Well FIRST Choice window is open
http://firstchoicebyandymark.com/everything/
Initial thoughts; Not very many things to choose from like in years past. Hard to justify a 4 slot c-Rio, PD and DS when we need to use the RoboRio this year. Speed controls are there but no Talons. No compressor for teams needing pneumatic supplies.
Anyone else feel this years FIRST Choice to be lacking?
I totally agree. Last year we had to prioritize what we wanted because there was so much good stuff. Hoping for a new battery I guess. And switches. Lots of switches.
IIRC it is all donated and depends on the generosity of the suppliers. We’re just glad to get anything free.
-matto-
I’m alright with the offerings, plenty of useful stuff at a good value (free + shipping). Just because the old control system isn’t competition legal doesn’t mean a team can’t find a good use for the components.
Thank you to the sponsors who donated all of these products.
That is a lot of linear motion-related supplies. I suspect that a lifting game may be imminent.
Don’t they always have that many linear motion components?
Im interested in the REVrobotics Protoboard and the Cypress PSOC3. I don’t recall those kind of things on FirstChoice last year. It will be interesting to see what teams might use them for. I have pretty much no experience with digital electronics… Any ideas?
Seconded. Might be just me, but I see a lot more than last year.
Yeah it seems pretty to be a pretty typical amount.
Keep in mind there will be more game-specific offerings available come January. This is not a complete list of FIRSTChoice.
FIRST Choice Advice for Rookie Teams
FIRST Senior Mentor Dana Henry (hey, that’s me!) put together a helpful list for rookie teams that might not be sure what to use their FIRST Choice points on. The list assumes that rookie teams are starting from scratch and therefore do not have some of the basic parts. Additionally, the list does not include the Classmate under the assumption that teams have access to a laptop that can function as a driver station and connect to the robot during competitions.
Part number Points Qty Total points
Batteries fc15-008 50 1 50
Battery charger fc15-005 50 1 50
Ethernet port saver fc15-030 5 2 10
Velcro kit fc15-036 10 1 10
Encoder Kit fc15-039 20 2 40
Spikes fc15-112 20 2 40
Black Jaguars fc15-0340 50 4 200
Victor 888 fc15-019 50 4 200
Total: 600
The full list of parts can be found at http://firstchoicebyandymark.com/everything/.
Sorry for the formatting.
For a rookie team that already has a good amount of parts, is there any value in only using a portion of the 600 points and waiting to spend the rest after kickoff? Or are the 600 points only for this period?
It looks like FIRST won’t be any more items to FIRST Choice after kickoff this year. I found this comment (which appears to be posted by an FRC staff member) in the comments section of the blog post about FIRST choice. (http://www.usfirst.org/comment/1869#comment-1869)
There are no current plans to close FIRST Choice or add items after it opens for ordering. I say “no current plans” because, while unlikely, we can’t rule out the possibility of an amazing donation of a boatload of expensium nuggets that may come in after we open FIRST Choice. If this were to happen, we’d spend a lot of time debating if we should post it to FIRST Choice or hold on to it for next year. Also if this were to happen, we’ll blog that we’re going to do that. And, if it’s after the initial order phase, likely give teams more credits so they can obtain the new item.
They changed their mind 
From today’s blog:
Some items didn’t make the inventory delivery deadline, so we will likely add additional items for Kickoff. If we do so, we will add additional credits to each team’s account. We will use the same priority list process and announce the exact dates and times as soon as we know them. We understand that it is likely frustrating to not see all inventory that may be available to you, but we’d rather make this inventory available to teams this season instead of holding it for next season. Credits that are not used in the first round of priority lists or open orders will be rolled over for the second round.
I would change the fc15-0340 to the fc15-118. Since I recall the vex ones are supposed to be better than the ti version.
(fc15-118 was just added)
I always like the subtle clues revealed by FIRST Choice, but I’m not seeing much this year. The linear motion components seem pretty standard, but who knows. :rolleyes:
Are there always stack bins in Choice? I believe that boxes were used as the 2003 game piece…
the boxes in 2003 were rubbermaid tubs. If you’re suggesting these can be a game piece… we’re all doomed.
I noticed that the two belt sizes used in last years kitbot are available in limited quantities. Maybe that indicates that this years kitbot will not be using the same center to center distances? larger wheels maybe? an obstacle maybe? frame perimeter change? hm?
Not horribly useful unless you’re doing heavy simulations for your robot, but anyone else think the Quadro K4000 for 100 points is a steal? I mean come on, that’s a $700 beast of a graphics card that costs the same as 10 mini dry erase boards. http://firstchoicebyandymark.com/fc15-114
Maybe this is baseless speculation, but the stack bins are the only item I noticed that don’t have a “yes” or “no” in the “In kickoff kit” box, therefore leaving the box blank. A hint perhaps?
Much more likely, a simple oversight.
These bins are on a completely different scale than the 2003 bins
The item page says that these will be included in the kitbot box on kickoff.