, they always wear out/pop/etc, and it's always a wait).

McMaster Carr voucher.

Banebots CIM-U-LATOR gearboxes and/or P60 planetaries.

Home depot gift card, if the field requires anything from Home Depot.

Printed promotional materials for FIRST Robotics (a stack of brochures for instance)

or

Nothing in the kit except essential required things, and some money off the registration fee. (And I know the KOP is largely donations and is not entirely directly correlated to registration fee.) In terms of physical things in the KOP crate, I can't even recall using anything this past season that's included that's not required.

Anyhow, I do thank all the suppliers for their generous contributions. Even if we don't use a lot of this stuff right now, perhaps someday we may.

As a note on software, I actually like receiving physical install media. It's instant gratification, and it's easier for me to keep it locked up somewhere, than to remember or find a login to some online system. Ideally we'd have both.

Aside from all of the above, what I would like most is advance notice of specifications of key items that are both expensive and required but not included for veteran teams for the upcoming season (e.g. cRIO, motor controllers). This would allow the school district to purchase it for us and have it show up in time, rather than mentors having to buy it out of pocket. If someone can definitively tell me the cRIO that is available now is the exact one that will be used next year and there will be no new or better model available, I'd like to have my school's purchasing people order one now, so I get it before kickoff. Schools are notoriously slow at such things, so it helps when we know ahead of time that we need to spend big money.

[Jibsy]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Sharpie markers (original type) since people always lose or take them.
.

Yes please! haha. Them sharpies be a hot product for thieves.

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

Make all software downloadable via a secure site.

OK, so maybe include a copy in the KoP, but make all software available online. It's really frustrating when your team loses a piece of software and has to get a copy from a local team.

Agreed. One centralized location to download software when hard copies of the software (oxy-moron much? ) go missing.

Originally Posted by IndySam

We would all like more speed controllers, batteries and chargers, maybe it would be wise to ask for these all to be in FIRSTchoice for those who would like to select which speed controllers they want or maybe chargers or batteries instead.

I have no idea why anyone would want that heavy old compressor over the new one, please don't ask for it to come back.

Always can use more game pieces but they were available in FIRSTchoice last year and I was shocked that every team didn't choose them.

The FIRST advert/info is a great idea and every team should get a bunch in every kit.

I agree with everything here^



I think it may be worth putting together a poll that includes the items that seem to be a popular choice. I expect that it's best to emphasize one or two things that we would like changed that many seem to agree on rather than trying to make 80 suggestions that all get clustered together and whisked off as impractical.

[R.C.]

We don't use much of the KOP anymore. Its getting emptier and emptier as every year goes on.

I would honestly like to see:

-More Victors! We use hella speed controllers.
-SMC Solenoids
-More Batteries!
-Additional Electronics
-The old compressor

More or less, I'd like to get the rookie KOP for veterans.

-RC

[Travis Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

Well, I'll say what I WOULDN'T like in the KoP.

Software.

Make all software downloadable via a secure site.

OK, so maybe include a copy in the KoP, but make all software available online. It's really frustrating when your team loses a piece of software and has to get a copy from a local team.

All the way across the state of Ohio is a "local team"?

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

The suggestion of powertools is a good one as well.

Just +0.02

Sawzalls and circular saws on the robot!

I second including loose Anderson battery connector kits in the KOP. As a team that rarely, if ever, uses the pre-made pigtails, this would save us some money and headache.

I've been lobbying for this option (which cannot fully replace the pre-made cables - many rookies and other teams likely use them) with the FIRST folks for a while and will continue to do so. Would be a GREAT addition to FIRST Choice.

[BrendanRadabaug]

i think the thing i want most in the KOP (and have for a while) is the Anderson connectors for batteries. not the already made ones but a kit where we can make custom lengths for the robot and the batteries.

to make one connector you need One - SB-50A red plastic connector and
Two - Anderson Power Products crimp contacts (sized for 6 gauge wire)

so a small bag of one or two kits would be nice to have in the KOP every year

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by BrendanRadabaug

i think the thing i want most in the KOP (and have for a while) is the Anderson connectors for batteries. not the already made ones but a kit where we can make custom lengths for the robot and the batteries.

to make one connector you need One - SB-50A red plastic connector and
Two - Anderson Power Products crimp contacts (sized for 6 gauge wire)

so a small bag of one or two kits would be nice to have in the KOP every year

And a crimping tool.....

[cgmv123]

• Extra nuts for the power distribution board. They're not standard and can be hard to find.
• Crimping tool with integrated wire strippers and cutters
• 80/20\McMaster vouchers
• Different varieties of wheels (plaction w/roughtop, plaction with wedgetop, 4", 6", 8", mechanum)
• Various public relations tools (FIRST branding standards, sample press releases, posters)
• Decorations for build site

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by cgmv123

• Extra nuts for the power distribution board. They're not standard and can be hard to find.

Seeing AndyMark's listing for the power distribution board, it looks like the nut is just M6. Metric is not as easily available as standard in most areas FRC teams call home, but I found another set at Lowe's to use as jam nuts on our board after a scare at Palmetto.

[robokiller]

Just a few things
-raspberry pi
-arduino
-a real netbook

yeah I like software and hardware a little too much

[Gdeaver]

MPU-6050

[ebarker]

Originally Posted by cgmv123

• Extra nuts for the power distribution board. They're not standard and can be hard to find.

A MUST have for every FRC team
we bought a bag of 100 of each of the following items.

• part number 91202A234 Metric Zinc-plated Steel Split Lock Washer, M6 Screw Size, 11.8mm Od, 1.5mm Min Thick
• part number 92497A350 Metric Zinc-yellow Pltd Class 10 Stl Hex Nut, M6 Size,
• part number 94191A150 Mil Spec Grade 8 Steel Hex Nut, 1/4"-28 Thread Size, 7/16" W, 7/32" H, Ms51968-3 1mm Pitch, 10mm Width, 5mm Height

The M6 parts are for the PD, the 28TPS part is for the 120A disconnect.

Every team member is trained on the usage of the M6, 1/4-28, and 1/4-20 parts. Because the average new recruit cannot tell the difference and is gonna mess it up.

If you need those parts, visit our pit, we keep a bag of 100 stock.

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by ebarker

Every team member is trained on the usage of the M6, 1/4-28, and 1/4-20 parts. Because the average new recruit cannot tell the difference and is gonna mess it up.

How are we gonna fit that training into the KOP?


btw the nuts should not be hard to find, look at the hardware store or an auto parts store. Metric hardware has been used on many American cars for the past 35 years

[Whippet]

How about making some of the software mac friendly? That would really help for those of us who have macs and don't want to shell out cash for a Windows OS.

[ebarker]

Originally Posted by squirrel

How are we gonna fit that training into the KOP

Make a glossy bookmark card that is attractive and has some kind of useful information on one side and a tutorial with pictures on the other side, and put that in the KOP..