[FRC Blog] 2017 Kit of Parts

FIRST General Forum
#1

Written by Jonathan Bryant, FIRST Robotics Competition Kit of Parts Engineer

We’re using today’s blog to tell you about a juicy piece of information about the 2017 Kit of Parts.

2017 Kickoff Kits will consist of the following items for all teams (sizes and weights are approximate):

One set of items, collectively, 27 in. x 17 in. x 13 in., 50 lbs.
One set of items, collectively, 2 in. x 2 in. x 48 in., 5 lbs.
One item, 8 in. x 3 in. x 7 in., 14 lbs.
One very small item.

2017 Kickoff Kits will include the following additional items for Rookie Teams only:

One set of items, collectively, 27 in. x 17 in. x 13 in., 30 lbs.
One item, 8 in. x 3 in. x 7 in., 14 lbs.

Teams who did not opt out of the Drive Base Kit will also receive the following item:

One set of items, collectively, 7 in. x 7 in. x 34 in., 25 lbs.

Teams outside the USA who opted into receiving an additional Kickoff Kit’s worth of game pieces will receive:

More information [here](https://goo.gl/WUIS9n).

Good link…

#2

For reference, last year’s kit was:

2016 Kickoff Kits will consist of the following items for all teams (sizes and weights are approximate):

One set of items, collectively, 27 in. x 17 in. x 13 in., 48 lbs.
One set of items, collectively, 2 in. x 2 in. x 48 in., 5 lbs.
One item, 8 in. x 3 in. x 7 in., 14 lbs.

2016 Kickoff Kits will include the following additional items for Rookie Teams only:

One set of items, collectively, 27 in. x 17 in. x 13 in., 33 lbs.
One item, 8 in. x 3 in. x 7 in., 14 lbs.

Teams who did not opt out of the Drive Base Kit will also receive the following item:

One set of items, collectively, 7 in. x 7 in. x 34 in., 28 lbs.

Teams who opted into receiving an additional Kickoff Kit’s worth of game pieces will receive:
(redacted)

#3

I can’t believe I got roll’d in 2017. 2017!!!

#4

So… apart from the totes being a few pounds lighter or heavier, add one very small item. It must be a packet of instant steam!

Seriously, it is probably just something that came in too late to pack in the tote, otherwise it would be in there, right?

#5

One set of items, collectively, 27 in. x 17 in. x 13 in., 50 lbs.

That’s probably the tote

One set of items, collectively, 2 in. x 2 in. x 48 in., 5 lbs.

Aluminum tubes.

One item, 8 in. x 3 in. x 7 in., 14 lbs.

Battery

One very small item.

I have no clue what this could be, or why it can’t go in the tote. Maybe the KOP is locked this year and this is the key?

#6

The predictions our team came up with were:

Regular Kit:
One set of items, collectively, 27 in. x 17 in. x 13 in., 50 lbs. = Tote
One set of items, collectively, 2 in. x 2 in. x 48 in., 5 lbs. = 4 aluminum tubes like last year
One item, 8 in. x 3 in. x 7 in., 14 lbs. = Battery
One very small item. = A button with Frank Merrick’s face on it.

Rookie Kit:
One set of items, collectively, 27 in. x 17 in. x 13 in., 30 lbs. = Rookie Tote
One item, 8 in. x 3 in. x 7 in., 14 lbs. = Battery

Drive Base Kit:
One set of items, collectively, 7 in. x 7 in. x 34 in., 25 lbs. = Drive Base

#7

While comparing between 2016 and 2017 kit announcements, I noticed that except the minor changes of totes’ weight, the only change is the add of “one very small item”.
We can’t know if it’s a game piece or not, because the game piece can be inside the tote.

#8

At first glance the optimist would draw the conclusion that the small item was the game piece and would point towards the “coal” theory on game pieces (small and non-spherical). But I think it is unlikely they would pack a game piece outside of the tote, as the game piece is probably the first thing to be accounted for in terms of space in the tote.

I can hope though right? :stuck_out_tongue: .

#9

It’s entirely possible the “very small item” is a gift for teams and not at all related to the game, like the 2015 Behind The Design book last year.

Then again it could be Minibot train wheels. Let the wild speculation continue!

#10

I remember when my team first started, we would get an envelope with the KoP - I think it had the accelerometer/gyro board in it. That went on for a number of years, too… but not for the past few years. It could easily be something like that!

#11

Anyone notice the weight difference on the kop drive base box

#12

Nice catch!

#13

I wouldn’t read too much into that. It’s lighter than last year’s (AM14U3) by 3 lbs, but the 2016 KOP drive base was 4 lbs heavier than the 2015 KOP drive base (AM14U2), and the only substantial difference was the gear ratio and larger wheel size (there were some minor updates to the inner frame rail to accept more gearbox options). There may be some changes to it in 2017, but it also could be pretty much the same as the 2016 kit base, but with 4" wheels.

2015 KOP Chassis (AM14U2) - 24 lbs
2016 KOP Chassis (AM14U3) - 28 lbs
2017 KOP Chassis (???) - 25 lbs

#14

The new q&a system will be supported by the small item. Powered by Google Assistant, your team’s very own talking 8 ball can be shaken when asking a question about this year’s rules, with Frank Merricks voice responding to you in real time!

Hopefully they fixed all of the bugs since the beta, especially the one where the ball kept responding with “yes, chute door” no matter what you asked.

#15

The small package could be our drive team buttons

#16

“Q&A, can my robot get off the train rails?”
“As much as a baguette is a non-powered signaling device”

#17

You get a set of those for every event you attend. In the past they have not been provided in your KOP.

#18

But this year, it’s been announced that teams get buttons ahead of time. As the kits are more-or-less interchangeable between teams, and buttons with team-specific numbers on them are not, that seems likely to me the reason for it to be separate and not a part of the main kits. I’m guessing that the guess that the “very small item” is the set of buttons is right.

Of course, it could also mean that the “extra” 5th drive team member button is actually the game piece. :slight_smile:

#19

The weight difference between 4" plaction wheels with tread (0.55 pounds) and 6" plaction wheels with tread (0.84 pounds) is 0.29 pounds. With six wheels this means a 1.74 pound total weight difference.

AndyMark does not list the weight of the HiGrip wheels (which have been used on the KOP fro the past +3 years) on the website.

#20

There’s nothing in that link that says we get them ahead of time. Just “Every team will be getting a set like this”. We may get a set like that… during registration at our event. We might get it in the KoP. They might be mailed to us mid-season for all we know.