2010 Kitbot Assembly on Kick-off Day Date: December 16, 2009 Ron Markum, Team 1750, Stillwater, OK; Ed Latimer and Ken York, Team 476, Ponca City, OK Written by Ed Latimer Ed Latimer e.latimer@sbcglobal.net (H) 580-765-8624, (O) 580-767-5443, (Cell) 580-761-0403, Ron Markum ronmarkum@okstate.edu, (Cell) 405-612-2812 Ken York yorkkm@yahoo.com, (O) 580-762-7500, (Cell) 580-763-7570 This document contains instructions for preparing your kick-off site to help any and all teams there build the kitbot after the kick-off presentation on Saturday, January 9, 2010. We held a RQBS (Robot Quick Build Session) at the Oklahoma kickoffs in both 2008 and 2009 to help rookie teams ‘get over the hump’ right away and it was a great success, with running robots in about in 4-5 hours. That being said, there are some unknowns this year because FIRST is being more secretive about changes to the kit of parts (we don’t know what they all are) and we do not have last year’s luxury of having the programming software and electronics hardware released early to every team. We do know that there is new hardware for the driver’s station this year as it is being Beta-tested by several teams. Changes to the kit of parts can most likely be handled ‘on the fly’ on kickoff day by veteran mentors, but you will definitely need a good Control Systems Expert to lead the teams if you are going to have running robots by the end of the kick-off day session. We suggest that the default option is to program the robots for tethered mode only on kick-off day. Getting every team running in wireless mode on kick-off day can be done but will require a very good Control Systems Expert to lead the session.
Send this Powerpoint, (Parts to bring to RQBS.ppt) to team leaders who will attend your RQBS immediately. This will allow them time to gather all the needed tools and robot parts. Here is an overview of how the Robot Quick Build Session works: 0:00 – 0:30 0:30 – 3:00
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Everybody starts in the main room; each team divides into sub-teams; pull needed parts out of the kits Programming sub-team works on Programming in their room Electronics sub-team mounts/wires hardware to a board in the Electronics room Frame/Transmission sub-team assembles the frame, transmission, wheels, and chains in the main room Programming sub-team works with the Electronics team to get the driver’s station functioning and programs the cRIO on the electronics board Frame/Transmission and Electronics sub-teams mount the Electronics board on the robot in main room Put on a battery and drive the robot ! (Or troubleshoot it first, then drive it…….)
We will be providing the following information for the RQBS coordinators: - This overview document which includes pre-kick-off items, room set-ups for the RQBS, a list of hardware items to prepare for each team, and a suggested tool list for each team - PowerPoint presentations on “Getting Started – Main Assembly Room”, “Electronics Board Assembly”, and a copy of a “Driver’s Station Programming Presentation” posted on a FIRST Forum by a Beta-test team (Thank you, Team 330!!) - We hope to also have a PowerPoint presentation for the Programming session but it will not be ready until later in December or maybe even the first week in January. We did not have a presentation on this last year as the Control Systems Experts at each RQBS lead their own sessions from their computer screens. - Two drilling templates to print and copy for each team to drill the proper mounting holes in the Electronics board
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The Frame and Transmission Assembly presentations from last year to give you an idea of what is involved (this year’s instructions will be included in each kitbot frame kit – Thank you, AndyMark Inc.!).
Some key points before we get into the details: 1. You must have a Control Systems Expert for your RQBS to lead the Programming sub-team. Otherwise it will be difficult to get the robots actually driving by the end. Regarding the Control Systems Expert: a. It would be great to have someone from this year’s Beta-test teams, but an experienced programmer who worked on last year’s robot and who reviews the Driver’s Station Programming PowerPoint should be fine b. This person needs to be able to lead the programmers for each team in downloading Lab View, the latest software from National Instruments, and programming the cRIO and the driver’s station c. We hope to have a Programming PowerPoint for them before the kick-off if we can get enough information (and are allowed to release it) before then d. Be aware that we do not believe the rookie team’s cRIO will come with a default program loaded. e. Be aware that the veteran teams will need parts from last year’s electronics since they will not get a full set this year (more information below) f. Make sure you have a few memory sticks available as it is faster to pass around software this way rather than have each team download software from the internet 2. You need several mentors in each room; experienced, mature students can help; anyone who knows programming and the control system software goes to the Programming room; the Electronics room needs more mentors than the Frame/Transmission team because the Electronics teams usually are behind schedule 3. Use ‘shame’ or whatever means necessary to get veteran mentors from veteran teams to stay and help you. 4. To help speed things up, the electronics hardware is mounted wherever possible using sticky-back Velcro or zip ties. But the wiring itself needs to be done properly since one bad connection means the robot doesn’t run. 5. You need to have a room for those team members and adults not interested in building the kitbot. We suggest a Team Training area to discuss team organization, awards, travel, fundraising, etc. 6. Veteran teams will need to bring the following components from last year’s robot if they want to have a running robot on kick-off day: a. cRIO from last year and connectors(if they have not purchased a new one). b. cRIO 9403 Module c. Joysticks d. 25-ft cat5, cable for running the robot in tethered mode if necessary e. Other??? Pre-work: 1. Set-up for the rooms – overview (more details on each room later) a. Main room = big room. Each team needs a table to spread out their parts and frame kit and assemble the robot. You need to show a PowerPoint presentation on a projector in this room and have a microphone. b. Electronics room – Each team needs a table to spread out the electronics hardware, mount it on a board, and wire it. There is a PowerPoint assembly presentation to show in this room so you will need a computer and projector. A microphone may be helpful but is not mandatory because most of the mentors work individually with the teams. Wireless internet access is optional in this room – details on this later. This is the busiest room but it doesn’t necessarily have to be that large.
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c. Programming room – Each team needs a station for their laptop, an electrical outlet nearby for keeping their laptop charged, and this room needs internet access. This room needs a projector for the Programming leader to show a PowerPoint plus his/her computer screen and possibly internet pages. A microphone is helpful but is not necessary if the room is small as this room is usually pretty quiet. d. Transmission room – This optional. If you have an extra room with table/counter space it is nice because it’s easy to lose the little parts in the mayhem of the main assembly room. e. Remember the Team Training area for those people there who are not involved in the RQBS! Frame Cutting Area – Usually two pieces from every team’s frame need to be cut. It is easier to set-up a station where each team brings these pieces to have an adult cut them using a miter ‘chop saw’ or a band saw. More details on this are included later. Hardware. The hardware list needed for each team is shown at the end. Tools. A suggested tool list for each team is given at the end. Printing. You need to have a copy of both drilling templates for the electronics board. It is also helpful to have a hardcopy (color is better) of the two PowerPoints: 2010 Getting Started – Main Assembly Room, and 2010 Electronics Board Assembly. We have also found it very helpful to have a full copy of the 2009 rules printed and assembled for the rookie teams on kick-off day as it answers may of the questions they will have over the first couple weeks. But this is expensive and requires a lot of hustle on kick-off day since some of the sections are not released until then. On kick-off day, use the time between the end of the 2010 Game Announcement and the beginning of the RQBS to have your veteran mentors go through the kit of parts to identify changes from last year. Have them pay particular attention to the kitbot frame, transmission, and electronics. It is Very Helpful to have a kitbot frame and transmission assembled and on display at the start of the RQBS if you can pull it off. They should also identify in which plastic bins the parts are that need to be pulled out (these parts are detailed in the “2010 Getting Started – Main Assembly Room” PowerPoint presentation) to help teams find these parts faster.
Main Assembly Room Everything starts and ends in this room: the first 30 minutes are used to pull needed parts from the kit-of-parts, and the final robot assembly of the electronics board on the finished frame is done here. This is the largest room you will need. Every team needs their own table and you need to have all the extra hardware items distributed to each team here before you start; the Transmission/Frame teams stay in here (unless you have a separate break-out room for the Transmission team); this is also the Final Robot Assembly Room. - Here is the set-up for this main room, which needs to be the largest of the rooms: o Every team needs their own work table big enough and sturdy enough to use for assembling a 27” x 37” robot; we used lunch tables last year with a laminate surface o A computer and projector are needed to show the “2010 Getting Started – Main Assembly Room” PowerPoint presentation. Internet access for displaying Transmission and Frame assembly videos released by www.andymark.biz on kick-off day is an option but is not necessary because every kit has a booklet of instructions. o PA system with microphone o All the mentors and students started out in this room - Tell everyone as they come in to resist the urge to pull everything out of their kit of parts and to scatter the extra hardware items. We will prepare a “Getting Started – Main Assembly Room PowerPoint” presentation to go over the introductory outline and then to help teams get their needed parts out of the kit of parts. We hope to be able to provide pictures of most of the parts that need to be pulled in the PowerPoint. Take your time in pulling the parts and make sure everybody is together – no stragglers. You want to avoid having parts strewn everywhere
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and having teams lose parts. If teams are having trouble finding/identifying parts have them raise their hand so a mentor can help them. Dismiss the Programming Team to their room first. This is quickly done as they don’t need to take much from the kit of parts. Have the Electronics Team then pull their parts and send them off to their room next. The Programming and Electronics teams will be the critical path in the build session. If you have a separate room for the Transmission team, send them there after they separate their transmission parts from the kit. If they are working in the same room as the Frame team they should wait until the Frame team gets their parts and gets started as the Frame Team will probably take more time. There will be complete instructions inside the frame kit for assembling the frame and transmission and mounting them together. This kitbot is similar to last year’s frame so teams familiar with last year’s kitbot can help. Frame Cutting Area: The frame pieces are universal and are ~37” long but the robots are 27” x 37” (maximum allowable is 28” x 38” so the kitbots are 1” short in case you later have something hanging over). So two frame pieces, one on each side, need cutting every year. You don’t want power tools in your main assembly room, or hacksaws, so you need to set-up a Frame Cutting Area somewhere. We suggest using a ‘chop saw’ with a blade for cutting aluminum. A band saw will do but it is a little slower and its blade gets dulled easier. The frame pieces are 1” C-channel made of 1/8” thick aluminum. A chop saw goes through them easily but you need an adult to run it rather than having each student try to do it. Have the students mark where the frame pieces need cutting, take them to the Frame Cutting Area, and then return to the main room when they’re cut. The Frame Cutting Area is only in use for about 30-45 minutes. It is a noisy area and it creates metal shavings so locate it appropriately. Be sure and have hearing protection for the person running it! The transmission instructions are in the same booklet as the frame instructions so if you have a separate Transmission room then teams will have to share the instruction booklets in each room. This may drive you to have the Transmission and Frame teams in the same room, and this will work as long as your floor surface is such that it will allow students to find little parts that are dropped. When the Transmission Team is done, they can join the Frame Team in mounting the transmissions on the robot frame and installing the chains. Teams that have never cut chain before will need hands-on help from mentors. If teams share chain break tools make sure each team labels theirs. It is likely that the Transmission/Frame team will finish ahead of the Electronics and Programming teams and will be waiting on them. Again, we have found it very helpful in the past to have a ‘worked example’ at the front of the room for the Frame and Transmission teams. So if you can have your veteran mentors take a kitbot from a team and assemble it and put it at the front of this room that is a great help!
Transmission Room (optional) - If you can afford the luxury of a separate Transmission room, here is the set-up: o The room needs to be big enough for each team to have 3-4 ft of tabletop or benchtop space for assembling the transmissions. They will be handling a few very small parts and it will be easy to knock them off and lose them. o It is optional to have a projector hooked to a computer w/internet access for downloading instructional videos from andymark.biz, but the transmissions can be assembled from the instruction booklet included.. o A PA is not needed in this room. - Have an adult who knows how to assemble the transmissions leads this session. Try to keep everyone on the same step as people who get ahead of behind usually install a part incorrectly. - When they are done, have them go back to the Main Assembly Room to mount the transmissions on the frame and install the chains.
Electronics Room - Here is the set-up for this room: o Each team will need 6-8 ft of tabletop/benchtop space o A screen and projector are needed for the “2010 Electronics Board Assembly” PowerPoint presentation. o Internet access is optional for this room. It is really only needed in the Programming room but the Programming Team will be visiting their Electronics Team a lot, so it is advantageous to have internet for when the Programming Team visits this room. But it is not required as long as it is in the Programming room. o A PA with microphone is helpful but may not be necessary if the room is small and you have a leader with a strong voice. The leader does not lead step-by-step as much as he/she answers questions up front and provides ‘reminder’ announcements (“Remember to be sure and ……”) - The assembly is a long process and the teams follow the electronics board layout diagram/template that we will provide. We will provide it even if we don’t have all the exact pictures of the components. - This will be a busy room as the Electronics Team will be assembling hardware and wiring components there, and the Programming Team will be visiting periodically to download software and perform benchtop tests. - The Electronics Team will need to drill a few holes in the Electronics board you provided them. Make sure they do not drill into the tables, and try to control/clean-up the drill shavings - especially if you have a carpeted room. Another option is to have them take the electronics board to another room or even outside when they have to drill mounting holes. - The Electronics Team will work with the Programming Team at the end on the driver’s station and on programming the cRIO on the electronics board. Programming Room - Here is the set-up for this room: o This is the room where you need your Controls Systems Expert! o Each team will need their own tabletop space for laptop computers and to spread out instruction manuals. o Each team will need a power outlet close to every team’s work area for keeping 1-2 laptops charged during the afternoon. o This room needs internet access for downloading software updates and instructions. It is definitely better to have wireless internet available for all the teams in this room, but if you just have a few ports available it could work as teams that download the software can pass the files around on memory sticks. o A screen and projector for displaying a PowerPoint presentation, the Control Systems Expert’s computer screen, plus last minute instructions websites from National Instruments, Lab View, and FIRST . o A PA with microphone is again very helpful but may not be necessary if you only have a few teams or a small room and your lead mentor has a loud voice. - There is a PowerPoint presentation on programming this year’s new Driver’s Station. It was posted on a FIRST Forum by a Beta-test team. We have not developed a PowerPoint presentation as of this writing for the Programming Team but hope to have one out to the RQBS coordinators in late December or early January. - It is possible that the Electronics Team will be bringing the electronics board into this room instead of vice versa, so have enough space available in case some teams prefer this. - If you are trying for running all the robots in wireless mode, it is a good idea to establish a deadline for giving up on this and resigning yourself to running the robots that day in tethered mode. Kitbot Final Assembly
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Do the assembly in the Main Assembly Room. Basically, you mount the electronics board, wire the motors on the robot frame/transmission to the board, mount a battery, and try to run it. Each team will have to drill about 3 more holes in the electronics board while it is on the robot in order to mount it. Make sure they do not drill into the tables! The teams will need to do yet another software and programming check once the electronics are hooked to the actual drive motors on the robot frame. Be sure the robots have their wheels off the tables so they don’t take off! If the robot doesn’t work then teams will move into troubleshooting mode and may go back to the Programming or Electronics rooms.
Kitbot Testing Area - When teams get ready to drive their robots, have them move to a large open area. Last year we just pushed a bunch of the tables out of the way in the Main Assembly Room and used that area. You may want to go to a separate area outside, or in a hallway, or in other rooms. Each team will need their own floor space to try their robot. If you are cramped for space or there are many teams ready at the same time have them take turns. - The kitbot robot can run pretty fast, so tell the teams to be a little cautious when they first run it so they don’t give it full throttle and run into a wall or a crowd of people !
Hardware Items Needed for Each Team
1. 1-quart Ziploc ‘Goody’ bag containing materials for mounting the electronics hardware and wiring it: 1. (5) ¼-20 nuts (nylocks preferred) 2. (2) ¼-20 x 1” screws 3. (3) ¼-20 x 1 ¾” screw 4. (2) 10-32 x 1” machine screws 5. (2) 10-32 nuts (nylocks preferred) 6. about 50 sticky-back Velcro 1” dots, or substitute 3-4 ft of ¾-1” wide sticky-back Velcro tape 2. ~ 12 zip ties 8-12” long (these may be in the FIRST kit of parts also) 3. Something for holding down the battery on the robot (24” zip tie, rope, surgical tubing, etc.) 4. 17” x 37” pre-cut base plate for the Electronics board (3/16” luan board, ¼” plywood, or ¼” polycarbonate) 5. 8” x 32” pre-cut base plate for the Drivers Station (same material as Electronics mounting board) 6. Copy of the (2) electronics board drilling templates (front template and back template) Items to be Shared - Masking tape for labeling - Several magic markers for writing team # on batteries, other items Spare Items Needed On Hand - Extra #10 AWG wire – both red and black – up to 200 ft of each - Extra 2-conductor #14 AWG wire, up to 200 ft - Spare 24” zip ties if you use them for battery hold-downs A complete list of parts can be calculated by using the supplied Excel spread sheet.
Tools Needed for Each Team
Frame Team: - 3/16” allen wrenches (2), preferably a T-handle, screwdriver type, or loop/wire handle for fast turning - Cordless drill w/ 3/16” allen wrench bit is a plus ! - 7/16” combination wrench - Pliers - Hammer - Tape measure - Marking pencil/pen/marker - Flat head and Phillips screwdrivers - Chain break for 3/8” chain (Note: teams can borrow this from another team if needed) Electronics Team: - Wire strippers - Wire cutters - Wire crimpers – a good set with handles at least 7” long - Phillips screwdriver ( #2) - Flat Screwdriver - Wago flat screwdriver (supplied in FIRST kit) - 3/8” combination wrench - 10mm combination wrench - Tape measure - 7/16” combination wrench - Cordless drill small drill be set up to 3/8” -