Co-Authored by Tyler Cuff and Robert Lim

Testing

The day began with students and the drive team practicing and troubleshooting the robot. The drive team traversed the field and practicing scoring goals as quickly as possible.

After Skystalker, the surrogate opponent robot, was up and running, the driver practiced scoring with its uncooperative counterpart playing defense (see image below) This accustomed the driver to moving around the field with an opposing robot attempting to block movement and impede shooting.

Electronics and Wiring

During a half hour window of robot downtime, students attended to other projects. Students installed lighting in the battery cart and added a vinyl finish. Meanwhile several other students worked on improving the wiring of Skystalker by loosening its chain for the drive train.

Parts Organization

The main piece of organization was the continued efforts on the Bill of Materials, pronounced Bom in airports, needed for Madera. The BOM will describe a list of the raw materials, sub-assemblies, intermediate assemblies, sub-components, parts and the quantities of each needed to manufacture an end product).

CAD

Several student worked on completing the SolidWorks CAD tutorial to improve their practical knowledge of CAD. The majority of them created sketches while others put together assemblies.

Awards

A team worked on the Chairman's Award presentation PowerPoint for the upcoming Madera tournament in March. A leader began to finalize the script. Remember that our Chairman's presentation is confidential and should NOT be shared or discussed outside of the team. Another team worked on the Media and Technology Innovation Award that is due tomorrow. Its content was finalized with approval throughout the team and the graphic design and layout format will be finished tonight.

Design

Upstairs, students had a discussion on how to improve the robot and what will definitely will happen. We will be adding the side panels for giving proper recognition to all our amazing sponsors. Two suggestions were adding triangular plates onto the side of the robot to assist in catching, and another involved the addition of surgical tubing to strengthen the catcher.

Miscellaneous

The lab received a new printer, scanner/copier, and 24" monitors. With the recent rain, a few students noticed a small leak in roof on the east side of the lab. The team also played some pick-up volleyball with an exercise ball and the truss.

Action Items

• Driver practice
• Build control board
• Machine, anodized, and then remachined
• Print handles
• Make control board standoffs
• Prototype catcher
• New accumulator standoffs
• Drill Grommet holes on spare intake
• Set up us up the BOM
• Film fly through scene
• Technical Binder
• Wire Batteries
• Test Batteries
• new pinniped standoffs
• cut, weld, and powder
• Mentor Castle prep
• Autonomous vision targets and lights
• Make wheels
• Redesign catcher pistons

This year we have had the unique privilege of working with some new and awesome mentors. Over the next few weeks, we will be giving them the opportunity to talk about how FIRST has affected them.

Name: Paul Ventimiglia

College/Major: Worcester Polytechnic Institute / Liberal Arts and Engineering

What is your occupation? How did you get into it?

I am currently not working anywhere. I am spending my time on side projects involving robotics design which I may turn into a business. Most recently, I was a Mechanical/Robotics Engineer at Double Robotics. I have been friends with the founders of the company for over a decade when we all were working on Battlebots. Since then, I have recruited my boss for side projects, and we kept in touch.

When did you get involved in FRC?

I got involved in FRC when I found out about it at WPI. FRC Team 190 was working out of the same lab I was building Battlebots in. I have been involved since kickoff 2006.

What was your favorite FRC game?

I enjoyed watching 2012 the most. It was very exciting watching the best robots scoring baskets quickly, and then always exciting at the end with the risky bridge balancing. 2011 was my favorite year for robot design and competing. We had a very solid and unique design which was very satisfying.

How did FRC interest you?

I love engineering, but I love engineering competitions even more. I am not really into any other sports \(besides sailing\), but I love the competitive nature of FIRST. It is not all about winning, but it is competitive to see who can come up with the best design quickly and easily. Mentoring students interested in robotics is really fun. I have a lot of experience building things quickly and reliably, and I am glad to share that with others.

How has FIRST affected you?

FIRST has a huge community, so it was an interesting place for me to learn from others and meet new people. I have many lifelong lasting friendships through FIRST. I have met business contacts and people which have led to amazing opportunities. FIRST has done a good job of focusing me, and giving me some structure, even if for only 6 weeks out of the year. It is something I look forward to and prioritize to make time for in my life. It has taught me so many engineering skills, new parts I have never seen, new methods, and refined my CAD skills. It also taught me a lot about working with teams of people and how to handle communication issues.

How many FRC teams have you worked with?

I have worked with 190, and a little with 1735, both out of Worcester, MA, before 254.

What area do you mentor in ?

I mentor in all things mechanical, design, overall geometry, parts sourcing, machining, etc.

Time Commitment:

During the build season, I am full on. Every day at the lab from about 5:30 until midnight weekdays, and 1 to midnight on weekends. During the season I took 4 days off. When I am not at the lab, I try to spend as little time working on anything FIRST related, although my mind is still thinking about solutions to problems. Also I spent a lot of time during the day physically bringing parts to and from our sponsors shops for welding or finishing.

How does your profession affect your approach?

As a robotics engineer, it is precisely what I do. Having a tough new challenge, brainstorming solutions, prototyping, designing, and manufacturing. All of course while maintaining a low project cost, and getting it done quickly. I approach FRC the same way I do any other engineering problem. I always look first at what others have done, do research, and ask a ton of questions. Then I try implementing a best estimate immediately and getting feedback for revisions.

Why did you decide to help with Team 254?

I have always admired the 254 creations. I have spent many hours looking over every picture I could find, and reading available information. It is one of the most professional teams, and I have always wanted to work with those mentors and students. I also think it is a very special privilege to be working out of a NASA facility with so much history and prestige.

What do you expect to see from students in FRC?

I expect a lot of hard work over time, and a lot of learning and improvement. When someone is not working hard, or quickly, I expect them to ask someone else how they can improve, or what they can be working on. I think all things can be solved by asking tons of questions and learning, so I always wish people would admit more often when they are unsure about something. I expect students to be here having fun, because they want to be here, and not feel forced.

Do you feel that FRC helps students prepare for future careers?

Yes, it helps dramatically. Some teams are run like small businesses, very professionally. They will learn about communication, deadlines, and real world project consequences. They will learn a ton about working with teams of people, and how they will not always get along with everyone. They also learn how to behave around industry professionals at events.

What do you do for fun?

I build bar tending robots, fighting robots, go sailing, go to the beach, and eat smoked BBQ.

What is your favorite FIRST memory?

Being on Einstein after winning champs in 2007 is right up there, also getting to play CRUD with my old team at the end of ship day each year.

What is your most valuable FIRST experience?

The most valuable experience was going to the Founder's Reception at Dean's house in 2006. That was my introduction to FIRST and where I met so many mentors. It got me hooked so quickly because I was fully immersed. From that I got to really meet my close friends from WPI which guided the rest of my education and career choices.

Driver Practice

Today, students continued to practice driving the robot on the field. Obstacles were set up on the field earlier in the day to test the new drivers’ capabilities.Later, students practiced driving with other students in the human player boundaries feeding the robot balls.

Demo Gearbox

Students finished assembling the display gearbox.

Chairman's Award

Students added pictures to the Chairman’s Award PowerPoint. Finding the right pictures is a big process in creating the presentation.

Technical Binder

Students worked on updating the technical binder for the Chairman’s award. This binder contains all of the specifications for the robot.

Team Flyer

Students continued to work on drafting the Team Flyer. The flyer is an easy way toinform other teams and passersby during tournaments about the robot and theteam. This is a simplified version of the technical binder. However, after some further discussions we decided to try remaking the flyer with a shot of the robot with the intakes opened. That photo is being photo shopped now and will be used soon.

Programming

Programmers continued to work on the pit display. Currently, they are working on fixing the team page.

Field Optimization

Students started to improve the field by configuring the scoring lights. These lights indicate whether the robots are in autonomous or in tele-op mode. This will help simulate a real game for driver practice.

Assembly

Students began constructing an intake on-top of the Overkill Practice Drive-base made of wood for a drivers to face-off against.

Bill of Materials

Students continued working on the Bill of Materials. Today they finished recording data for the intake, electronics, and are currently working on the hood.

Action Items

• Continue working on the BOM
• Continue driver practice
• Continue improving Chairman's Script
• Finalize Chairman's Video storyboard
• Improve Chairman's PowerPoint
• CNC the new rear VEX bump sensor mount
• Finalize the Team Flyer
• CNC new wheel hubs

Chairman's Award

Today students brainstormed and storyboarded the 2014 Chairman's Award Video. This video is required with all Chairman's entries and the winning team's video is shown at the end of each tournament. Also, another group continued work no a Chairman's Powerpoint template that will be used during the presentation. Finally, the three presenters continued to flush out the script and got to practice 2 times before mentors and get their thoughts on what information should be added.

Driver Practice

Drivers worked on receiving the ball from the human player without utilizing the rear intake. They rigorously practiced pinning the ball to the side wall to force the ball into the intake, in an attempt to lessen ball transfer time.

Field Construction

Students finalized the field construction today by adding the human player boundaries on the side of the field. This boundary tell the human players exactly where they are allowed to stand, which help make driver practice more realistic.

Programming

Programmers were brainstorming ideas for a possible Team 254 mobile app that will feature all the web products 254 has to offer. This includes the hours tracking systems, various resources (handbook, identity standards, tutorials), and the home page with a simple calendar.

Graphic Design

Students continued to program the team's new pit display. Others were adding sponsors to the 2014 T-shirt. Students were also rendering specific assemblies in of the CAD for use in the Technical Binder. These renders all people to more easily see the functions of each mechanism of the robot and they all work independently and then come together into one finished product.

Assembly

Students began to assemble the 5th, display gearbox. All the parts have been found and the gearbox simply needs to be assembled. In addition to being a useful display piece to explain the 3-CIM shifting gearboxes we are using this year, this will also serve as a spare gearbox we can use or at least scrap for parts if something breaks at competition.

Miscellaneous

Students continued to work on the Bill of Materials (BOM) by using the CAD and Parts Management System to figure out what parts we ordered and what actually made it onto the robot. Currently the drivetrain is finished and electronics and intakes subsystems are in progress.

Work on the release video made significant progress. A first draft was made featuring "Light em Up" with shots of the robot and the double-3-ball-autonomous. This draft can be viewed at this link: //video.team254.com/watch/hhZjlzazqf4JTKXlP62-pq2Q3vi1pTBQ
As this is only a draft and not the final copy, don't share this yet!

Action Items

• Finish assembly of demo gearbox
• Continue working on the BOM
• Continue driver practice
• Continue improving Chairman's Script
• Finalize Chairman's Video storyboard
• Begin work on compiling the technical binder
• Begin work on compiling the Chairman's binder
• Create Chairman's PowerPoint
• Decide what spare parts need to be made, including for demo
• CNC the new rear VEX bump sensor mount
• CNC new wheel hubs

by Matt MacDonald '17

Assembly

Today, students worked on replumbing the locking pistons on the practice robot to make sure it functions to the best of its ability.

Organization

The team also organized the Box of Pat. Students cleaned out the case and made sure the parts inside the shelves were placed in proper order. The parts were put in different compartments that would allow students to find what they need easily.

Pit Display

The team also improved pit lighting controls. A mentor worked on the Arduino code that can be used to control the lights and students also worked on the website that controls the lights.

Writing

Students also prepared for the Chairman's award presentation.They also wrote about the team’s outreach events and its basic information to display at tournaments.

Action Items

• Continue driver practice
• Reorganize lab
• Finish the pit display
• Finish Chairman’s presentation

Everyone took the day off today as a reward for all the hard work we put in over the past 6 weeks to get the robot bagged!

by Chris Powers '15

Photo Shoot

Today was bag and tag day, so not much machining or robot work occurred. Most of the team worked on taking multiple shots of the finished competition robot, which was placed in a studio area on one half of the field. The team took photos at multiple angles with different lighting and game objects.

Practice Bot

Other team members worked on improving the practice robot on the other side of the field. A belt broke on the robot, so team members repaired it.

Graphic Design

The graphic design team continued working on the T-shirt designs. A design is not yet finalized.

Bag and Tag

The robot was bagged and tagged at approximately 9:30, concluding six weeks of intense fun and work and ushering in six weeks of regional competition preparation.

Action Items

• Rest day tomorrow- no build.
• Continue working on T-shirt and flier with Kevin.
• Continue working on practice robot.

by Dorian Chan and Abhishek Aditham

Programming

Today the programmers worked on state machines for the shooter on the robot. They have been using state machines for various subsystems on the robot in order to control and interact with them. State machines track what state the robot is in and change the state based on input.

The web guys worked on creating a pit display for competition, where people will be able to view information about the team’s robot.

Parts Organization

Team members worked on sorting miscellaneous parts into blue bins. By organizing misplaced parts, the team will be more efficient at finding parts it needs.

Machining

Some students worked on creating mounts made out of polycarb for the robot’s air tanks using the drillpress and the bandsaw. They later put the tanks onto the robot using the mounts and worked on finishing the pneumatic system.

Electronics and Wiring

A couple of members worked on mounting and wiring the router onto the robot. This router is the primary means of communication between the driver station and the robot. Members working on the sponsor panels took a break cutting out the stickers for the Decepticon insignia.

Construction

The team also worked on finishing the red bumpers for the robot and one of the blue bumpers. A couple other students created labels of the team’s sponsors for the side panels. The team has decided to put sponsor names on the side panels of both robots, and so far the competition panels have been completed.

The team also worked on replacing the shifter plates for the practice robot's drivebase.

Flier

The graphics design team continued work on developing a flier to showcase the robot.

Action Items

• Finish sponsor panels for practice robot with Jeremy, Mani and Travis
• Prepare for the photo shoot
• Finish both competition and practice robots
• Programming the hot goal sensors with Tom and Brandon
• Work on the flier and T-shirt with Kevin

Over the weekend, the software team was hard at work on 3 ball autonomous routines. Here's some video.

Also, shooting on the move works quite nicely.