We are a brand new team, neither mentors nor students have built anything EVER. We did compete previously, but all students and staff left. We are missing a person that can take an idea and turn it into physical parts. I also don’t know how someone would be able to know all of the things that are allowed and not allowed, especially with building the robot. Any suggestions on what to do? A few local teams have offered to help, however, we don’t want to bother them more. I have asked them way too many questions already.
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First make EVERYONE on the team read the Game Manual very thoroughly, that will tell you your constraints.
The Compass Alliance has a lot of useful info and sources of help put together by a lot of teams.
Also FRC as a community is amazingly helpful, if those teams are still offering you help it is because they want to see you succeed. I personally have done some projects with and for other teams because I have the skills to help and the drive to make use of those skills no matter who needs them.
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I wouldn’t worry about bothering other teams, it sounds like they want to help you, don’t turn that down!
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Hi Team:
I have been a mentor for 7 years and would be willing to help.
I agree with the post that mentions to read the rules first and understand how to play the game.
Did you get the kit base?
It can be configured to be in a wide, narrow or square configuration.
How you build it will depend on what you want to accomplish.
Think about what is the minimum set of tasks that will make you competitive. Some tasks are harder than other tasks and require more knowledge.
For example my first year, we did not understand how to use pneumatic components. If that is the case, build your robot without this capability and learn it over the summer and next fall.
Also some tasks require a higher level of precision. Focus on tasks that have more tolerance. For example shooting a ball into a hole with only a 1/2" gap or extra room is very difficult.
Get the programmers involved now. They have a lot to do. Wire up the system, off the robot and load code. Even better if you have extra components, to build a programmer bot and a competition bot.
Whatever you do, build your robot base quickly and try it out. Then as time permits add functions.
You will most likely need a camera, so find a good one, wire it in and start using it. Don’t wait until the mechanical elements are done to learn how to install, program and use the electronic sensors and motors.
Dave
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In addition to the other answers…
The card from Andymark in the KOP is helpful in figuring out where to place focus during the build season. If you cannot find it, I can post one.
Ask around for parent and faculty help too. Try to find one person to help be the expert in each area, mechanical, electrical, programming, etc. Ask those people to focus on learning the systems as you progress so when it comes time to implement them they are more prepared and will not take as much build time to learn.
Be wary of letting anyone take major pieces out of the shop, and at this point, unless you have someone who understands electrical systems well, never power the Rio (or motor controllers possibly) with anything other than the FRC electrical system (which means building it is a priority).
Check out the RI3D videos on YouTube.
Good luck, and have fun.
~Mr. R^2
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Where you guys located. If it’s close enough I might come by and help.
Looking at the TBA page linked to the profile they’re in St. Louis
FIRST did an amazing livestream of them building the AndyMark kit bot and they show every step from building the frame to programming and getting it driving. I’d highly recommend watching that if you need help building it, the replay of the livestream should be available on the Firstinspires twitch channel.
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Ah thats a few miles farther from NJ than I can go. Still if you need help just shoot me a pm @MarkerBotJanel
Being that everyone is new, I would focus solely on three things.
-
Read the manual
We actually had a 20 question open book quiz that the lead created just to get the students used to searching the manual -
Make an RC car
The kit of parts (KOP) and online instructions will give you everything you need to get the bot moving. With no other outside help, I would plan on that taking 3 weeks -
Only as a bonus
Figure out a way to move either the hatches or the cargo even if you can’t score cargo
3.1. Hatches are picked up and dropped off at the same height (don’t worry about the rocket but may be more tricky to handle)
3.2. Cargo you can drop off for other bots and greatly reduce their cycle time, which people usually like
3.3. Be ready to play defense too. The kop bot is a great pusher, but watch out for penalties cuz that can lose a lot of games (game manual)
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Repeating all the stuff about reading the manual and planning strategy by reference.
Don’t feel guilty about accepting help from other teams. The best way to learn is to teach, and they’re also getting Chairman’s credit by doing it. Teams helping each other is how FRC is supposed to work - it’s called coopertition. If you think I made that up, re-read section 1.4 of the game manual.
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I would also stress the benefit of finding a mentor with FRC experience. There are many alumni out there who with the right team would be willing to help. I would get in contact with your local FIRST rep. He may know of some mentors in the area either looking for teams or who you may be able to reach out to for resources.
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I, too, was in your situation about 3 years ago. I took over a “veteran” team with no mentors and the students had very little knowledge. I completely agree with all of the advice given here. You need to read the game manual as well as your students. Just knowing the perimeter, height and weight requirements, plus the reach, are essential in completing even a pancake robot.\
If the other teams are willing to help, then utilize it! Maybe even ask to sit in on their initial meetings or even build in the same shop. I learned quickly that all teams are willing to help. We are competitive, but we all want to see other teams achieve to their highest potentials as well.
Reach out to local industry with engineers (we have Koyo Bearings next door to our school). You can usually find someone willing to give you some pointers if nothing else.
Have your students comb YouTube for previous years’ competitions just to get ideas on what can be built. www.simbotics.com has been a great resource for me to find information. The MaRS team http://www.marsfirst.org/ is always willing to help.
The whole first year journey can be overwhelming, so take a deep breath, read the manual and remember it’s about the students and what they learn that counts. Each year you will get better, I promise!
Also, feel free to contact me!
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Sounds almost like a rookie team situation in build… that being said keep it simple until such a time you have the capabilities/experience for more complex designs. Simple can win games if simple does their task well. So look at defense and look at easy scoring and climb. don’t try to bite off more than you are capable of during build and design a simpler bot that does its job well.
Its better to have one or two 10/10 systems than five 5/10 or lower systems in terms of effectiveness
Step 1 : Move forward to cross the line
Step 2: Handle your primary gamepiece
Step 3: Practice
Step 4: Have fun starting at step 1
28 gamepiece interface targets (acquisition/scoring areas) per side 24 are low
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I agree! When we started, we focused on doing one thing very well and then added each season as we were capable both skills-wise and financially.
I was on a rookie team last year. We also tried to decline help to not bother other teams. PLEASE don’t do this. Other teams genuinely want to help you, because they are invested in FIRST and want to see every FRC team succeed. Don’t be the rookie team that foolishly tried to do it all by themselves, like mine was until we finally gave in and got help. The assistance you receive from a veteran team will be invaluable and it will make it much more likely your team will stilll exist next season.
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If teams have offered their help, take it. Especially if they have enough students. Teams really like helping other teams, it’s what FIRST is all about. But if you don’t want to bother them more than you are than you can always reach out to others. Chief Delphi is one of the best resources for you to use. There is also an FRC discord that you and your team can use to ask questions ( discord.gg/frc ).
As others have said above, use the sources around you to learn. Whether it’s the Blue Alliance, youtube, team websites… there are so many sources for your team to find. FIRST also has a youtube page with a bunch of workshops that teams host at the World Championships. There are workshops for EVERYTHING!!! Other teams also do similar workshops that they post on their own channel.
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My team went through a similar situation shortly before I took over as a mentor. You’ve gotten a lot of good advice in this thread already that covers most of what I’d tell you, so just a few things:
- Don’t feel bad about taking help from the local teams that have offered to help. I promise you that teams that offer to help you are sincere in their offer. You’re not bothering them, and helping you will also help them with awards and with training their own students. It can also be a great way to get to know people and make friends. If you really want to thank them, consider nominating them for gracious professionalism at events, and when your team is in a better position, pay it forward by helping other teams.
- Everybody on your team should be familiar with the rules. If they don’t know the rules yet, make sure they learn them.
- Use the kit chassis. A lot of good engineering already went into it, and using it frees your team up to take on the challenge of playing the game.
- Keep it simple. You don’t have to do everything, and you’re better off doing something well than everything poorly.
- Bumpers probably don’t seem like a big deal right now, but teams tend to leave them until the very end and then end up struggling. Bumper problems are probably the biggest reason I’ve had to fail teams during inspection at events.
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I totally agree with what everyone is saying about accepting help from other teams and looming at resources like the compass alliance. I would also suggest looking at the everybot that team 118 puts out. It run on a kit of parts drive train and is supposed to be a reasonably priced, fairly simple competitive bot.
Look at builds from last year. Pictures, designs, and CAD models are a great help. Cheezy Poofs won 53 games last year and lost none. Al of their designs are online. With instructions. This year is overall not the most complex challenge. Look at cube grabbers from last year. Most can be used for the cargo this year. Use C channel with simple motors and any wheels for the intake. The community is so helpful, always just ask if you’re curious. Good luck!