Hi! I created a bare simple app in React Native encapsulating the official FTC Events Data API. Right now, the app is not available on App Stores or on Testflight yet, it is still in the Expo Go app. If you are interested in trying it out, the app is to be downloaded from your respective app store, and the app is called expo go. (iOS, Google Play)

Once downloaded, the app is available with the URL exp://exp.host/@jackcrane/first-tech-challenge-explorer

Send me a PM or discord message @ improper-adjectives#0597 with any bugs or any feature requests. Expect there to be a multitude of additional features to be released in the coming months.

Expect an official release in mid-late December (you have to be 18 to be an Apple dev so we gotta wait). Until then, the alphas and betas will all be released on Expo.

you don't have to get the official tiles, any foam tiles off of amazon should work well enough.

These have worked for us: tps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013A4ASRW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I would highly recommend using kevlar string for pulling yourself up. My team used it for a pulley slide system for velocity vortex and it worked like a charm. The string was under a ton of pressure but we never had any issues with it snapping or getting damaged.

If you do decide to go with kevlar string(once again, I highly recommend it), you really need to make sure that your spool is very strong(especially if it's 3d printed) and that its connection to the motor is really good. Otherwise, your spool will deform and will probably end up breaking. Also, if the connection between the spool and the motor is weak, the points of contact will probably get damaged by the constant force/torque placed on the spool and your robot's performance will significantly decrease as a result.

If your spool is a solid piece of metal, you don't have to worry as much about pressure being placed on the spool. However, if it's 3d printed(as it most likely will be), you will have to consider the things that I talked about above.

You can find kevlar string on amazon here If I remember correctly, we used this exact product and it worked really well.

EDIT: fixed some weird formatting

From the Google Play description:

>Note that this app should only be installed on the Robot Controller ZTE Speed (which is the WiFi Direct group owner).

Wifi is spread across multiple channels

The idea is that you want to not have everyone using the same channel to help reduce radio congestion. While you can use a wifi channel scanner to see what channels are being used it's really going to be up to the field admins at the event to let you know if you should change to a different channel. The best way to keep things even and fair is for them to keep track of which team is using which channel. If they don't tell you to change your channel you might ask if it's Ok to pick one yourself. At our first qualifier they specifically told us to change channels. At our second qualifier and at the state championship the topic never came up.

The map's a stock image: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-purple-and-blue-map-88725/ . I'm guessing the theme will somehow have something to do with maps or traveling? Whoever found the image might have used one of the tags on the page to find it... ("directions guide location map travel")

One option if you're just running demos:

There's an android app that connects to the NXT over bluetooth and lets you run standard NXT FTC RobotC code. You can then build a robot with the NXT, old hitechnic controllers, etc., without a Samantha or a Field Control system, gamepads, etc. You hold the android device like a gamepad and it has buttons on the screen that emulate the normal gamepad buttons.

The app is available here (free version) or here (paid version with a few other features like being able to plug a gamepad into the android device and use it instead of the buttons on the screen). I am not affiliated with these apps at all but we used to use them for demos and they generally worked well.

We just released the first two of our resource guides for robotics teams. We think the Gear guide & Sprocket guide, are great reference material, not just for how to use our new parts, but learning about those methods of power transmission in general.

It's our goal to release alot more materials like these for teams to use, so if you have any topics you would like us to cover, please leave a comment.

Also these guides are released under CC BY-SA, meaning you can use them, remix them, as long as they are attributed and shared using the same licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/

In my opinion, a website is extremely beneficial, particularly with regards to the effort it takes. It is relatively cheap; if anyone on your team has a small amount of web design knowledge and knows HTML and CSS, a nice looking website can be made with Bootstrap with relative ease. There are numerous prebuilt templates that are easy to customize, regardless of experience. Domain names are typically $10 per year, and Netlify (https://www.netlify.com/) provides free static site hosting. For anyone with more advanced knowledge of web design, a more complex and unique site can be created. I created my team's website at https://www.ftcvertigo.com/, and am in the midst of a comprehensive redesign.

FYI, the FTC 2017 Android App does this very thing with live OPRm calculations during an event. It computes predicted match scores, probability of win/loss for unplayed matches, expected QP (eQP) based on predicted scores for all future matches, and Schedule Win Differential (SWD) which measures how lucky or unlucky each team's schedule is by comparing the probability of win for the specific schedule a team has with the probability of win that the team would have with average alliance partners and opponents in all matches, giving a result measured in "# of wins" due to the schedule [+1 = 1 extra win due to a lucky schedule vs. an average schedule, -1 = 1 extra loss due to an unlucky schedule vs. an average schedule].

Download it at this link.

No ads, no cost.

Works as long as live results are posted. Should definitely work with SSR (using ftcscores.com data) and ESR (using ESR Live! data). Hoping it will also work with WSR and NSR if they post live results online in a semi-standard format.

If you use onshape,com, you can use the featurescript beams to draw a sketch line and instantly turn it into a beam with a specific profile. I can't seem to make a link available here, but I have a public copy of the feature with rev, open builds, and makerbeam profiles already added. (Edit: I've renamed my copy of the featurescript 'FTCBeams' to make it easier to find)

If you can't find it in the search, send me a DM and I'll explicitly share it with you.

Of course the other option is to get cad for the extrusion at any length and project the face into a sketch. This will work with onshape, solid works, and fusion360. Once you have a sketch, you can extrude to any length.

All of my onshape docs are public. There are ftc parts libraries and examples of how to add mate connectors to extrusion for assemblies as well.

Edit link to video on using the beam feature: https://www.onshape.com/videos/creating-weldments

The FTC 2017 Android app will support SSR, WSR, and ESR using the data source info below. The app provides live rankings and match results, stats, match and QP forecasts, and schedule strength estimates. No cost, no ads.

Data Source Settings are as follows:

SSR Pemberton: Use FTCScores Event Key:

huD_6Ue9

SSR Kilrain: Use FTCScores Event Key:

uy2ep0E1

WSR Olympic: Use FTCScores Event Key:

xWwhYnbW

WSR Cascade: Use FTCScores Event Key:

z0E9fG_w

ESR Hopper: Use GDoc Tournament Code:

esrh

ESR Telsa: Use GDoc Tournament Code:

esrt

Unfortunately, NSR is now using a custom format from FIRST Iowa that is only used in Iowa and NSR. They are no longer publishing the standard scoring system html files as in previous years, so the Android app will not support NSR.

One of the nicest solutions I've seen used retractable badge reels (like this) mounted to lift stages. Pulled the cables in close when there was slack, but let them play out when the lift extended.

If you aren’t using direct drive (wheels mounted directly to the motor shaft), you probably have either sprockets and chain or gear to gear drive. Simply put divide the number of teeth on the wheel sprocket by the number of teeth on the motor sprocket and you have your gear ratio.

https://www.wikihow.com/Determine-Gear-Ratio

I used Kotlin exclusively for my old team (before I became mechanical full time) and it’s great. The syntax feels more comfortable, it’s more concise and readable, and Extension Functions were a great tool to have.

Kotlin actually has a nice comparison to Java on their site. You should check that out - if anything there stands out to you, then you know which one to go with. If not, try Kotlin online to see if you like it.

Remember, Kotlin won’t suddenly make you a better programmer - it’s just another language. You have to find the workflow that works best for you and your team, and Kotlin very well might be the best workflow for you.

1. Rough out your robot on paper
2. Fire up your favorite CAD program
3. Design any custom parts you intend to build
4. Download models for the Tetrix KoP, hit up the Vex/AndyMark/ServoCity/ModernRobotics web sites for models of their parts, etc.
5. Join all of the parts together in to a model of your robot

TOA has an API so outside users can make JSON requests for the data in the TOA databases. More info is available at this link.

For example, the free FTC 2017 Android app calls the TOA API to grab teams, match data, and rankings and then displays them and computes live OPRs and match predictions based on this data.

You should also download the wifi analyzer app that is recommended by FIRST. It will tell you the use of each channel. For the best results, switch to a channel 5 channels away from the saturated one. Here is a link to the app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer

You're totally right. And I apologize.

I do work for Microsoft, and we're trying to do a really big launch in a few weeks. I wanted to find some students to try this out with and make sure it was appropriate.

Verification: Here's a picture of my MS Badge photo, which matches my blog http://aka.ms/Christine and the email.

http://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kits/pp_337314.html

The price has gone up slightly ($160), but same place. But because of the lack of testing and QA, it could be a hit or miss. I have seen many videos of others with similar success with the printer as well

Yes, we are using Kotlin. And one of us accidentally wrote a semicolon I made a commit removing it.

And regarding the advantages: there are hundreds of articles on the web https://kotlinlang.org/docs/reference/comparison-to-java.html

you can get solidworks for free through https://www.solidworks.com/sw/education/robot-student-design-contest.htm

keyshot is $100 -- it's a rendering software, and one of our members already had it, so she just renders our models

I've been working on our team website, teamquadx.org, a bit over the summer using HTML/CSS and the framework Materialize, which is insanely helpful. It's not done yet, but I'm proud of the progress so far.

Onshape offers a more or less fully featured student edition and has a lot of nice tools made by the FTC community such as the FTC Onshape Parts Library: https://www.onshape.com/en/education/

Semi-unrelated, but get yourself a TRUE smart-charger (like the ones used for RC cars) our team uses THIS ONE. its a little costly, but charges 2 at a time and worth it

I have an older version of this scale, $24 on Amazon Prime: https://smile.amazon.com/Accuteck-ShipPro-Digital-Shipping-W-8580-110-Black/dp/B00KYA0RC2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1526344532&sr=8-6&keywords=package+scale&dpID=51nM60Wv7fL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

This one is $35 Prime, and it has a larger platform if you decide it's better than trying to add a platform to balance on and re-tare the smaller scale: https://smile.amazon.com/Smart-Weigh-Shipping-Stainless-Readability/dp/B0153I0418/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1526344532&sr=8-5&keywords=package+scale&dpID=412yZbU-gHL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Either way, skip the pizza for like one or two build meetings and you've found the budget room for a scale. :)

I probably talked to the same team you did at Houston. I’ve never made it, but think I grasp the concept. Using a belt like this , one side is mounted to the back of the last stage of the slide, then loops around to the front of the next stage, then to the back of that stage, and so on (just like in a string lift). After the last stage, the belt loops around the pulley attached to the motor, and then Is once again looped around the slide except in the opposite direction. (If you’ve ever strung a lift with two strings, it’s the same concept). You don’t need a pulley on any of the points the belt loop back, just something to minimize the friction of it rubbing. Also you’d need to find pulley for the output that can interface with the FTC motor output shafts, since most of the ones I find on amazon are for stepper motor shafts. Servocity might have something.

Unfortunately, the master links and half links are out of stock at AndyMark.

However, we find that Amazon is usually cheaper for things like this anyway if someone on your team has a Prime account.

4-pack of master links on Amazon for $4.74, with free Prime shipping; compared to about $10 for 4 of them at Andymark after shipping.

They have halk links too

The best part? You get it in two days!

I personally think that microsoft's surface pro line is the way to go for programming and the like, because they are portable enough to be brought to practice fields easily for editing code on the go, and powerful enough to run the IDEs you'll need and even CAD packages like inventor or creo. Because they just released the surface pro 4, you will probably be able to get a pretty good deal on the 3. EDIT: Added link

You can always look for Amazon add-on items - free shipping for prime members when you spend $25+ dollars. Some pretty good deals on tools and storage for them.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001IW50Y?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E3C3NU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

Hi -- lead builder from a rookie team here. You seem to understand the FTC system well, so I was wondering if you could help me out. My friend told me you're more likely to win the think award if your notebook is expensive (he linked to this one http://www.amazon.com/Levenger-Folio-Letter-AL5780-BK/dp/B008FC3EHQ/ref=sr_1_1). Other people say you dont need to spend that much money to do well. What do you think?

Hello! We released our team's app on the android app store early this month: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nitro.robotrater3&hl=en It allows you to rate the different aspects of a team's robot and converts to a score.

The official scoring system has an optional web server that publishes rankings, match results, and detailed match results. If the web server is enabled and if the wifi network access and server addresses are publicized, any wifi device can connect to the system and download this information. You can look at it on a browser on your cell phone or tablet. If you have an android device, you can use the free FTC2016 app to look at the data, compute stats, see data only for particular teams, etc.

But again, the server has to be enabled and the wifi acess info has to be publicized. My experience is that this is not done at many tournaments in many regions, but you might be lucky to be in a region where they do this (e.g., I think Missouri does it, and San Diego may [or at least they used to]).

I have repaired several of these. I wouldn't say this is a job for someone without the proper tools or skill set for these types of surface mount connectors. (I have a hot air desoldering station, it was quite easy using paste solder, but would be harder with solder wire as you need a very fine tip)

Here are the mini USB connectors of the proper size, I ordered them from Amazon instead of the typical electronics suppliers like Digikey or Mouser since I could get them the next day with free shipping on my Prime account:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G9FW4QQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

any UVC camera will be OK

​

for example - https://www.amazon.com/SVPRO-Camera-Megapixel-Android-Windows/dp/B07CSVW9QY/ref=sr_1_7_sspa?keywords=board%2Bcamera&qid=1671123127&sr=8-7-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyQTVORkU2VzRNUU9RJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjAwNzUzM1MzUUk5UlU3TUE0SyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTAwMTQ0MTU1ODQ3UjNONjFVTCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX210ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

​

this camera is 38mm, the channels on gobilda are 48mm (just checked, 43mm)

​

I think this is legal, I bet would be a lot nicer, can place behind the channel if you're using gobilda or others that has holes and you can line em up... and protect the camera too..

​

I am using a Logitech brio myself, made a case, and its inside my channel as well.

Honestly, in 90%+ of cases, you probably don't need a transport box. Our robot has traveled to competitions for YEARS in the back seat of my pickup truck; no issues... It traveled to worlds in two suitcases; took a little work to put together, but no transport related issues.

​

At a normal competition we use a rolling tool box as our robot cart (Highly recommend if you have the ability to transport one) it not only transports our bot at competition, but it also carries all our tools, which means where ever our bot goes, our tools are with it.

At worlds we used a small rolling tool cart that went together with a few bolts and carried our bot and tools. A catering cart like THIS can be a good option too, since a lot of them can be fairly easy to tear down for transport

There are RGB lights that plug in via USB, and IIRC they should be legal to use. I haven't tried to use them in FTC yet, but for other projects I have used these lights in the past. There are other similar strips out there, or if you just want to connect lights you already have, you can also buy the RGB controller separately.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LTHBCNM/ref=cm_sw_r_api_i_KZCDP7AQXDKFAZ4G98N0_0

​

Does something like this work?

https://www.amazon.com/OSOYOO-Omni-directinal-Controlled-Educational-Mechanical/dp/B0821DV5GJ/ref=sr_1_6

there are a few other chassis and complete robots at various price points. this might be fun/useful if you don't have access to your team's components in the off season.

if you are into computer vision, the Oak-D lite camera would be a way to up your opencv skills (not ftc legal though).

more generally, I would think of a project you want to tackle and then price out the components you need.

another 20 cycle capable team https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMJRPR134skOecqVlV4cESK_n-XPQlKjhL14tvuP9hE3K0cCSm_l13_mQMBy8BBYQ/photo/AF1QipOiKCtBF_Mh6dj8ohQUePMyVEV4HbZE6LglobL5?key=dk5STnl6UFdpUmpsblR5Zk5EZVE3V0pjNkZDUmJR
oh btw LanBros is also capable of 20+ cycles, so there are three teams.

Most common answers for handling servo cables on a lift are one of these:

1) Use rubber bands, rubber tubing, or retractable badge holders to pull the extra cable and keep it out of the way. The cables still are hanging out, but with some tension they are a bit more managed.

2) Use a some type of Wire Loom Tubing or Cable Sleeve. This puts something around the cables, protecting them, making it look nicer (especially if you have multiple cables) and giving some body to them so they bend a bit more predictably, but doesn't really do much more. Can be combined with the rubber bands or others from #1 to help manage it (this is what my team has done for multiple years)

3) Use a coiled cable from cablescience or other supplier. Works reasonable well, but they are not cheap. I've seen here people recommend using telephone handset cables, or others but often those do not meet minimum gauge requirements. You will be gambling if the inspector will come down on you for that or not.

4) Use of a Drag Chain or Cable Carrier. These will handle quite a few wires - are available in lots of different sizes. But are often overkill for what an FTC bot needs. Can also be relatively heavy addition to your lift.

5) replace the wires in a retractable USB or ethernet cable. My team is using this for this year. We purchased this a few years ago: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SVVY844/ and this year we are using it for the one servo on the lift. One of the team members carefully disassembled it and replaced the USB cable with a long servo cable. So far it has been working well.

We are using coiled Microphone cable for our tall lift and it is perfect:

https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-MIC-CORD-Coiled-Workman/dp/B00AB2L3MG/ref=sr\_1\_5?crid=XPTGI6ENLDS&keywords=coiled+microphone+cable&qid=1669898309&sprefix=coiled+mi%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-5

This stuff:

https://www.amazon.com/Spiral-Cable-Wrap-10ft-Electrical/dp/B0918XNP8J/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=3O3K3V4RJE19R&keywords=spiral+wrap+for+wires&qid=1667959686&sprefix=spiral+wrap%2Caps%2C155&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

Or this stuff:

https://www.amazon.com/Zeberoxyz-10x11mm-Connectors-Machines-10mmX11mm/dp/B08R1M9J2H/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?crid=M12E15NPERB8&keywords=drag+chain&qid=1667959721&sprefix=drag+chain%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-5

Drag Chain

https://www.amazon.com/Befenybay-Plastic-Carrier-Machines-10mmx11mm/dp/B07QLGWQ1L/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2AC1OM3OK5HHL&keywords=drag%2Bchain%2B10x10&qid=1667565958&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIzLjE4IiwicXNhIjoiMy4xOCIsInFzcCI6IjIuODIifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=drag%2Bchain%2B10x10%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-5&th=1

We are a 4 stage viper gobilda slide and use this stuff in 2 stages up to the top stage. Works well and keeps the servo cables oganized and protected.

We really like reusable options. Last year, we made custom cable control straps with hdpe plastics and a KAM snap kit. We also like these: https://www.amazon.com/Lekou-Adjustable-Cable-Multipurpose-Management-Black/dp/B07CZGQNY3/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?keywords=velcro+straps&qid=1667528597&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI1LjU2IiwicXNhIjoiNS4zNiIsInFzcCI6IjUuMTkifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1

We've bought these https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WWCWD13/ in the past (last time about 3 years ago) and they have worked well for linear slide lifts. I know that they work well on 3mm bolts - I'm not sure how good the tolerances are on the other dimensions.

we been using this https://www.amazon.com/emma-kites-Suspension-Backpacking-Recreational/dp/B06XTPQCRZ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=255ZZX4YJ8GUC&keywords=emma+kites+1mm&qid=1665420331&sprefix=emma+kites+1mm%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-2

for the last 5 years. Strong and never had an issue. I strongly recommend this product.

You could swap to something like this which is up to 35 lbs test.

NOTE: a 4 stage lift with nothing on it really should not be snapping string. You really need to look at the lift and make sure it is moving freely because if your string is snapping, and you put on stronger string, something else may snap instead!

It's a lazy susan, here is a link for one - https://www.amazon.com/HLMxOptimo-Bearing-Aluminum-Turntable-Turner/dp/B08FDK3SNK/ref=mp\_s\_a\_1\_15?crid=1SXN9XZ6TRRCM&keywords=lazy%2Bsusan%2Bbearing&qid=1663466984&sprefix=lazy%2Bsusan%2Bbearin%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-15&th=1

I believe they are also referred to as Cable Carriers.

See Amazon example here

"Drag Chain"

https://www.amazon.com/Befenybay-Internal-Flexible-Machines-10mmX20mm/dp/B07SFFT1K5/ref=sr\_1\_3?crid=2QZWZV7WQ85SB&keywords=drag+chain&qid=1664842732&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI1LjE0IiwicXNhIjoiNS4xNSIsInFzcCI6IjQuOTgifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=drag+cha...

We've been using these mats for 4 years now:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DAOSNO2/

Only this year will we be replacing them with the official AM mats because of limitation on a grant require us to spend money on field equipment and not bots. We've had no problems with these mats. The gray is slightly different iirc. Smooth side up. We had disconnect problems last year because of static, but it also happened on the official mats at tournaments. We got some anti-static spray and it helped immensely. You will still have trim edge teeth of these mats.

Use gaffers tape (also found on Amazon). All tape will leave some mark when it lifts off, so plan to replace critical tiles every year or two.

We did the pipe and the plank walls. We made it work, but when we finally got the budget for real walls it makes a huge difference not to have to worry about your bot taking down the wall. But I'd get those after your team is established.

If you are looking for something on a shoestring budget, you can get some older laptops that will fly and are built like tanks.

For example, you could look at the Dell Precision M4800 series:

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Precision-M4800-15-6-Notebook/dp/B00NUDLX9G

These are usually $500-600 and have I7 processors, 16GB memory, a graphics card, and a full keyboard with number pad. They are large and bulky, however, and with windows 10 on the outs, I don't think something like this will be compatible with Windows 11. They definitely feel 'old' compared to newer laptops, but will run circles around most new budget laptops.

We used this one and some of the local teams in our area also use the same.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IDRWPG8/

It has worked out well and is quite economical.

The bearings for the new goBILDA mecanums are 3x7x3 (683zz) non flanged bearings. You can get them on Amazon here or from any other seller you can find that offers that size if you can't get them from goBILDA.

NEIKO 50458A Snap Ring Shop Assortment | 300 Piece Retaining Ring Set | 18 Sizes (1/8" - 1-1/4") | Heat-Treated Hardened Steel | Secure Parts on Grooved Shafts, Pins, Studs, etc. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000K7GREQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GX68SBPJ57HG8XZS16ZJ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

This motor controller

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BLWXXQC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It makes it very simple to test out components with a motor movement without having to do any coding or having a Control Hub in the system.

Our team uses something like this we just don’t put the top canvas on it. This lets us have a place to hang lights, banners, etc.

We had success with this one: Micro USB Splitter HUB , SUYAMA 4 Ports OTG Host Cable Cord USB 2.0 Adapter for TV Cube, Raspberry Pi 2 3 Pi Zero Android Smart Phone Tablet Samsung Galaxy HTC Sony Google LG/Linux https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00OZDUTMM/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_3MR457FC1QGHTEYKCEZF

But if you can, switch to the driver hub. It worked much better for us this year.

Yes, it is a 1 mega-ohm resistor between chassis and electronics ground (battery minus). Make sure nothing else in your system is connecting the two (measure resistance with a digital multimeter).

If you have large metal sections that are separated by insulating spaces (check with multimeter), consider extra ground wires to bridge the gap. Ring terminals are good for this.

Fusion has LOTS of youtube vids. How toos, etc.

The key thing for early teams (IMHO) is to learn how to do assemblies. Part of that is managing the part catalog that you will use. It takes a LOT of time to import STP files, get the meta-data defined and manage the file structure.

We use Onshape (which doesn't really matter here) and mostly GoBilda parts. It took at least 1 season to get the stps imported. We decided to have our part catalog match the GoBilda parts catalog for simplicity.

The "how to make a part" bit depends on what technology you use to make parts. 3D printers, bending polycarbonate (which is HUGELY undervalued - IMHO), or sheet metal cut parts.

3D printing is self evident.

For both FTC and FRC teams that I mentor - we do a LOT of parts in bent polycarbonate. Which means the kids need to learn how to use the sheet metal module. The key thing is that the part can be un-folded to a flat part. Then printed out on a sheet of paper at 1:1 scale. That is then used as a paper pattern, stuck to a sheet of polycarbonate with sticky spray and cut out on a band saw. Polycarb can be bent with a hand brake or heated up with a heat gun or cal-rod.

https://www.amazon.com/Acrylic-Plastic-Bending-Machine-Thickness/dp/B07XH19T45/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B07XH19T45&psc=1

If I was given a choice between 3D printing and bending Polycarb, I'd pick polycarb. Polycarb is about 1/2 the mass of aluminum, is easy to bend, cheap, and strong enough.

>McMaster

This one is amazing

https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Silicone-Tubing-Rubber-Transfer/dp/B085N2RV3W/ref=sr_1_4?crid=G65TWVF50SRN&keywords=black%2Bsilicone%2Btubing&qid=1644453000&sprefix=black%2Bsilicone%2Btubing%2Caps%2C61&sr=8-4&th=1

It looks to be about a 70-30 split of teams affected. I warned every team at the Arizona Kickoff that had attended our teams Design and Strategy Workshop that we were 95% sure that these designs were going to become illegal. It was too much of a game-breaking strategy, and with 10+ years of FTC experience, it was a pretty easy one to call. I don't feel bad for any of the teams that were affected by this rule change. Yes it sucks that it took almost a month, but you need to play devils advocate when it comes to a strategy of this nature and know you are playing with fire. GS3 already made it pretty clear before that something like this was going to happen.

https://www.strawpoll.me/16582540/r

It looks to be about a 70-30 split of teams affected. I warned every team at the Arizona Kickoff that had attended our teams Design and Strategy Workshop that we were 95% sure that these designs were going to become illegal. It was too much of a game-breaking strategy, and with 10+ years of FTC experience, it was a pretty easy one to call. I don't feel bad for any of the teams that were affected by this rule change. Yes it sucks that it took almost a month, but you need to play devils advocate when it comes to a strategy of this nature and know you are playing with fire. GS3 already made it pretty clear before that something like this was going to happen.

https://www.strawpoll.me/16582540/r

​

You're not going to find any examples of using the SerialPort class because I'm pretty sure you're the first person to want to try doing so. Adapting some of the code in the RobotUsbDeviceTty file, I created a couple files that might help you: first and second. I have no idea if the code actually works or not. And I'm pretty sure you'll want to chmod 777 /dev/ttyACM0 before trying it.

yeah, I believe it's this one and this one. sorry for the late reply

You're totally right. And I apologize.

I do work for Microsoft, and we're trying to do a really big launch in a few weeks. I wanted to find some students to try this out with and make sure it was appropriate. We love the FIRST Students and wanted to create something awesome just for them. It's a new thing, and we're hoping it's going to be awesome.

Verification: Here's a picture of my MS Badge photo, which matches my blog http://aka.ms/Christine and the email.

Here are 3 choices in order of convenience:

1. Live with it. Remove all unused motors etc. from the config, leaving the Hub itself. Your OpModes will still run, if you don't mind the red warnings.

2. Make a new config in the FTC app, takes a few minutes.

3. Manually edit the existing config. Copy the XML file from the RC phone's FIRST folder to a computer. Open that file in a XML editor. There are many free XML editors; popular titles are Notepad++ (also good for offline Java editing) and XML Notepad.

Carefully study the file structure and XML syntax. Notice the pairs of opening and closing tags. You will see how to carefully remove the unwanted Expansion hub (called a LynxModule).

Save it as a different filename, copy it back to the RC phone. If you made a mistake, no problem, just try again.

For teams who become skilled at this, consider adding an XML editing app to the RC phone. I have used QuickEdit.

We’ve used this throw rope this throw rope for years and never snapped it. It’s definitely thicker than Kevlar or some other synthetics, but works.

We use the DeWalt T-Stak system. It is modular, which makes it very easy to travel with to competitions and or to add/swap components as your team inventory grows or changes. One of our favorite variations in the T-Stak system is this double drawer unit. These are so, so helpful for organizing. https://www.amazon.com/DWST1-70706-Storage-2-Shallow-Drawers-cm16-77/dp/B009IX0OTC

Not exactly a battery tester per se, but I am a huge fan of this charger. You can charge, repeak, discharge->charge, and it will record how many mAh of charge goes into your batteries. This'll give you an excellent idea of their health. 4 batteries at once is of course awesome. I did have to buy some 4mm banana jacks and create my own adapter cables for anderson power poles, as they were not included.

Hitec RCD 44254 X4 AC Pro AC/DC Four Port Multicharger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M23WBJ2/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_5RGKTR756KZKG26QYJXS

From the product description, this is very hard to use in FTC. In order to use this Ultrasonic sensor, you need the capability of sending a pulse to the "Trigger" pin with a pulse width of at least 10 usec. Then you need to monitor the "Echo" pin for a pulse and time the pulse width. This is easy for micro-controllers such as Arduino or Raspberry Pi because that have interrupt pins that you can start a timer to time a pulse. FTC SDK is running on Android which is not a real-time OS. So, it is difficult to do hardware timing precisely. For example, let's say you have a tight loop monitoring a digital input pin on the REV control hub that's connected to the "Echo" pin. Once you saw the "reflected pulse", you note the current timestamp and keep a tight loop monitoring the trailing end of the pulse. But if Android OS is preempting your thread in this tight loop to do something else, you could come back much later when the pulse trailing end is long gone. Therefore, the accuracy of timing a pulse is not guaranteed. You should get an ultrasonic sensor that have hardware/firmware to time the pulse for you and send you the distance data in some other form such as I2C, or even an analog voltage. Products such as MaxBotix Ultrasonic sensor which is popular with FRC robots (https://www.amazon.com/MaxBotix-Ultrasonic-Sensor-MB1242-000-I2CXL-MaxSonar-EZ4/dp/B07F1V6GQ1/ref=sr_1_12?crid=27ZG563C32YR7&keywords=ultrasonic+sensor&qid=1640473524&sprefix=ultrasonic+sensor%2Caps%2C364&sr=8-12) But of course these are much more expensive than a few bucks because they have built-in circuitry to do the timing, I2C and analog output interfaces. You also need to check the "custom circuits" rule in FTC because they are more restrictive than FRC.

Buy one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BLWXXQC?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

and add female bullet connectors for the motor, and an XT30 for the battery.

Best investment ever.

Get new springs. https://www.amazon.com/Light-Compression-Mould-Spring-Yellow/dp/B07FY47BX7

The springs that come with it are round metal. They tend to collapse and deform. For $8 these springs collapse true and don't give you that weird variation.

Unfortunately, Mac doesn't support MTP natively, which is the protocol used to browse files on Android devices. You need to use the Android File Transfer app: https://www.android.com/filetransfer/

My team has liked using a split wire loom. The woven stuff like this: A few sets of servo wires can be put inside it. It can be coiled and will spring back somewhat. And being 1/4" (or a bit bigger) will keep it from easily being pinched by the mechanisms.

https://smile.amazon.com/CrocSee-25ft-Management-Protector-Self-Wrapping/dp/B08FJ345HL/

Electronic audio probably violates <RE17> Additional Electronics.

For that old-school carousel sound, this type of device could be motor-driven:
https://www.amazon.com/Pursuestar-YunSheng-Mechanism-Movement-Clockwork/dp/B0862C5JCW

But... is it single-degree-of-freedom?

Our team made up two motor control boxes. Allows us to test motors without a controller setup.

This is the control module:

Motor control module

Enclosure

We used the bullet connectors on a longer wire for the motor, then mounted a battery holder on top. A gland nut allows the wires to pass through the wall of the enclosure and gives a bit of a strain relief to mechanically protect the controller. The controller is double sticky tapped to the inside of the box.

The nice thing about the motor controller is that it is directional and has a rheostat for speed control.

Here is what we got. Almost identical to the round gobuilda ones except they are a mm less thick (gobuilda is 8x14x5mm; these are 8x14x4mm)

Your ping is WAY too high (Spiking at over a second there)

&#x200B;

Can you post a couple of pictures of where exactly your hub is on the bot? Also, install a wifi monitor on your phone (I use called "Wifi Analyzer") that should give you an idea how crazy the noise is around you, and what channel you may have a better time on

FOV means field of view. We used https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DHPBP65/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1.

This year, you actually do not need wide view camera. Even if you can only see 2 position, if you can't see duck, you know the duck is at 3rd position. But last year wide view camera is better

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Get a trial account with https://www.magisto.com/ - you can drag pics and vids there and choose a theme and music and it automatically makes it magical.

Are you sure that any other robot controllers with the same name are off? I've had a similar issue where I had a RC phone and a control hub powered on at the same time, and I couldn't connect to either since they were using the same SSID.

I'd also try connecting the control hub to an HDMI monitor, or connecting to it using USB on a computer and running scrcpy to monitor the screen and see if there is any useful feedback there.

It'll work. Another option is connecting to the control hub over adb and using scrcpy to view and control the screen of the control hub. One plus of doing this is that it'll be wireless so you don't need to plug anything into the hub especially if it's mounted on a robot.

Team 6389 made uses this as an outreach dealio.

It's really about as simple as you can get, just hungry hungry hippos with blocks. We've been thinking about something similar for outreach.

How long is the camp? Because honestly, I thought Ring It Up was pretty simple, it only required one mechanism. Maybe you could make a scaled-down version so they don't have to worry about reaching so high?

As the current developer of our site, I agree that it looks fantastic so far. There is not yet much content as we are currently rebuilding it with Materialize but it will continue to be updated as we get more pictures and content to populate it with. I would HIGHLY suggest the Materialize platform for numerous reasons. It is basically Bootstrap on steroids and is based off of Google's material design standards with tons of built in aesthetic appeal. It is a great platform!

I would use a for loop, powering the motors at speed i and incrementing it every loop. You can change the rate of acceleration by adding a larger or smaller amount or adding a delay in the loop. Edit: I don't want to just give you the code, since you wouldn't learn much that way, but here is a pretty great explanation of how for loops work if you don't know.

If you're new to Github I highly recommend getting Github Desktop: https://desktop.github.com/

It's a easy-to-use GUI for Git and makes the process a lot easier for people with less experience

Link for anyone else who wants to try the bot out: https://slack.com/oauth/authorize?&amp;client_id=225146931091.225232280466&amp;scope=bot,channels:history,groups:history,im:history,mpim:history,commands

Ah. The idea was to join the communities that may exist on the two platforms and avoid fragmentation (as was planned for Discord). It looks (from cursory inspection) that it may be possible.

whichever one you're comfortable using is the answer. If one of them is taught at your school, probably use that one. If you have to learn one, I would learn OnShape maybe, they have the https://www.onshape.com/robots-to-the-rescue competition going on now so that could be a good learning opportunity. But if you have experience with Fusion360 or Inventor just stick with it tbh.

Having used Autodesk Inventor I actually prefer Onshape. Everything is in the cloud meaning that everything can be shared among everyone on your team and you can use it on ANY computer with an internet connection without a download. The no download thing is great for school environments where it may be difficult to get software approved. Also, I feel that the assembly system in Onshape is faster and simpler.

https://www.onshape.com/

Also, if you search "FTC Robotics" there are files of most of the parts in the tetrix and actobotics systems that you can copy and use for your own design.

Hmm... that is weird. I think they used to have STEP files. Anyway I would suggest contacting Modern Robotics about that. In the mean time, DavisDad over at Chief Delphi seems to have uploaded the official files to his account on Onshape and made them public, so you can get them from there. All you have to do is make a free account and then search for Modern Robotics Modules. Hope that helps.

https://www.amazon.com/Irwin-Tools-2712-Piece-Set/dp/B003K15EQG/ref=sr_1_6?crid=368WN11UN769U&amp;dchild=1&amp;keywords=m3+tap&amp;qid=1635902898&amp;qsid=145-1962122-2808939&amp;sprefix=m3+tap%2Caps%2C175&amp;sr=8-6&amp;sres=B0719DGKCG%2CB08V17895K%2CB07KT1VM7G%2CB003K15EQG%2CB07WHWBTLJ%2CB06X9YV16Z%2CB0736T5NM6%2CB077HTXVR1%2CB08F2Q3BYL%2CB084GLPG15%2CB07G5Z5LPX%2CB07DCTRDGM%2CB07Z9RCJBB%2CB08HZ3Z42G%2CB0977Z1HYQ%2CB078KHKTVG these are nice

I searched through some other posts, and I think these are the ones that people refer to: BalanceFrom Puzzle Exercise Mat with EVA Foam Interlocking Tiles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IDRWPGI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_15MTRWGNA5PCC5R34FH8?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1

I've done some searching on Amazon and found something that looks close to what I was thinking about, I believe this could be hooked up to an analog sensor port legally. What are your thoughts?

We had good luck with Elkind t-handle hex wrenches. Could really torque down on them and they wouldn't strip like cheap wrenches did.

Amazon has them but we'd get them at a local Ace Hardware.

It helps to color-code them by size with paint, heat shrink, or electrical tape. We'd keep a couple of each common size with the build parts and one of each in a repair kit on the match cart.

Get these, they are cheap and fit basically any servo mount. They are 25 teeth so your rev servo horns should work fine. We used these last year and they are super strong at 20kg of torque and haven’t broken so the quality is good too.

4PCS Servo Motor MG995 Control Angle180 Metal Gear Servo 20KG Digital High Speed Torque Servo Motor for Smart Car Robot Boat RC Helicopter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NQJ1VZ2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_Z1EbGb12Q4YV4?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1

Haven't tried it on the rings but in years past my team used O-ring material. You can get it in all different diameters and being solid it doesn't bend too easily so it worked better than latex tubing.

Here is one example: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00QVB4UTO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_RVb4FbKJ4QKF5?psc=1

We use the bigger version of this but it is way overkill. This one would work perfectly fine.

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Ultra-Compact-High-Speed-Technology/dp/B0194WDVHI/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?dchild=1&amp;keywords=anker&amp;qid=1607652973&amp;sr=8-11