"Essential Tools"

FIRST General Forum
#21

For the electrical world:

Solderless terminal crimping pliers - but spend the extra money to buy a ratcheting crimper (about $40), that way every crimp will be perfect.

Cutting pliers (able to cut up to #6 wire, which is about the thickness of a pencil) aka ‘diagonal pliers’

Good needle-nose pliers

Good stripping tool. Ideally the “automatic” strippers, which have a spring-loaded system to grip and cut the insulation, not the cheap kind that looks like pliers, nor the ‘self-adjusting’ kind.

Cheap soldering iron plus solder - $10 at Radio Shack, 25 watts. And please, always wash your hands with soap and water after touching solder!

For the rest:

Safety Goggles - at least one pair for every person. Get the good ones, like the $6 ones at Harbor Freight that have the cord to hold them around your neck. CHEAP goggles are AWFUL to wear and use, and nobody will WANT to use them. Decent goggles are not even noticed, fit over glasses, and you can forget that you have them on - everyone will be willing to use these.

Hearing protection - even cheap foam ear plugs. Don’t damage your hearing just yet, wait for college at least… A few double-cord dust masks (the kind with 2 rubber bands, not just one) for every time anyone is making dust. Believe me, if you think tobacco is bad for your lungs, try lexan. Several pairs of cotton work gloves.

Plus hacksaws (and blades), files (flat, round, half-round), drill bits (up to 1/2", plus a few uni-bits), an electric drill, tape measures & rulers, sharpie markers, a center punch, a scratch awl, masking tape, wrenches (as mentioned previously), a ball-peen hammer, a rubber or plastic mallet, a bench vice (as large as you can afford), ratchet or C-clamps in several sizes, a chain breaker for #35 chain, a razor knife, a hot-melt glue gun and glue sticks, screwdrivers in seveal sizes (flat, philips), decent protractor…

That’s a good partial list.

Note that there is NO Duct Tape on the list, there’s a reason for that.

Don

#22

Darn! I can’t believe I forgot that, most of my team thinks I’d build the entire robot out of hot glue if I could! On a similar note, you should probably get some Loctite for vibration proofing bolted connections, and epoxy (clay and liquid kind) for quick fixes at competition or just general adhering needs.

#23

Beware! Banebots stuff is all metric!

Just a little FYI. The english will fit, but strip it.

Jacob

#24

I am surprised nobody has mentioned this yet but the single most useful tool to have during the robotics season is a Leatherman (or an equivalent multi-tool from another company). I suggest that at least a few of your members carry multi-tools with them at all times because, even though they are not the most effective tools for the individual components they have, the ability to carry all of those items with you is priceless.

If students possessing knives on school property is an issue for you like it is with us i suggest the Leatherman Knifeless Fuse http://www.leatherman.com/products/tools/Knifeless-Fuse/default.asp which team mates of mine and I carry.

Hope this helps
Simon Strauss
1155

#25

So is the andymark stuff… we had a nightmare the other night finding metric tools for our dual shifter

I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned this, but another thing you will need at a ready supply are hex wrenches and bondhuses. Our robot has a standard of 7/16 everything, and that was always the only hex wrench missing. So stock up on like 50 of your team standard to avoid tool hunting when your robot breaks 5 minutes before your final match (=

#26

One other thing that I find myself relying upon more and more: a rivet tool. You can get one for $15 or $20, usually with rivets. For holding certain parts of the robot together, you can’t beat it.

#27

Essential Hand Tools:
-Wrenches (7/16, 1/2, 9/16 mostly)
-Socket Set - The 1/4" size ratchet set w/ 7/16 & 1/2 sockets are the most used. If you ever need a 1/2" ratchet on a FIRST robot you probably need to rethink something.
-Screwdrivers - All sizes and types. Two or three of the more common types.
-Pliers (needlenose mostly for us over regular type but get both or a cheap set)
-Hex Key (Allen) Wrenches - We use the T handle type mostly in the shop and take the little foldup sets to comp.
-Ball Peen Hammer - use sparingly
-Wire Cutters
-Wire Strippers
-Crimp Tools for all those wire terminals you will learn to hate.
-Metal Files
-Deburring Tool A.K.A “Whirly-gig” - Be careful it will jump out of that hole when you look up and there goes the end of your finger!

Don’t forget things to measure other things with:
-Tape Measure
-Ruler
-Digital Calipers are pretty handy

Clamps, lots of clamps, you can NEVER have too many clamps! We find good old C-clamps (4", 5", & 6") and those ViseGrip type clamps to be the most useful.

We also find rivet guns (both small (1/8" & 3/16) and large (1/4")) to be quite useful.

A few center punches. Once you start using one you will never know how you got along without one. Harbor Freight is your friend here. You can get them for a couple of bucks each. Get several because you won’t be able find the one and only one you have under the mess on your work table about the beginning of February. A set of transfer punches are pretty handy as well. In fact Harbor Freight is a good place to get a lot of the above hand tools cheap.

There are special tools you will want for working with roller chain. A “chain breaker” will “break” a link in the chain to make two pieces. A “chain pincher” is pretty helpful to stretch the chain together like a third hand so that it is much easier to put the master link in.

You will probably be building at least a some part of the game field to practice on. Don’t forget typical woodworking tools:
-Handsaw
-Claw Hammer
-Square
-Level
-A PVC cutter is usually helpful for something every year.

While you are building that practice field cut some short wood blocks about 6" to 8" long cut from a scrap 4"x4". Keep them near your robot build table. You will figure out what they are for the first time you want to test your new drivetrain on the table. Usually 4 of them will do the trick.

The basic power tools you should try to get if at all possible:
-Cordless Drill (w/ charger, extra battery(s), and a big box of drill bits)
-Drill Press (w/ another big box of drill bits)
-BandSaw (w/ several extra blades on hand for cutting aluminum)
-Miter Saw (yep, it will cut aluminum but be careful)
-Circular Saw

-Power tools that every team would love to have but few do:
-Milling Machine (CNC or manual)
-Metal Lathe
-Welder setup for aluminum

Power Tools that you might could use but can do without:
-Table Saw
-Air Compressor (Useful for blowing all the bits out of your robot before you power it up.)

#28

Whoa there, guys, information overload! In addition to the often-repeated tools (which are probably the ones needed), this is a first-year team. I can’t keep straight whether a tool has or hasn’t been mentioned (though I know I missed the measuring tools–didn’t think of those as tools). I think DeepWater has about as complete a list as you can find, categorized by type. Maybe we should let them sift through the info and decide what to get now and what to wait on until it is needed.

#29

Yes, buying a welder is very expensive and you’ll need a lot of practice - so its probably not a great idea to buy one.

But I HIGHLY encourage you to seek out a welding sponsor for your team.

Finding a welding sponsor is really easy. I know that in 2006 I just asked our local auto-repair shop if they could weld our robot and they were happy to do it free of charge. Welding can vastly speed up the build process and increase the quality of your robot. If you get your frame welded you can save weight on all the fasteners, and you don’t have to worry about the structure of your robot coming loose.

#30

Funny how no one else mentioned it, but you will also need a space and an organization system to put it all. Trust me and our team’s previously-disaster area Closet, after a few years stuff really begins to build up and clutter and dust begin to reign freely. Sorting years’ worth of lost and abandoned drill bits from five or more sets is really not fun, especially when you and a couple of friends are the only ones without a major robot project on your hands :cough: freshman year :cough:

#31

Alright, so I’m late and the lists are really long already, but there’s two good tools that I haven’t sen yet:
Heat gun, useful not only for shrinking heat-shrink tube, but also for softening and bending lexan, PVC, etc.

Electrician’s Scissors. Vital for your electrical team. They cut darn near anything from wire to cable ties to small diameter steel cable. Plus with a little practice you can strip wire with them too.

#32

Just to help you out a bit I just uploaded a list of tools we purchased to “start” our garage last year. Our rookie year everything we used was borrowed the team had nothing. Last year we got a sponsor to buy most of the tools on the list. The prices will be a rough guide for you, the names of the actual tools are the more important thing.

CLICK HERE!

Any questions just ask or pm me

/edit ohh yeah the year prior we did purchase a drill press, which was left off the list. I believe that a drill press can be very important, you’d be amazed with some ingenuity ( and possibly a lexan blast shield ) what you can achieve with even a cheap harbor freight one!

#33

Try to find a local team, and go check out their tool area. No way a list on CD is going to sum up what you need; Even the best of us here are going to forget to mention important tools.

#34

i know last year we had to do some soldering when attaching the TTL board to the camera

#35

Tin snips come in real handy for quickly cutting a piece of sheet metal for a panel without using a machine.

#36

The definition (or at least mine) of an essential tool includes ALL tools one would use to make something out of raw material. Now, the definition of raw material includes: students, parents, the team in general and 6061T6 aluminum.

A good mentor that has been trained in team dynamics, one willing to do one or two workshops in team building can go along way to help mold the team into something that works well together.

A strong parent organization, booster club or a bunch of NEMs (non engineering mentors) willing to take care of all the other stuff, non robot related stuff, is an absolutely invaluable tool. (travel, food, making shirts, writing awards etc…)

Having team support in the local community is an invavluable tool. The city editor of the local newspaper on your side is good.

One or two or three school board memebrs that are vocal supporters of the team. Mentioning them at school board meetings, line items in budgets are always good things.

Internet access is a valuable tool, IF used correctly during meetings and after. CD, NEMO, FIRST are essential tools for gathering information. Don’t forget the websites of any vendors you may be doing business with.

In short, tools are not just the things that are in your hands shaping the metal. The mentors, teachers, parents and engineers all around you are the most important tool you can use. And they are there for you to use. Just do not ABUSE them.

#37

We are re-buying our tools this year, since we lost so many, and this is our list. I think it compiles just about all the critical tools. I’ll put an asterisk () next to tools that are handy, but not necessary.
-Hammer
-Hacksaw
-Power Drill (with bits/spare battery)
-Allen Key Set (either standardized, or English)
-Adjustable wrench
-Open-ended wrench set (standardized or English)
-Ratcheting socket set
-Rubber Mallet*
-Soldering iron
-Sawzall* (with spare battery)
-Screwdriver set (flathead and phillips head)
-Dremel* (with reinforced cutting heads)
-Pliers (needle nose)
-Vicegrips*
-Safety gear (Goggles for all team members, Firstaid kit, gloves are optional)
-File set
-A rolling, lockable tool chest*
I’d recommend approaching your local Sears, since they sell kits that contain most of the above for relatively cheap prices (the large (but not largest) sets usually weigh in at about $500), and the manager would probably give you a discount if you brought up what it was for.

#38

Here is a couple of organizational tips:

  1. keep an inventory of tools obtained - listed in categories/location.
    Keep this current/updated.

  2. make and keep a wish list of tools/equipment wanted/needed. This is handy for the parent that feels generous, the potential sponsor that walks up to a fundraiser or community outreach event, the aunt or uncle who have been hearing about this robotics team and would like to contribute something. It is also helpful for the team booster club to have handy when working on the budget. Purchasing/maintaining tools/equipment should be included in the budget both short term and long term.

  3. Create a position for a tool manager on the team. This person is responsible for making sure the tools get put back where they belong and for travel preparation/competition. This is the go-to tool person when something is needed. During competition, we’ve learned that the tool manager can fill another position such as safety captain as well - being useful and efficient.

#39

Also have a variety of electric stuff, wire nuts, wire ties (that was aready mentioned)

o yes and ALOT of Mountain Dew:yikes:

#40

I’m not surprised you needed to use solder for that, since the TTL converter board is not designed to be attached to the camera.:confused:

The sensors in the Kit of Parts for the past couple of years (accelerometers, gear tooth sensors, etc.) have no connectors, just plated-through holes on the printed circuit board. Soldering is required to attach wires to them. Almost every potentiometer one might want to use for position feedback has terminals that wires must be soldered to.

Building the on-board backup battery charger circuit also needs soldering skills.