Black Battery Plug contest from AndyMark

[Andy Baker]

All 2006 FIRST Robotics teams have 8 white battery plugs in their kits. These plugs are simply plastic flags doing 2 things:

1. To show which batteries are charged - plug them into the Anderson connector after the battery is removed from the charger.

2. The plug insulates the terminals inside of the Anderson connector.

Now, here is the neat part:

5 random FIRST teams got a special BLACK plastic battery plug. Follow the previous link for more information. In a nutshell, these plugs give those 5 teams a $100 discount off of AndyMark products.

Our marketing department conjured up this idea while watching a movie about a boy in a chocolate factory.

Enjoy,
Andy B.

[Ed Sparks]

Originally Posted by Andy Baker

All 2006 FIRST Robotics teams have 8 white battery plugs in their kits. These plugs are simply plastic flags doing 2 things:

1. To show which batteries are charged - plug them into the Anderson connector after the battery is removed from the charger.

2. The plug insulates the terminals inside of the Anderson connector.

Now, here is the neat part:

5 random FIRST teams got a special BLACK plastic battery plug. Follow the previous link for more information. In a nutshell, these plugs give those 5 teams a $100 discount off of AndyMark products.

Our marketing department conjured up this idea while watching a movie about a boy in a chocolate factory.

Enjoy,
Andy B.

We didn't get the Black Plug but I appreciate your including these white plugs in our kits. Thanks!

[Peter Matteson]

We didn't win either but I like the give away.

Too bad it can't be deducted from the budget constraint.

Also Andy thanks in advance for the transmissions we're using.

[Mike Schroeder]

Baker's Marketing department sounds like his kids :-p

[ChuckDickerson]

Andy thanks for the white plugs! They are a really simple but elegant solution! How about make up some red ones that have "LOCK OUT" or "DO NOT CONNECT" on them to put on the robot half as a lockout so that if someone is working on a part of the robot and doesn't want someone to come behind them and connect the battery and power it up the "lockout" tab is in the robot half of the battery connection? We are going to use one of the white ones for this and just put a red label and flag on it.

Too bad we didn't get one of the black ones!

[Rick TYler]

Let's see -- copy the AndyMark stickers, paint the white battery plugs black, attach new stickers, sell instructions and extra stickers for $10 each -- the season is paid for!

(Thanks, Andy and Mark.)

[Jessica Boucher]

Can you hear that?

Yeah, that in the distance.

Thats me. Giving Andy & Mark a standing ovation. Great product, great promotion.


Do the winners also get to visit the AndyMark factory?

[Madison]

Originally Posted by Jessica Boucher

Do the winners also get to visit the AndyMark factory?

I want a lifetime's supply of sprockets.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by DeepWater

How about make up some red ones that have "LOCK OUT" or "DO NOT CONNECT" on them to put on the robot half as a lockout...? We are going to use one of the white ones for this and just put a red label and flag on it.

I wouldn't waste a perfectly good white flag. I think I'll see if a student or two would like to make some robot power "lockout" flags from scratch, out of lexan or even metal, in the shape of a stop sign.

I think sanddrag's mistaken idea of what the battery plugs are for is actually a good idea for a more specific "lockout" flag. A piece of plastic that fits a circuit breaker slot seems like a very useful thing.

[Mike Betts]

Andy,

Got any pictures of the Oompa Loompas running the CNC?

Mike

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by Mike Betts

Andy,

Got any pictures of the Oompa Loompas running the CNC?

Mike

What, these ones?





Brilliant idea, Andy. I just hope those five teams read Delphi!

[Elgin Clock]

Lick a sprocket, it tastes like a sprocket.
Lick a gearbox, it tastes like a gearbox.
Lick a battery plug.. NO!!!! I SAID A BATTERY PLUG NOT A BATTERY TERMINAL!!!!!


<hears sirens in the background> oops. :-(