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Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

Richard Wallace

By: Richard Wallace
New: 11-16-2007 11:41 AM
Updated: 11-19-2007 10:26 PM
Total downloads: 5525 times


Things NOT To Do When Designing Your FRC Team’s Robot
presented at St. Louis Regional Fall 2007 Robotics Training Camp
hosted by FRC 931 Perpetual Chaos, Gateway High School

This presentation summarizes build season mistakes observed by many experienced FRC mentors over the years, and suggests ways to avoid them. Why should your team make these mistakes, when others have already made them for you?

Added 19 November 9:30pm -- uploading stripped version of .ppt file and individual .jpg images.

Attached Files

  • pdf topten_handout

    topten_handout.pdf

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    uploaded: 11-16-2007 11:41 AM
    filetype: pdf
    filesize: 249.19kb
    downloads: 2425


  • ppt Top Ten (stripped)

    topten_stripped.ppt

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    uploaded: 11-19-2007 10:25 PM
    filetype: ppt
    filesize: 287kb
    downloads: 811


  • jpg ouch

    ouch.jpg

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    uploaded: 11-19-2007 10:25 PM
    filetype: jpg
    filesize: 44.21kb
    downloads: 838


  • jpg scale

    scale.jpg

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    uploaded: 11-19-2007 10:25 PM
    filetype: jpg
    filesize: 19.36kb
    downloads: 717


  • jpg mule

    mule.jpg

    downloaddownload file

    uploaded: 11-19-2007 10:26 PM
    filetype: jpg
    filesize: 49.91kb
    downloads: 732



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Discussion

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11-16-2007 01:06 PM

Rich Wong


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

This is a great presentation for all FRC Team!

I'll have Pthe olytechnic University students include this presentation in their NYC FRC FIRST Workshops (happening right now!).

Thanks Richard.



11-16-2007 02:55 PM

Cynette


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

Excellent, just Excellent!

Hey Every-Team! Read This!



11-16-2007 03:03 PM

JohnBoucher


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

Sweet



11-16-2007 04:16 PM

Elgin Clock


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

Quote:
Screw that tether on good and tight!


No, don’t. Remove tether screws from the robot end, so it will self-protect
by pulling loose if the robot gets away while you are testing.
Best advice in that paper IMHO.

Listen and take note of this people, unless you want to spend another extra $1000 on an RC with just one slightly damaged part (tether connector).

Although, if you have an extra $1000 laying around, feel free to tighten your tether cables and learn for yourself.



11-16-2007 04:16 PM

wendymom


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

I know what we are doing for our next meeting!!! Thanks RIchard



11-16-2007 05:22 PM

Dave Flowerday


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

Quote:
Originally Posted by Elgin Clock View Post
Quote:
Screw that tether on good and tight!


No, don’t. Remove tether screws from the robot end, so it will self-protect
by pulling loose if the robot gets away while you are testing.
Best advice in that paper IMHO.
I'd take that one step further: even when the tether isn't screwed in, it could still rip the port off the RC if the cable gets pulled away at the wrong angle. We've gotten in the habit of looping the tether and programming cables once around a solid piece of the robot (usually our frame) before connecting it. It's a good idea to do that on the OI/computer side as well (don't want your OI or laptop being yanked off the table!). This way, if the robot takes off, the cable will get stretched tight against the frame. The cable may be damaged, but at least the tether/program port wasn't ripped off your $500 RC!

One thing I'd add to the presentation (didn't see it in there but I just skimmed it): make yourself a "robot disable" dongle (or buy one from AndyMark)! No OI should ever be without one. We attach ours to a piece of velcro and keep it with the OI at all times.



11-19-2007 06:49 AM

FourPenguins


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

Richard, it appears that this was originally in the form of a powerpoint or similar presentation. Are you planning to make it available in that format?
I'd love to present this to my team



11-19-2007 10:30 PM

Richard Wallace


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

Quote:
Originally Posted by FourPenguins View Post
Richard, it appears that this was originally in the form of a powerpoint or similar presentation. Are you planning to make it available in that format?
I'd love to present this to my team
Some folks have requested the PowerPoint (.ppt) version of this presentation. In its original form it was about 20MB, but when I stripped off some images and included them as separate JPEGs the total size was only about 400kB. The stripped .ppt file and three .jpg files have been added to CD Media. Please use them and let me know how it goes with your team or local audience.



11-19-2007 11:29 PM

Dan Petrovic


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

Now... to plan when we can show this to our team.

We can relate to several of these....

...and you bet we learned how to avoid making those mistakes again!

I just can't wait to hear our software lead say "I told you so"



11-19-2007 11:43 PM

JaneYoung


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

the tether....a very scary oops.



11-20-2007 02:42 AM

Guy Davidson


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

This is a very well done paper that hits the issues right on the head. We'll be sure to show it to our team and hopefully learn from it.



12-10-2007 04:00 PM

Bob Steele


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

By the way,
To repair the tether port costs $100 and about 10 days of time to IFI and back.
I know ... I have a receipt...

R



12-10-2007 11:34 PM

techtiger1


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

Bob thats a true story too, 1251 has one of those receipts too never made that mistake again. Richard great compulation of thoughts and ideas very well presented. Thank you. I will certainly take the time to hand these out before kickoff to every student, veteran or not. Actually some of the mentors could probally use this one around too. =).



12-20-2007 06:13 PM

Sunshine


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

Awesome,

This will be shown at our next meeting



12-20-2007 09:46 PM

Ed Sparks


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

Great Job! Thanks Richard .....



12-20-2007 10:15 PM

Pavan Dave


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

My favorite part is how Texas is it's own "region" in the US.

7 is very important and so is 3. Controls and software are the most overlooked IMO.



12-20-2007 11:25 PM

Kevin Sevcik


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

We too have one of those tether receipts. A newer mentor plugged in the tether before trimming anything or lifting the wheels. Worse, it was for Stack Attack, so the bot ran up a half finished ramp and literally flew off the other end.

At any rate, in light of posts about the IR thread, perhaps we should add testing circuit boards on anti-static bags or other conductive surfaces.



12-20-2007 11:30 PM

Richard Wallace


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pavan View Post
My favorite part is how Texas is it's own "region" in the US.
Although not a Texan myself, I hold with many others that Texas is indeed its own region.

My great-aunt Edith did her doctoral work in Texas, and then embarked on an academic career back in the day when female professors were almost unheard of. She taught history at Delmar, down in Corpus Christi, for over three decades, before retiring in Austin. Hers was a commanding presence, at family gatherings and elsewhere.

Aunt Edith insisted that Texas is more than a State, it's a state of mind.



04-10-2016 06:45 PM

Road Rash


Unread Re: paper: Richard's Top Ten Boneheaded Mistakes

This is a great find for a rookie parent mentor on a 2nd-year team. Thanks.



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