FRC 9496 Lynk | 2024 Build Thread | Open Alliance

[Jimmyy]

FNC District UNC Asheville Event 2024

The Lead-up

Photo creds throughout to Danny Levenson

We were lucky to be only a little over an hour drive from the venue for this event. Though it did not have a free breakfast buffet (which was a bummer), we are so grateful for our mentors, the McEntire’s who helped us in the pinch and ran out and provided breakfast for the team from Sam’s Club. It was a different experience than our previous event where we had the airbnb, but we all still got good sleep for the weekend and plenty of meeting space for strategy sessions.

Load-in + Inspection

The load-in process was smooth, with the added benefit of having several students on hand to assist other teams. The inspection went flawlessly, it only took 10 minutes to get fully inspected and ready to go, except for the radio flashing process - the table wasn’t setup until the next morning.

Practice + Qualification Matches

Senior + Mascot Parade

One of our senior students got to be in the Senior Parade Saturday that went on before the matches, and in the mascot parade, one of our team members proudly waved our flag with her cool orange glasses and LYNK merch on.

From the very first match, our bot mysteriously froze for moments, but reconnected and continued the game till it froze again. Many other teams, the FTA’s, the CSA’s, robot inspectors, and anyone who had ideas all kindly helped us troubleshoot for reasons why this was happening. Although we did not find the exact cause until after the competition, we got the vague concept that our issue was an excess build-up of static. The Zebracorns (FRC Team 900) gave us an Ethernet switch, and Bogobots (FRC Team 9297) gave us a RoboRIO to use at the event and we are so incredibly thankful for these teams lending help. All this demonstrated the FIRST concept of gracious professionalism at its best. We managed to push through and made it to rank 5 for the event by the end of qualifications.

Saturday night, back at the hotel, we had a long strategy discussion to help guide us as to what to expect of Sunday.

Many of our students also got the chance to answer many questions from the judges starting early on Saturday and throughout the event. We got the chance to explain to them about how Appalachian (“Latch”) worked and the Y of what we do as a team.

Our very own were present in the FNC Choir and we love to dance, check out a couple snapshots!

Alliance Selections

When it came time to pick alliances, the second ranked team Glitch 2.0 (FRC Team 8727) asked us to be on their alliance, and together, we also decided to ask BOGOBOTS (FRC Team 9297) to join us as well.

Though we were ranked 5th we were grateful to be picked by the number 2 seed. Our alliance did well in the playoff matches. However, we lost a match that set us in the lower bracket. Nonetheless, we made it all the way to finals without Latch having any major glitches (besides the one match we lost)! Much to our surprise, we did not need a tie breaker match in the finals because we won the first two. We were shocked and grateful for this hard worked win. This was our second event as a team and unexpectedly we had won our first (out of state event in Blacksburg VA) in state event. Though we had a 2 comp winning streak, we made sure to have talks with our team and make sure it was not becoming expected. Here at LYNK we often say our 3 H’s as we are doing well… Happy, Hopeful, Humble.

As a rookie team with students who’ve never experienced FIRST before this team, we’ve been working hard to understand everything that is FIRST and being at our first competition in our home district. The other teams were very supportive and we were happy for them and cheering them on when their team names were announced throughout the awards ceremonies, but suddenly we were absolutely astounded to be honored with the Rookie All Star Award at the event!

Final Notes

After capturing memorable snapshots with our alliance, we engaged in conversations with fellow teams. Once everything was neatly loaded into our trailer, we embarked on a celebratory trip to Cracker Barrel for a delicious victory dinner on our way home.

[jreneew2]

I noticed that in the CAD you guys are using 1/16 in box tube for all your tubing. Is that accurate? I would be worried about running that for a swerve drive rail.

Thanks, and awesome robot!

Drew

[shuki]

Yes, we did run 1/16 tubing everywhere even the crossbar on the intake which you can see here failed at our first comp. After that, we made the crossbar out of 1/8 but ended up running the whole season on 1/16 rails for drive. I would assume that they survived since they are riveted to the rather sturdy steel belly pan every inch so the load is spread into that instead of bending the aluminum. Although after this season and seeing how much energy current bots can put out we will probably move to 1/8 on drive with the negligible weight difference.

@Flightbudz

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[Jimmyy]

FNC District Mecklenburg County Event 2024

BEFORE

It was about a two hours drive for us to this competition in Charlotte. Our hotel was a Hyatt Place, where they were doing some renovations that led to some minor difficulties but overall it was an amazing stay! They were great for a large group and even let us celebrate our mentor who recently got accepted into US Air Force Academy!

LOAD-IN

The trailer arrived at 5pm on Friday. Students arrived and unloaded the trailer as we waited for them to open the doors, we organized for going in and made it inside in one trip. We placed our wood pieces over the soft foam tiles the pits always have and rolled in our work bench. Once we were set up, we explored the venue and wrote our joke of the day. We finished off with the mentors having a meeting and then we headed back to the hotel for the night.

PRACTICE AND QUALIFICATION ROUNDS

We did extremely well throughout the practice and qualifications. However, on Sunday, our bot did have an occasional glitch, mostly due to wires popping loose and static. ‘Latch (our robot) usually just disconnected a couple moments than reconnected in time to finish the match strong! We had already experienced the same issue with static in Asheville. The static of the notes quickly going through the shooter would build up and after a while shut down the robot. This was a hard problem to identify because it’s so simple and not a typical complication. Due to the lack of time between Asheville and Charlotte, the most we could adjust to fix the problem was to order a static absorbent material called UHMW-PE to use as a board to hold the notes on with the shooter. It was a bothersome problem but we pushed through and managed to hold the position of first place in rank at that event. Thankfully, the material did its job well and the glitches were reduced.

Meanwhile, throughout the competition, our whole team worked hard. The scouting team sat in the stands watching the robots on the field, putting the observed data into a spreadsheet we used to decide who to ally ourselves with and cheering on our robot. The pit crew repaired ‘Latch’ as needed after every match so he could continue to strive. The driving team pushed through even the occasional glitch. And the business side of the team as a well as the rest of the team did an outstanding job talking to judges.

We also got to be interviewed for a Behind The Bumpers for FIRST Updates Now!

Behind the Bumpers | 9496 Lynk | CRESCENDO FRC Robot

Alliance Selections

At the alliance selection we got first and last pick since we were Captains of alliance one. We first picked 6894 Iced Java. Then discussing as the other teams picked, we chose 9298 Greeni3s, who made for a wonderful alliance partner.

ELIMINATION MATCHES

Our alliance did well in the elimination matches, despite small glitches on our part due to static.

Despite one loss that sent us into the lower bracket, we made it to the finals! Along with alliance 4 made up of teams 4829 Titanium Tigers, 8757 GeodeBots, and 1533 Triple Strange. We won the first match. However, on the second match of finals, ‘Latch’ decided to make things interesting by choosing right in front of the opponents loading zone as the perfect place to break down. With ‘Latch’ there, the opponents could not reload their notes, and our alliance won due to penalty points and rookie refs accidentally making calls on the wrong alliance. This was not the way to win the competition and both alliances hoped for a rematch. However, we were surprised to see that after the judges and referees had talked it over they counted the notes and gave the win to the opposing alliance. Nonetheless, we had gotten what we wanted, and a third match was played. This time, ‘Latch’ did not pull any tricks and we won fair and square. What an exciting final!

AWARDS

Our Dean’s List nominee, Jimmy M was awarded the Dean’s List Finalist award. He has worked so much in the FIRST community and helping all of us students gain an understanding of what to expect at events!

We were also honored to win the Autonomous Award. This is what the judges said about ‘Latch’s autonomous:

“This connected team mastered the art of automation. During competition, their bot knew how to hit all the right notes. These technical virtuosos, aptly named after the connection they forge, elevate the game with their robot’s flawless autonomous performance.

"Congratulations Team 9496!”

AFTERWARDS

Afterwards, we took pictures and talked to the other teams. The other teams (and our team members who had been watching in the stands and had not known) were amazed when the pit crew showed that a part had broken, and the shooter had become detached on one side. You could lift it with your hand and the whole shooter would tip. During the finals, the frame had been zip tied down due to lack of time. The team ate at a Chinese buffet to celebrate the third victory and drove home.

[Jimmyy]

FNC District Championship Event 2024

Our journey to the FNC District Championship in Greenville, NC, was a longer one—about six hours for most of us—but the excitement going to our DCMP kept our spirits high. This event, we were fortunate to stay at a hotel just ten minutes away from the venue, a rare and much-appreciated luxury! The proximity made for relaxed mornings, even as we shared the hotel with several other robotics teams, including some we hadn’t met before. Our mornings were fun and chaotic, with new friendships forming over breakfast. A huge shoutout to FNC team 5518 for helping us with this last-minute rooming option—it made our stay even more enjoyable!

Load-In and Inspection

Load-in on Friday was a breeze, and we had everything unloaded and set up in record time. The inspection process was even smoother, taking less than ten minutes! This efficient start gave us plenty of time to prepare for the matches ahead.

We found out that our team was 254 mi. from the State Championship venue this year!

Practice and Qualification Matches

Between our last event and this one, we dedicated ourselves to solving the static issues that had plagued us. We found a solution by effectively grounding our shooter structure to the chassis with 12 AWG wire and adding ferrite cores to our Ethernet cables—a tip we received from Tyler on team 2056, who had faced similar problems. These adjustments paid off, as our robot performed nearly flawlessly throughout the event. The level of competition was intense, with every high-level NC team present. It was thrilling to meet new teams, see their robots in action, and compete against the best of NC.

Alliance Selections

During alliance selections, our top rank gave us the advantage of the first pick. We chose team 4795, The Eastbots, to LYNK-up with us, and they accepted. A strategic twist occurred when the captain of the second alliance requested many of the other top-ranked teams, effectively narrowing the pool for the rest of us. For our second pick, we selected team 1533, Triple Strange. Later, in the elimination rounds, team 6639, Mechanical Minds, joined our alliance as a backup bot, giving us additional security in case of any technical issues. This alliance was strong and ready for the playoffs.

Lunch

Lunch on Sunday was a whirlwind, with Triple Strange and some members of Eastbots joining us. We traded team merch, shared laughs, and even had some fun with face paint, courtesy of Triple Strange. Despite the hustle to prepare for the playoffs, we made sure everyone had a chance to refuel with Firehouse Subs. The camaraderie between our teams made this quick lunch break memorable.

Playoff Matches

The playoff matches were nothing short of intense, with North Carolina’s top teams battling it out. For the first time this season, we didn’t enter the finals from the lower bracket—a testament to our hard work and preparation. The addition of Mechanical Minds to our alliance added depth to our strategy. One of the highlights was facing alliances made up of teams we had previously worked with. It was a strange yet exciting feeling to compete against Iced Java in the finals, having won our last event with them as allies. Their alliance name creativity didn’t disappoint—they dubbed their team Iced Sliced Pirates, a fun twist on their team names. Despite our nerves, in finals, we won the first two matches and clinched the finals. The victory was unexpected and overwhelming; many of us were moved to tears by the sheer emotion of the moment.

Awards

Our achievements were recognized when we were awarded the Rookie All-Star Award alongside team 9707, the Volt-Cats! Receiving this honor at the District Championship level was an incredible achievement and a testament to our team’s hard work, determination, and spirit.

Us winning RAS

whoops ^

Aftermath

With the drive home ahead of us, most of us headed straight home after the event (~254 miles), though some stopped at Moe’s Southwest Grill for a mini celebration. The employees were wonderfully accommodating and curious about the group of teens in burnt orange polos, leading to some fun conversations about robotics. As we made our way home, messages started pouring in on our team Discord, with everyone checking in safely. Despite the exhaustion, we were filled with gratitude for the journey, the victories, and the memories we had created together.

This championship wasn’t just about the competition—it was about overcoming challenges, building lasting friendships, and celebrating the incredible progress we’ve made as a team. We’re already looking forward to what’s next on this exciting journey!