BEARs' Blog → Archive for January, 2009

Productivity tips by Carol Bauer

Here we are at the half-way point of the build season. Some teams, like Team 930, may have finished a week of semester exams and are feeling a little frazzled and slap happy. Some teams may be running smoothly and on schedule. But some may be taking a look around them and wondering how it [...]

Electrical Hardware Progress by Sam Scharles

The Electrical Hardware group, although missing a third of its members, boomed with progress this past Saturday.  Having a prepared list to follow was most helpful and I highly recommend it. Working on the electronic components of a robot that does not exist yet is not a simple task, but as the situation always is, [...]

To help spread the word of FIRST, we are going to start making podcasts to help other teams. Possible topics include a safety session, how to solder, how to use Inventor and LabView, web design tips, key rules, programming  concepts, and tips for rookies.  We may also be doing a newscast podcast with helpful tips for teams. We are hoping to have one of these done within the next couple weeks, so be on the lookout for them on iTunes!

Slide Control Implementation by Josh Holat

This year’s course material offers some very interesting problems for driving and accelerating. With the crappy wheels and the fact that the robot is acting as if it were only one sixth the weight it would be on carpet, there is not much of a dependence on the type of drive train for the robot. [...]

Although many teams have probably figured a lot of this stuff out, somebody might find that these tutorials from NI are actually really good. Hope they are of use to you and your FRC team!

Lunacy begins by Carol Bauer

Like all FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) teams, Team 930 anxiously awaited the Jan. 3 kickoff with lots of speculation and debate about the challenge they’d be faced with this season. With kit of parts in tow, the team quickly descended on the slippery challenge that lay ahead of them. Much debate and brainstorming has followed [...]