http://frcdirector.blogspot.com/2011/11/wooden-beams-have-started-creaking.html
Anyone do the calculations for how much each field weighs yet this season? 
Of note: Put your team number on your cart!
Blog text:
The wooden beams have started creaking
Good Afternoon Teams,
The tidal wave of field and game elements is on its way. Here at 200 Bedford Street weâve been taking delivery of materials needed for the 2012 field for weeks now and expect a truck (or more) a day every day through Thanksgiving. Space is getting a little tight.
This is going to be a heavy field to set up when all is said and done. Our pallet jacks can handle up to 5,000lbs in a single load and the engineering staff tell me weâve been pushing the jacks to their limit recently. At the moment we have an estimated 8,000lbs of polycarbonate sheets, four 1,000lb pallets of game specific steel elements, a pallet of aluminum, three 1,500lb pallets of a game specific item plus a fourth 1,000lb pallet of a different game specific item, two full pallets of gaffers tape, an entire pallet of carpet tape and multiple pallets of game pieces. None of which takes into account the existing field components we will be bolting, zip tying and otherwise attaching these items onto or the elements that have not been delivered yet.
The Kit of Parts is being put together at our warehouse which means truckloads of components are arriving there daily as well. Staff and volunteers are starting to pre-kit smaller items (putting separate elements into little plastic bags) ready to put those bags into larger containers and planning the physical layout of elements inside those larger containers. Back at 200 Bedford Street, Procurement is scheduling deliveries to local Kickoffs and preparing truck routes for competition events.
Itâs never dull around here.
In other news:
The next Senior Mentor call will be FRC Control System/Driverâs Station Beta Test Observations with our very own Kevin OâConnor from the first floor. Join him November 21st at 7PM ET by calling 1-866-951-1151 and using conference room # 9533018
All teams (with the exception of teams in Israel who are only attending the Israel Regional) will be expected to Bag and Tag their robot this year.
â˘Section 5.5 of the Administrative Manual (now available on our website) allows teams to bag bumpers separately from the robot if it is more convenient for teams to transport their robot that way. Be aware, the bag with the bumper and the bag with the robot must both be sealed with a tag and logged independently.
â˘If you havenât already done so, be sure to read the Bag & Tag FAQ and decide how you plan to proceed before the deadline for exemption requests passes on December 2nd.
Speaking of Manual sections, Section 4.2.2 covers robot carts. Please be sure to clearly label your robot cart with your team number. There is no defined way to do this, we just want to make sure field personnel can identify what cart belongs to which team so we can keep things flowing smoothly on the field.
52 days until Kickoff
See you then!
At the moment we have an estimated 8,000lbs of polycarbonate sheets, four 1,000lb pallets of game specific steel elements, a pallet of aluminum, three 1,500lb pallets of a game specific item plus a fourth 1,000lb pallet of a different game specific item, two full pallets of gaffers tape, an entire pallet of carpet tape and multiple pallets of game pieces.
A lot can be derived from this.
Hmmm.
YESSSSSSSS! Good bye, too-small doors!
I wonder how teams staying within Israel are going to handle what used to be ârobot ship dayâ, since they arenât required to Bag their robots.
Total lbs - per field - per Alliance
8000 ------ 421 ------ 211 ----- polycarb
4000 ------ 211 ------ 105 ----- steel elements
4500 ------ 237 ------ 118 ----- game specific
1000 ------- 53 ------- 26 ----- game specific
(19) fields (http://frcdirector.blogspot.com/2011/09/good-news.html)
Is polycarbonate always used on the fields (if so, for what?)?
The clear plastic found in the alliance stations and field walls. Also known as Lexan. In 2008 it was in the divider wall; in 2010 it was also part of the return chute for the soccer balls.
How do you know that there are 19 fields?
By counting the number of events in a given week.
Oh okay, thanks. Thatâs what I was thinking, but wasnât exactly sure.
He mentions gaffers tape along with the carpet tape. Does this mean line trackers are coming back?
Keep in mind that MAR and FiM build their own fields; this may not be accounted for in the quantities listed by Bill.
I thought that too, but then I looked at the list of events. I donât see enough simultaneous âconventionalâ regionals. The district competitions have to be included.
I think it is getting safe to say it isnât a water game. He mentions carpet tape.
We can assume that since there is Carpet tape, then regolith will probably not be part of this yearâs field.
I donât know about thatâŚ
Right, but it still doesnât answer the question as to whether the quantities of materials listed by Bill should be divided by 19, by 15, or something else.
Lunacy had carpet. It was exposed around the borders of the field, as the FRP âregolithâ didnât extend to the edges.
Has no one seen the âTidal Waveâ in the third line? Thereâs a stormy undercurrent in these posts⌠Perhaps one of the mysterious pallets contains large fans that blow around lightweight (but hopefully not very delicate) game pieces. Or itâs a water game!
Divide by 42⌠or 0⌠Ah crap that didnât help any, we still have too many choices.
Oh well, guess Iâll know in January.
Hmm, thatâs a ratio of 4lb game specific steel elements : 4.5lb game item one : 1lb game item two.
Does that mean that the amount of the first game item is going to weigh more than the steel elements? 0.o ::rtm::
If memory serves me correctly, the field was carpeted then regolith was placed over it. Thatâs why the regolith was âsquishyâ when walked on.
Come on GDC, bring back regolith!