The kit chassis can easily be stiffened with a few pieces of 1x1 tubing running across the inside.
Also, to those mentioning the $450 voucher - I really believe $450 is not hard to raise in a single weekend or a single bake sale, even in the worst locations, it can be done. Yes the veterans have flexibility to make the choice to take the voucher, but $450 isn’t all that hard to raise, even if you are a rookie. If someone needs fundraising help, feel free to PM.
First I know it is no one’s responsibility to give away spare parts. However it is an extremely common thing to do. One of the useful advantages of the kit bot chassis for young teams and teams with fewer resources is that they can almost always find spare parts at competitions from veteran teams that didn’t use their kit bot drive train. I know we gave away half of our kit wheels this year to rookies that broke theirs. There will be far fewer spares at competitions in the coming years.
I for one am leaning to getting the kit bot chassis because I find it a very valuable tool to teach new students and it also gives the team experience using the parts that the rookie teams use. That way we can help rookie teams at rookie builds and at the regionals. If we didn’t have our own kit bot it would be much harder to get our team up to speed on how to help others.
I was discussing this with some students at a team meeting yesterday, they seemed interested as it would be a fairly easy way to try out a belt drive with minimal risk. Especially as it is something we have debated trying for years but have never gotten around to attempting.
I’ve been waiting for someone to say this…Yes money is money, and every dollar has to come from somewhere, but taking a team on the road for a competition costs a ton more than this. I really think that this gives the rookie teams a “fall back” if they choose to try something more adventurous and it doesn’t work…at least their kit will have the base drive train…and it sounds like an awesome one this year!
I’d like to pay Michigan prices and get 2 regionals for less than the price of one. Or continue to get the control system every year in the KoP.
Unfortunately life isn’t fair. At least FIRST is trying to make the KoP more valuable for as many teams as possible.
Then you’re lucky that you only have to endure this hardship for one year, then you are free to do as you please.
Would first choice be allowed for teams who chose to pick the $450?
Nothing implies that FIRST Choice would not be allowed if you choose the voucher.
Keep in mind, technically, and as the KOP Engineers view it, FIRST Choice is a completely separate component of the KOP from what you receive on kickoff, ie. when you get the kitbot.
I would assume so. FIRST Choice is available to every team; maybe some of the items aren’t normally available (or are much harder to get), so to not have FIRST Choice available to the voucher teams would be a slap in the face that they wouldn’t forget soon.
Could you please clarify what you meant by that 2nd sentence?
Before 2009, the Kit of Parts included a new complete control system every year.
OK so there was no connection intended to the 1st sentence then.
I’m with you in that belts is the way the more experience teams are going, at least in terms of drive trains, and that it would be great if AndyMark started offering support for belt pullies. However, I’m not sure that most teams (especially rookies) really know how to design a rock solid belt system. Although chains are a bit heavier and less efficient, they sure don’t require the same level of expertise to pull off.
Touché!
I seemed to have rubbed people the wrong way and I’m truly sorry for that. I should have waited longer after I read FRC Blogged and then maybe I wouldn’t have been so quick to use the “s”-word 
Yes, we do have it good in Michigan and I’m grateful for that. We have a lot of dedicated people. Not only that - I bet we get our McMaster deliveries faster than you do - one day turn-around with UPS Ground. 
It is a good thing that the KOP is becoming more flexible.
So as a Dean’s List Winner at the 2012 Suppliers Summit I brought this up. Every year we go through the stress of ordering all the controls components that we need. We would be willing to pay the extra money to get a rookie kit and just get the controls stuff. So I asked Ms. Kate (head of KoP) if there would be any way for veterans to buy rookie kits. Since there is a lot of logistics in ordering parts from companies and setting up inventories she said that (if FIRST were to do that), veterans would have to make that decision in late Spring because that’s when the KoP parts of begin to be ordered. Obviously that means that it could not be done for this season but they said they would consider it for next season.
I will note that at the Suppliers Summit us Deans List kids also suggested giving the option to replace parts of the kit with vouchers which would give teams flexibility. We were all pretty excited to see this email because we got the ‘Oh-yay-they-listened-to-us’ feeling.
That is an interesting position to be in, I do see your point.
As Akash pointed out $450 isn’t hard to raise nor is it a lot of money when on an FRC team. Our team raised $3000 after expenses over the course of 3 weeks selling raffle tickets to a Boston Bruins game. We were inspired by another local team who when in need of cash fast raffled two $100 gas cards.
Could a team that elected to receive the hotbot in the fall but doesn’t actually use any of it on the robot come build season still count $450 worth of PDV qualified parts as kop?
If so’ this would be a pretty easy decision for my “sophomore” team.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but I would always choose the HOTBOT option.
