“What are the most important things to do during the pre-kickoff period to ensure you’re ready for the build season?” & “For teams that have had success at the Championship, what are your top design tips for building a reliable robot?” (2025 is my last year in FRC and I’m hoping to make it to championship)
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I am not in the position to answer the first question, but I can direct you to this thread, because I think they do bring up some good points every team should have for a reliable robot. What does it take to go to Einstein
I think another point is keeping it as simple as it can be. Trying to overcomplicate the simple answers may hinder reliability.
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This is a slide from a presentation we gave at the FIRST Mentor Conference.
Things we are currently working on
- our 2025 code structure and working with the beta software releases
- shop organization, anything we can do to me a little more efficient during the season. Reorganizing, reducing clutter, labeling, restocking supplies. Cleaning our practice space and taking down last year’s game elements.
- Better understanding our resources and having our team understand them (skills, knowledge, funding, time, people, etc.)
- Working out a plan for how our two teams will operate and rough goal timelines for the season.
- Training students on new tools
- Preparing some prototype and test things, getting our 2023 off-season robot driving again, so we can potentially use it for early season testing.
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My team and I have done most of these things. We even start a swerve prototype for next year and I’m working on a 3d sim that will help with design and code
For pre-kickoff, one of the biggest things you can do is focus on building your team’s core competencies. Make sure your programming team is comfortable with all the tools you’ll need, whether it’s PID tuning, trajectory generation with PathPlanner, or using vision systems effectively. It’s also a great time to practice debugging skills, because during build season, time is tight, and being able to quickly isolate and fix issues can make or break a competition weekend. For the mechanical side, you can’t go wrong with mock builds or subsystem prototypes based on past games. For example, try designing a simple intake or elevator system, or rework a subsystem you struggled with in a previous season. This gives newer team members hands-on experience and ensures your shop workflow is ready to handle the chaos of build season.
Another often-overlooked aspect is inventory management. Take the time now to do a full audit of your parts, tools, and electronics. You don’t want to start week 1 realizing you’re short on Falcon motors or missing half your 1/4-20 bolts. Also, have a plan for restocking essentials like rivets, fasteners, and wire, so you’re not scrambling mid-season. And seriously, train everyone on how to crimp and terminate wires properly—it saves so much frustration later. Finally, pre-kickoff is the perfect time to refine your scouting system. Think about how you’ll collect and analyze data, and maybe even practice by scouting old matches on TBA. If you can lock in a solid scouting process before kickoff, you’ll be miles ahead when competition starts.
When it comes to designing a reliable robot, a lot of the best advice boils down to simplicity and prioritization. Reliability often comes from doing a few things really well rather than trying to tackle every possible task. For example, if you’re debating whether to build a robot that can do both offense and defense, focus on one role and make it bulletproof. A good starting point is defining your “minimum viable robot.” Ask yourself, “If all else fails, what are the critical functions that would allow us to still contribute in every match?” Then design those first, and only add complexity if you have the time and resources.
Another thing is to design with maintenance in mind. Make sure everything is accessible without disassembling half the robot. Quick-detach mechanisms for things like gearboxes, intakes, or even electronics can save you so much stress during competition. Speaking of electronics, label everything. Use color-coded heat shrink, zip ties, or even a diagram taped inside your belly pan to make troubleshooting faster. For drivetrain reliability, it’s hard to beat a well-tuned tank or swerve drive. If you’re going swerve, practice swapping modules quickly and make sure you have extra modules and preconfigured encoders on hand. It might seem overkill, but having those spares can save you from missing a match.
Finally, put your robot through the wringer before you ship it off to comp. I’m talking about full-on stress testing. Run it for hours, slam it into walls, and intentionally push it to its limits to find weak points (really have fun with this). Keep iterating until nothing breaks. I’ve seen so many teams go far at Championships because they had a simple, reliable robot that just worked match after match, while more complex designs kept failing under pressure.
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My team and I decided to do swerve with a second layer for mechs, is that a good idea?
I don’t see why not it sounds like a solid plan!
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