What do you guys do with your old robots?

[RoboMaster]

The title says it all. Our team is wondering where we should put our old robot from last season. Of course we will practice off it, especially the robots in the coming years with the new control system. But after a couple of years, you have a bunch of robots and they are just collecting dust. What do you do?

[Joe G.]

We usually keep them near our current robot, which gradually cannibalizes them down to almost nothing.

I know that many other teams with more storage/raw material stock save them for years though.

[Herodotus]

We have all of our robots from 2005 and on still together and either functioning, or close to functioning. We use them for demonstrations, to practice programming and driving for the next year, and to just look awesome.

[thefro526]

There's been a lot of threads before if you search you'll find some cool ideas. One is to donate your old robot to a rookie team for them to use parts and learn how things work. Personally I like to keep them and we have our 05,07,08 bots in the shop in semi-running condition. The 05 bot is fully functional for the most part, 07 needs some fuses and relays but will still run and 08 needs the drivetrain reassembled because it was being experimented on by graduating senior.

Also old bots are excellent for driver training. As long as the game doesn't change substantially next year (steps, gaps, or water ) we'll most likely use our Kit based six wheel drive. So our future drivers they'll have something to train on early on assuming we stay 6WD.

[Jay H 237]

Originally Posted by rocketperson44

We usually keep them near our current robot, which gradually cannibalizes them down to almost nothing.

Basically the same thing that we have done.

All our older bots from 1999 to about 2003 are completely gone. We don't have the space for them and unfortunately can't save them all. We have 2 bots that are together (2008 and 2005/6?) and then the frame and assorted parts of 2 more that I know off.

Sometimes you're forced to disassemble Johhny-Five

[RyanN]

2000 - Still mostly intact, we do occasionally take parts off of it.
2001 - Gone
2002 - Gone
2003 - Still intact; missing many PWM cables.
2004 - Arm converted to new tshirt shooter; base sitting under a desk
2005 - converted into the new tshirt shooter
2006 - converted into the new tshirt shooter
2007 - intact, missing RC
2008 - ready to roll

[CWBWBN]

179 has turned one of its old bots into a trophy case that sits near our practice field.

http://www.179swampthing.org/gallery..._Medium?full=1

in the top right corner, you can still see the frame from an old bot, im not sure the year, but before my time

[Dolan]

2005: Robot was sacrificed for the greater good

2006: Turned into a robotic chair

2007: Ready to go

2008: Ready to go

[waialua359]

we got a little showcase museum thing going all over one of our robotics rooms. When we get visitors, we show them our little history.

[Sunbun]

2006: Gone for the most part, save for the shooter.
2007: Gutted...
We removed the ramps and attached our 2006 shooter to the top of the frame. There are wheels on the frame, but no transmission, so we just push it around when we want to display it.

2008: Still intact, but we converted the flipper into a giant dustpan and the forklift into a ... bigger dustpan. It collects and throws away garbage left on the ground.

Then we realized that it doesn't work that well, so we just use it to collect Poofballs for the 06/07 bot until we come up with something more practical.

And I think we still have our old frames around somewhere...

[.:Brianna:.]

If you're looking for something to do with your old robots that helps other people, why not think about donating your robot to us, the FIREBIRDS, FRC team 433? We'll take your robot, pack it up, and ship it to a team we started in Ghana, Africa, as part of our Donate Your Robot/Give your FIRST robot a SECOND life campaign. Our goal is to send enough robots so that the team we started can host its own competition with other schools in Ghana and eventually fundraise enough money to help them register at a regional competition. If anyone has any questions about the FIREBIRDS' Donate Your Robot campaign, please feel free to PM me and I'll get back to you ASAP.

Thanks,
Brianna
FIREBIRDS President, '07-'09

[tim_reiher]

We use our '06 robot for presentation and display purposes. Most of the others have either been modified for prototyping or just gradually gutted over the long process of time. Some, however, still work, and we utilize them for driver practice and game simulations from time to time. Best use of old robots, though, in my mind, is to show visitors and potential members the variety that this program has shown, and helping both relate team history to new members and show them just what they're getting into(and how awesome FIRST really is )

*Search a little before starting new threads- I'm sure this topic has been covered at least once on these forums before.
EDIT- Oops. I was beaten to the punch...

[smurfgirl]

Well, our first two robots, from '03 and '04 are long gone. They got demolished for parts. '05 is a skeleton, but if we put the compressor, motors, etc. back in it would probably work. From '06 on, we save the competition bot and take the practice bot apart at the start of the next year's build season. We play, practice, train drivers, teach members, demonstrate, and show off with our 3-peat bots.

With the exception of the current year's practice robot, the working robots are stored at our practice facility, because we don't have room in our school's workshop. Plus, we can practice our defense with the old bots and prepare our drivers for the New England defense they'll see at the regional.

[ttldomination]

At the beginning of the season. The first order is to dissassemble the old robot. We do not have the space nor money to keep the old robot and build new one, so the metal gets recycled, and we salvage what we can.

[EricH]

330 has kept robots for a while now, but also takes parts from them--in order:
1997: not sure
1998: Somewhere at JPL
1999: In pieces somewhere...
2000: The "hook" on that, along with the upper stage of the lift, are in one shop; the rest is...
2001: Frame together, turntable together in another place. Stopped working for the last time in 2003.
2002: We'll never get that one completely apart... Doesn't run, but mostly together in one shop.
2003: Joins 2002, but might run again if the gearboxes were maintained.
2004: Still running, but it's been used as a practice/defense robot for some time now. Parts have been removed; the lift no longer runs due to motor removal for use in 2005 competition.
2005: Runnable, though not in competition form. Should be restored, but not sure when that'll happen.
2006: Running, used as defense.
2007: Running, though used as practice robot.
2008: Running.

1135, on the other hand, only has space for one or two FRC robots. Non-performers that aren't current get taken apart, save for 2003 (stolen).