Several things I noticed[ul]
[li]New Items[LIST][/li][li]Battery (kinda obvious)[/ul][ul][/li][li]Off-White FisherPrice Motor/Transmission[/li][li]Labview Software[/li][li]Tie Wraps (Did they make a new appearance?)[/li][li]Power Distribution System[/li][li]Back-Up Battery (it’s Yellow!)[/li][li]Banebots Motor[/li][li]Banebots Gearbox[/li][li]Panel Signal Device[/li][li]New Radios[/li][li]AndyMark Designed Kit wheel![/li][li]New Kitbot Gearbox[LIST][/li][li]12:1 Banebot Plantary Gear (for 2.5" Cim)[/ul] [/LIST] [/li][li]And the return of:[ul][/li][li]Cims (2.5" Diameter)[/li][li]Mini-Bike’s (3" Diameter)[LIST][/li][li]On a sidenote I’d like to request that the standard name for the 3" motor be “Mini-bike”, and for the 2.5" to be referred to as “Cim”[/ul] [/li][li]2006 Controller[/LIST] [/LIST]So what did everyone else think of it?[/li]
addition:
[quote=“2007 Manual”]
10.1.1 Kit Evolution
Some of the exciting and important additions found in the 2007 Kit Items include the following items:[ul]
[li]All event-registered teams were invited to apply for National Instruments DAQ modules and receive their LabVIEW software before Kickoff.[/li][li]One C-programming tutorial account with Machine Science[/li][li]Two BaneBots planetary, 12:1 transmissions.[/li][li]One 36mm BaneBots gearmotor[/li][li]One BaneBots RS545 motor[/li][li]One vacuum kit (including 4mm pneumatic tubing, suction cup, and vacuum generator)[/li][li]Four AndyMark, Inc designed wheels which include integral molded hub adapters[/li][li]Two target light kits enabling teams to practice working with dual light targets[/li][li]One DualVee linear track system including four wheels, two concentric bushings, two eccentric bushings, and two pieces of track[/li][li]One Allen-Bradley terminal block assembly and two pieces of DIN rail to replace the power distribution block and ground stud Assorted Tyco electrical terminals[/li][li]One modification kit for the battery chargers facilitating the use of the Anderson Power Products connectors to plug into the batteries[/ul][/li][/quote]
I’m not normally one to gripe but I am highly irritated that they aren’t allowing us to use batteries from past years. Our team made a serious investment in batteries over the last two years and now all they are good for is practice, holding the door to our office open, and taking up space on our electrical shelves. The only external difference I can see so far is past year’s batteries were made in Taiwan and this year’s batteries are made in Vietnam. In my opinion not enough of a difference to warrant discontinuing use of other batteries. Or am I missing something painfully obvious?
I question the logic in doing this and wonder how many other teams this imapacts in a way similar to our team!
That’s one thing that bothers me, too. We just bought a whole bunch of new batteries last year (then had to buy another batch after they didn’t have the EP sticker on them), and now we can’t even use them. This means that we’re going to have 12 batteries sitting around that don’t serve us any real purpose.
Agreed on the batteries. We’re one of those teams who can’t just go out and by more batteries due to budget issues. I only got a peak at the kit since we had to get ready for a vex competition but the first thing that made me smile was the suction cup package…oh and the neon green tubing of course :D:D:D
The rules stated that there will be wiring instructions on the FIRST website, in the Documents/Manuals area. But, nothing yet
I am very disappointed that the IFI breaker panel is not allowed, as far as I can tell. The new distribution block and fuse panels are more weight that Raul won’t let me have
Well, battery gripes aside (Was 1293 in 2004 the only team that ran its season on two batteries?), I dig this kit. You’ve got the right balance of getting the smaller teams underway and enough goodies to really get things going for the upper-level teams.
I foresee omni heads jumping for joy over the newer, more compact, cheaper CIM planetaries from BaneBots. You can definitely mount them up in more places than the old kit transmission. So long as the reliability is there, I’m sold.
I’m also noticing that the as-received kit is down on power this year. You can get two more small CIMs and one more large CIM, but you know how things are when they’re out of sight. (They’re out of mind.)
I also bemoan the continued absence of the IFI breaker panel, but we’ll survive. Oh, and did anybody think we got enough 6 AWG crimps?
The media packet was nice and organized, moreso than past editions.
Oh, and I’m feeling the new AndyMark-provided wheels. They’re small, lightweight, and grippy as anything I’ve seen in the kit.
The absence of a few choice parts like the breaker panel grinds on me a bit, and the battery gripes are obvious, but overall it’s not that bad a kit. I’d give it a low A or a high B.
The pessimist in me thinks that this rule was written simply to drive extra (unnecessary) business to a new FIRST supplier. The optimist in me certainly hopes this is not the case, but so far the batteries seem identical so I can’t figure out why there’d be any technical reason to prohibit last year’s batteries.
The Battery issue seems to be recurring. FIRST rules that because the battery has a new part number, it is different then previous batteries.
Teams argue that there is not significant difference between previous batteries and the new ones, and should be allowed to use older models.
FIRST responds by saying that its okay that only two batteries will be allowed, because you can charge them overnight.
Teams are perplexed, and frustrated that FIRST doesn’t ‘get it’. The worry isn’t with starting the day off with fresh batteries, but finishing it with fresh batteries. It seems like FIRSTs expectations of battery use and use in reality are very different.
Refs and inspectors at regionals do ‘get it’ and no trouble is encountered.
Why this has to come up, year after year, is beyond me. Perhaps FIRST should just specify that the kit supplied, or equivalent, battery is legal for use. It would solve a whole bunch of headache.
Now that thats out of my system. I have not be able to go over the kit list in detail. Is anything noteable missing? Specificly things like motors and major electronics components.
