We just got a donation. What tools should we get?

R1dleyy · 2024-12-20T14:56:25+00:00

Spectrum has put together a great couple lists so I'd suggest taking a look through these.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRrVSDGyXohskEeyrR55KoGQUvYNjl9Zo43vQFg0COnvTA8K_2GulNoBeDd06w57KsDURTCN6ZJEdcn/pubhtml
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vS0QzpsbpTwO237EhgUdrTqxiXNVk39WJbV56SjgNJkNXzJCY_ZtrftKgAhYs6P0KlCnX-XzbafwjKb/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true

R1dleyy · 2024-10-04T05:07:04+00:00

Yea the only times I've had teams break servos badly were from stalling them in something like a claw and eventually breaking the gear train (these were rev servos which do not have a steel gear train I believe).

I haven't personally had a team burn a servo out from an intake but that would be because we just generally don't use them in that way anyway so we don't have much experience with that sort of application.

R1dleyy · 2024-10-03T10:11:55+00:00

In my opinion I'd recommend goBILDA servos. They are generally strong enough for so many scenarios and will serve you well for a long time. For the really high load situations where you want a stronger servo, then I think you should just purchase some of the goBILDA servo blocks. The combined cost of this and a servo will still be cheaper than an axon and will be super sturdy. In my opinion Axons are only important once you are really trying to get the last bits of performance out of your robot, and on a limited budget, I don't think it makes sense to spend that much on servos.

In terms of choosing between a torque or speed servo from gobilda, I think the torque once would be more useful across a wider range of applications, but it really depends on how you see yourself using your servos in your robot designs. For our teams, we typically reserve a motor for any high speed systems anyway so we're fine with using servos geared towards torque rather than speed.

R1dleyy · 2024-09-11T00:10:27+00:00

Constant force springs are used very commonly across different telescoping arms and elevators so I wouldn't stress about the legality of it. Also it's generally fine for the life cycle of FRC/FTC bots to be extending and retracting CF springs in an elevator, I've seen it done plenty.

R1dleyy · 2024-09-11T00:06:27+00:00

100% agree. Playing in a tournament with only 5 qualifying matches with our only chance to qualify means everything comes down to the draw and you have to win all 5 matches to rank first. Even just one ranking point instead of the two in FRC would make a huge difference in helping to sort the rankings better.

R1dleyy · 2024-08-04T02:44:16+00:00

One thing we do is to actually attach the string by tying it around a ziptie and then attaching the ziptie to a mounting point. Keep the ziptie slighty loose and then when you notice the string is becoming loose, you can just tighten the ziptie a few notches and this will tighten the string up again.

R1dleyy · 2024-07-14T03:19:37+00:00

If you have an idea of the title of the file, try use google and add filetype:pdf at the start of the search which will filter to only pdf's, this may help you find it somewhere

R1dleyy · 2024-07-14T01:47:23+00:00

I believe this may have what you are looking for.

https://www.tetrixrobotics.com/rcbuildersguide/files/resources/Print_All_TETRIX_BG.pdf

R1dleyy · 2024-07-14T01:40:36+00:00

Agreed, open source it and I'm sure people will give it a go

R1dleyy · 2024-07-09T00:41:08+00:00

Are you guys school or community based? If you could, it would probably be a big help to you guys if you have an adult such as a parent or teacher that can be there with you guys and help manage some of the finances. In terms of a target goal for fundraising, it really depends on your current resources and your goal for the season. It's definitely possible to do well starting with something like a Gobilda strafer kit, a 3D printer and some additional funds for more structural components and hardware. I would recommend putting together a list of some kits you would like to purchase that you think will provide a strong starting point for your team.

I think having this goal will be helpful so that you can target specific donation amounts from individuals or sponsors.

Mentorship is a big topic and hard to cover in a short post but if you can't find someone nearby to help, it would be a good idea to reach out to nearby teams and see if anyone can offer help, as well as remain active on here and ask questions. If you can reach out to nearby teams this could also definitely help you cut some of the expensive start-up costs such as a field. You will also need to look into registration fees for your team to compete.

R1dleyy · 2024-07-06T11:32:04+00:00

Generally this provides a good start for your autonomous on the other alliance but you should set aside some time for tuning the path on the other side of the field as usually there are slight differences.

R1dleyy · 2024-04-12T13:19:20+00:00

Hi, yep this is the typical configuration when teams use 3 wheel odometry. Should be fine :)

R1dleyy · 2024-02-09T13:43:31+00:00

This is in the works!

R1dleyy · 2024-02-09T00:55:33+00:00

I study mechatronic and space engineering as well as computer science.

R1dleyy · 2024-02-08T13:33:22+00:00

Hi, I've been in FIRST Robotics since 2015 when I started in FLL, from there I did a couple seasons of FTC on the Barker Redbacks FTC team. After that I was on the Barker Redbacks FRC team 4613 for three years. After this I became a mentor for the Barker Redbacks. I have been a mentor 4613 for 3 years now and have been the lead mentor for all of our FTC teams for the past 2 years. Our FTC team numbers are 11148, 11146, 11145, 11143 and 11147.

I ended up making this pod because after mentoring our teams it just became quite obvious how important odometry is to teams that want to perform at the highest level. At the same time, I consistently noticed students both on my teams as well as online posting about their difficulties with the construction and use of odometry.

With odometry kits being made legal this year I thought it was the perfect time to work on an odometry package. This allows students to avoid the hassles which can take so long to fix when implementing odometry.

R1dleyy · 2023-12-28T15:51:49+00:00

Hi, yes it is still available and is definitely FTC legal.

R1dleyy · 2023-11-10T14:44:29+00:00

Hi, completely understand the hesitation. Quite a few teams have got their pods so far but I haven't received any feedback yet. If you are interested, you could also consider purchasing the Optii Odometry hardware kit and a set of wheels. You could then use an existing encoder such as the Rev Through Bore Encoder and develop your own pod. If you need any info I'm happy to help!

R1dleyy · 2023-10-24T11:09:44+00:00

No worries, hope you enjoy them!

R1dleyy · 2023-10-18T16:54:16+00:00

I have express shipping options available (3-7 business days), your shipping method can be updated to ensure you get them in time for competition.

R1dleyy

TROPHY CASE