Hello i am part of a rookie team and one question we had was we know that a lot goes on during a competition and stuff breaks what are good parts to have spares?
Ideally, everything. But that’s never feasible.
Anything that’s custom or hard to source, that is liable to break. eg a Wheel can usually be sourced from another team, but a custom gearbox will be much harder to replace at a competition.
(Blue Box attached below)
You can keep all of the COTS (Commercial Off-the-Shelf) spare parts you want, but custom replacements, parts not in the condition they were bought in, and pre-cut metal all count towards your withholding allowance. Keep this in mind when considering spare parts to make/bring.
That being said, generally a spare manipulator and 1-2 motors of each kind your robot uses is good. Electronics don’t usually fail, but it has happened before and extra motor controllers are always handy. Each event will also have a “Spare Parts Station”, though the items vary between events. They usually have a decent selection of your basic KOP parts. Other teams can be “paged” during the competition for parts, and you’ll be surprised at what some teams bring to the competition. As well, machine shops and capabilities vary from competition to competition, so sometimes bring a bit of raw material can’t hurt.
Thank you for your help
Yes!
Start by selecting your witholding allowance parts. This is limited by the rules, so figure it out before you even start thinking about “is this motor worth another pair of socks in my luggage?”
After that, round up any spare COTS items (already in hand) that are equivalent to those you used on the robot. Then buy COTS parts based on your perceived likelihood of failure/needing replacement. By this point, (and possibly earlier), you need to figure out if dollars to buy parts are more critical than pounds to carry parts to your event.
Oh- COTS parts that you can get locally will rank much lower than parts from electronics and robotics specialty shops. Do some google searches and find out what is in easy drive distance of your venue. Automotive shops are a great source of certain FRC electrical components, and Home Depot, Lowes, and local hardware stores of lots of other stuff. Note that not all hardware stores are created equal, even of the same chain name. About two blocks from our build site is an Ace Hardware store that has a pretty decent selection of stuff. About three miles away, there’s an Ace that’s on a whole 'nother plane of existence. There, I can count on two-piece (round) shaft collars, specific tubing diameters, specialty metals, and even oddball things like Heim joints being in stock every day. If you have the wherewithall, scout out nearby stores several weeks before your competition. And be sure you have at least one car and driver available to make parts runs! (Oh, also check out office supply and computer stores; I had to buy a tether cable during Bayou last year, and fortunately I already knew where a local Office Depot was located; I grew up closer to Bayou than to Slidell High); I even have a scar from a butterfly knife on the back of my right middle finger that I got at a party essentially across the street from what is now the Pontchartrain Center.
Fill up your withholding allowance with pre-made parts. Then bring some extra electrical components, wheels, pneumatic components if your using them, and a little bit of material.
Our team being a 7 year team has built up a large stock pile of spare parts for that reason we bring a lot (2 shelves full) and have a dedicated person answering pit admin calls for parts. There will probably be teams us at your regional but do not rely on them.
Looks like you got some great answers, so I’ll give you a different kind of answer…yes, you should definitely bring Spare Parts!
(and look for our ROVS, and see if you can spot my son, and be sure to see all the FRC teams in the credits)
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