Kamocat

What this site is for

This site covers a range of areas where we believe there is need for more information. Whenever possible we refer to resources that already exist within the FRC community, but often there are gaps between the information that is available and what we believe is needed to do good design work. For example accurate motor data for this year's motors and methods of coupling these motors to transmissions would be useful to many teams but is rather hard to find.

As your rookie team grows in sophistication, it is likely that team members will want to create a more structured process to guide the team through the design process. There seems to be little on the subject of teaching the design process and making decisions based on calculated data (rather than guesses). This transition from “fake it till you make it” to designs based on calculating values and Key performance parameters represents an important step forward in the maturity of a team. In some circumstances - such as calculating strength of critical parts or determining motor torque to operate a mechanism - it can be crucial to the success of a design. Adding these skills to your team's repertoire can make the difference between building a machine once and adding small refinements or scrapping a design and starting over because of a mechanism's basic inability to function). One of the long term goals of this site is to start to fill the gap in information on the process of creating engineered designs.

FIRST helps students find a place where they belong. Teams help students build confidence, learn leadership and teamwork skills. For some students robotics is their reason to keep in school.

Girls often hang back while boys jump in. Mentors need to use different approaches to create a space for girls on the team.

© 2010 by Marshal Horn

Use only as directed. For relief of symptoms caused by lack of information on FRC builds. Not recommended for teams over three years of age.