4-H Offers Free Computer-Aided-Design Class thru Dec.2016

Using Computer Automated Drafting (CAD) to create… well, anything, is just plain fun. Students in this class are going to learn how to design-to-manufacture anything that they can imagine.

This class will be using Onshape CAD software. This software is browser-based and does not require installation onto a computer. It is accessed by logging onto the website, www.onshape.com, with your own account using your email address and a password.

Any computer, laptop, or chromebook using a standard browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Opera (but not Internet Explorer) may be used. Ipads and Android tablets can be used until a laptop or chromebook is made available but the Onshape “app” interface is limited compared to the standard browser version.

This is the future of professional computer automated drafting and the students will be getting in on the ground floor of a revolutionary CAD product. All models will be stored in the cloud. All work is saved and revision recorded as soon as it is edited. All students will have edit access to the models at the same time allowing real-time collaboration.

Instructor D.Rankin has been using various CAD products professionally for 15 years and is extremely impressed with this product. It is particularly useful as a tool to teach CAD principles.

Requirements for the class:

• Laptop or chromebook computer that runs a standard version of the acceptable browsers. Mobile versions of the browsers are not compatible. (However, there is an Onshape “app” that can be utilized for Ipads and Android tablets.)
• Mouse and mousepad.
• Dial calipers, for measuring parts to be modelled.
• An Onshape account created using the student's email address.
• A commitment to attend at least 50% of Saturday classes offered and to turn in 100% of any homework assigned. Very little homework will be assigned but model creation and collaboration from home will be expected.

Dates : 6/18, 6/25, 7/9, 7/16, 7/23, 8/13, 8/20, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29, 11/12, 11/19, 11/26, 12/10, 12/17

Time: Saturdays, 11:30am-1:30pm, make sure that you eat lunch before you attend classes. Come early if you need to set up your computer.

Location: PUD3 Auditorium, 2621 E Johns Prairie Rd., Shelton, WA 98584. The Auditorium is on the Shelton side, towards the High School, of the facility.

 

20 DRIVE “GINGKO” AT LACEY STEM FAIR MAY 7, 2016

Twenty kids, ages 4 to 56, drove our student-built robot “Gingko”, our four mecanum wheeled side sliding wonder at the Lacey STEM Fair.  One 7 year old girl said, “I love your robot. I even parked it.”

Our high school students built “Gingko” from scratch as our yearly testbed robot in December 2015.  The students decided to make the robot using mecanum wheels, each of which have small rollers around its edges that allow the robot to slide sideways.  Students named the robot after the “Gingko Petrified Forest”.

Four students, six volunteers, and five dozen visitors attended on behalf of 4-H “Aldernating Current” Team 5295 FIRST Robotics of Mason County, primarily composed of students with the Shelton High Robotics Club.  Students: Brayden, Hunter, Jaeden, and Kiery.  Volunteers: P.Cusack, K.Hansen, C.&G.Inman, A.Walker, and Coach J.Wright.

April 1-3: District Competition at Auburn Senior High School; A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY; Record Team Attendance Features 35th Rep.Dan Griffey, North Mason School District Board Member Dinah Griffey, 4-H Youth Development Coordinator Kathy Fuller, and Shelton Realtor Keith Fuller

SUMMARY:
For the first time ever, Aldernating Current brought thirty people to a district competition.  The eight new 7" pneumatic wheels allowed our competition robot "Ironwood" to overcome challenges Drawbridge, Moat, Portcullis, Rock Wall, and Rough Terrain. "Ironwood" scored one Low Goal.  During the match, the team added an autonomous program. Unfortunately, communication problems between the drive station and motor controllers frequently prevented the desired operation of the robot. The team came up with many ways to improve (see Learning Opportunity at the end of this post).

EVENT RESULTS: AUBURN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
http://frc-events.firstinspires.org/2016/WAAHS/rankings

RECORD ATTENDANCE (30):
This is the most people that have ever attended an Aldernating Current competition. Students (10): Brayden, Brooklyn, Guy, Hunter, Isaac, Jaeden, Juan, Kayleigh, Kiery, and Tyler. Mentors (6): A.Hansen, A.Hospador, A.Walker, G.Inman, K.Hansen, and Coach Wright. Visitors (14): D.Rankin (both days; new SolidWorks recruit); D. & F. Hansen (grandparents); the Ordonez'; A.Estrada, N.Vasquez and daughter Brielle; Kathy Fuller (4-H Mason County Youth Development Program Coordinator) and husband Keith (real estate sales); 35th Legislative District Representative Dan Griffey, wife Dinah Griffey (North Mason School District Board of Education), and their grandson William. Zander, brother to one of our students, learned how to solder.

KIERY TOURS REP. DAN GRIFFEY and
NORTH MASON SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER GRIFFEY:
Ambassador Kiery toured 35th Legislative District Representative Dan Griffey, wife Dinah Griffey (Board of Education member), and grandson William through our competition. The Griffeys delighted seeing all the wild team uniforms. The energy of all the students amazed them. The matches in the arena impressed them. The pits gave them a good understanding of the hands-on learning process. Both added graffiti to the safety kits. Dinah Griffey shared some fundraising ideas with A.Walker. "Why don't you do outreach and fundraising at the same time?" she asked. She felt that a visual thermometer best communicates your fundraising goal.

4-H PROGRAM MANAGER KATHY FULLER VISITS:
Our Mason County 4-H focal and her husband Keith visited the pits and watched the quarter-final matches. On Monday, she wrote "I would like to extend a huge thank you to you and the rest of Team 5295 for a job well done in putting together an awesome group of youth and adults and making the robotics program a reality in Mason County. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Auburn yesterday! The youth were wonderful to speak with and watch – their pride in their project and team is very evident. The adults are all wonderful, caring people who see the big picture and the positive impact they are having on these young lives. Kudos to all, please pass on my message to the group."  

TEAM 4450 REFERRAL GIVES US A NEW MENTOR:
At our March 26 visit to Team 4450's practice field in Tumwater, 4450 training mentor T.Farrell knew of a hydraulic systems designer who might be interested in helping us out. D.Rankin attended both days and is now officially a mentor for Team 5295. SolidWorks, our biggest donor, drew him to "Aldernating Current". He has used SolidWorks for all his hydraulic designs in the last fifteen years and is excited to teach computer-aided-design and eventually pneumatics to our students. 

SAFETY:
Tyler (Safety Captain) created a safety display board on the left side of the pit facing the aisle. His display board included our first aid kit, fire extinguisher, battery spill kit, and eye wash station. He suggests that the team get a larger plastic bin to hold a broken battery with the bin lid on. A small fan will push fumes away from the solder tool.

UNIFORMS:
In January, our students decided on a uniform of red/plaid long sleeve shirt, suspenders, and a logger's retro safety helmet. We would be able to do this without the assistance of our many sponsors. We stand out as we are the only team wearing either or red plaid or suspenders.

ROBOT INSPECTION:
We passed robot inspection late Friday evening. The team added both a short arm and a long arm with spring. "Ironwood" weighed 118 lbs. versus 89 lbs. at the earlier competition. Students had some difficulty accessing our Google Drive where we stored our Bill of Materials (also called a Cost Accounting Template). On Friday while the rest of the team loaded the trailer, Jaeden and Kiery completed the Bill of Materials, documenting the parts used to build the robot.

DRIVE TEAM:
Kiery (Drive Captain), Guy (Human Player), Hunter (Autonomous & Camera), and Jaeden (Joystick). Saturday (9 matches): In our first match #4, we moved very little. Repairs took a while and only Human Player Guy competed in our second match #7. In the pit, the communications worked fine. In match three #16, "Ironwood" climbed over the rock wall, hit the ground hard, and was then "dead on the field". Hunter said the the impact loosened the power connection to the radio, caused a voltage spike and a roboRIO (brain) brownout.  The RIO then went through a thirty second reboot/refresh. The pit team was able to repair the robot in time for our next match. In our fourth match #19, "Ironwood" pulled down and crossed the Drawbridge. We had difficulty navigating around a second boulder. In our fifth match #27, we crossed the Moat and froze. The solid yellow light indicated we had power and no communication. The pit team fixed this problem. Hunter added an autonomous program.  In our sixth match #36, the robot spun during autonomous, and in teleop we had no left side power. The left side chain became loose and ground into the aluminum plate. Industrial foreman G.Inman believes an idler pulley is needed, one each side.  Team 3787 "Wild Robotocats" felt that one CIM motor could only drive 3 pneumatic wheels and a chain. The pit team started to add another CIM motor to each side's drive train.  Electrical engineer A.Hospador advised that our wiring must have some curvature or flex near connections.  Impacts have caused tight wires to pull out. In match #41, the robot went backwards in autonomous. In teleop (human control), "Ironwood" crossed the Rock Wall, and parked at the tower. Match #48. In our last match of the day #51, the robot did not move at all. Although Saturday was full of disappointment, one student said they were glad for the many challenges the team faced, as the team learned a lot.
Sunday (3 matches): Based on our scouting Saturday, the team decided at their breakfast meeting to complete the communications repair, add the short arm to lift the Portcullis, score a Low Goal, and play hinder high scorers on the opposing alliance. Students felt this would best show off our abilities and get us selected on a playoff alliance. When the pit team has time, L.E.D. lights will be added. One student delayed the team leaving the motel. Thus the pit team did not have enough time to modify the robot and the team sent Guy as human player. In our second match of the day #64, the robot lifted the Portcullis but did not score a low goal. The team sent a human player for the final match #72. When the team was not selected to be on a playoff alliance, students ate a quick lunch, and headed back to Shelton High.

PIT TEAM:
Jaeden (Pit Chief), Brayden, Hunter, Isaac, Juan, Kiery, and Tyler. These heros made many quick changes to our robot. The decision to use pneumatic wheels agrees is a good one. At the Pacific Northwest Championship (best 64 Oregon & Washington teams), 7 out of 8 teams use pneumatic wheels.

SCOUTING:
Jaeden wrote a three page scouting data form.  Juan, Isaac, and Kayleigh on Friday asked teams in the pit what their robot could do. Fans in the stands, primarily the Ordonez' and A.Walker, documented robot performance on Saturday when nine qualification matches occurred. Our scouting revealed that Stronghold challenges were overcome frequently, average, or rarely.  The number of teams accomplishing the challenge is noted in parentheses (teleop, autonomous). Frequent: Low Bar (20,4); Rough Terrain (20,3); and Moat (18,3). Average: Rock Wall (15,4); Ramparts (14, 1); Sally Port (14, 0); Cheval de Frise (13, 0); High Goal (11,2); and Low Goal (10, 2). Rare: Portcullis (8,1), Draw Bridge (7,0); and Pull Up Bar or Climb (7,0). This influenced our Sunday plan to complete the communication repairs, and demonstrate we could lift the Portcullis and score Low Goals. Future scouting sheets should be on one page with team numbers on the short side and narrow columns for the challenges. Or even a [software] app[lication] with team drop down and challenge drop down. The minimum number of scouters watching the matches is two: one to observe, and another to mark.

ROBOT AS SURGEON:
In 2008 Dr. Kathy Hunter started using DaVinci robots in OB/GYN surgery.  At the conclusion of her talk at Sunday's opening ceremony, she invited students to skype with her. What questions do our students have? I know of one future bio-engineer and a future surgeon that may have some questions.

PHOTOS:
If you took pictures or video of the event, please add them to our Google Drive Photos.

FOOD:
A.Walker provided a picnic for the team Friday evening and Saturday lunch. His home baked chocolate chip cookies and banana nut bread disappeared quickly.  The team loved the ham, pastrami, and smoked Gouda for sandwiches.  Salami, cheddar, and Swiss cheese were less popular.  Full jars of dill and sweet pickles emptied.  Sour cream potato chips and pretzels were more liked than the blue corn chips (need salsa).  The team ate breakfast Saturday and Sunday at the motel.  Dinner Saturday was at the "incredible good" barbecue place next door to the motel.  The Sunday lunch was again on the outside picnic table. Some students purchased food from the high school concession stand. Big thank yous to A.Walker for providing food and A.Hospador for suggesting the purchase of a team ice chest.  

NEIGHBOR INSIGHTS:
Also staying at our motel were our sister 4-H Team 3787 "Wild Robotocats" from Westport in Grays Harbor county (lime colored shirts). 3787 was also positioned in the pits directly across from us and felt two CIM motors per side was essential for chain drives and playing solid defense. The only team from Oregon to attend, Team 1425 "Error Code Xero" (black shirts with flames) won the previous week's competition in Oregon and was on the winning alliance here at Auburn Senior High School. Their 45 student team decided to compete at Week 4 and Week 5 competitions and won both. Team 1425 typically meets in the motel lobby prior to a team departure. Student Beth helped A.Walker carry a food box to the picnic table Friday evening. Two pits down from us, Team 4579 "Robo-Eagles" from Federal Way High School used a modified Andy Mark tread system and finished tied for 32nd in qualification, four places better than 5295. Team 4579 broke three plastic sprockets Andy Mark included in their version 1.0 tread kit. One of their mentors D.Kon (whom A.Walker worked with at Boeing) visited our pit and invited 5295 mentors to check out the 4579 robot and the scrapes on the bottom of their robot dent plate. Team 4579 places all driver and safety captain buttons in the workbench at the end of the day.

OBSTACLES:
Hindering our success are: recruiting students, mentor/volunteers, and sponsors; communication between our communities (students, parents, volunteers, schools, sponsors, 4-H, other teams, robotic organizations, and the people who live here in Mason County); isolation (nearest FRC team is 30 minutes away); lack of testing; and technical communication between the drive station and motor controllers.

TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION:
In addition to the steps listed in the "Solutions to Communication Problems" post on our home page, we could implement these best practices. Build a practice suitcase with RIO and motor controllers to speed up programming.  Keep motors far from radios to eliminate interference. Insulate (for vibration and grounding) all electrical components by placing rubber between them and the frame. Let wires flex a bit near connections.  Check all connections prior to any operation. Practice frequently to let these problems surface prior to a match. At Sunday's opening ceremony, Kevin Ross (founder of Washington FIRST Robotics) suggested teams not unplug the Ethernet cable between the RIO and the radio.  Rather plug tethers directly into the radio.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITY:
Determine and focus on team goals. Goals drive plans.  Project plans define who does what when. Let team members work in pairs on tasks. Write a team handbook for students, parents, volunteers, and sponsors.  Streamline the part/tool ordering process.  Create a store of standard fasteners, collars, extrusions (Kline & 80/20), and wheels (plastic, pneumatic, mecanum, and tread) that allow the team to build any robot.  Teach students SolidWorks. Look online at FRC pictures of simple, elegant, wiring.  Build a simple robot in four weeks. Test in the last two weeks to make the robot competition ready. Find a sponsor to build a half-court. Practice more often. Complete the bill of materials by mid-week.  Improve the scouting form. Review best practices for overnight school field trips.Copy what successful teams do (i.e. knowledge sponsors 4450, 230 & 3574) and 1425 winners two weeks in a row. Team 4131 "Iron Patriots" (2nd place alliance) always has a student runner within eyesight of the drive team; just in case a battery or tool is needed. Mentors are meeting to come up with proposals to improve robot performance and team organization. Students will decide which proposals should be implemented, modified, or rejected. This conforms to our guiding principle "Mentor suggest; students decide".

DRIVE STATION IDEAS:
Jaeden felt the team would do well to design a drive station. Hunter thinks we should get ideas from other teams. Label all joystick buttons. A.Hospador thinks we should optimize the elevation of the joystick (hand height). Ease of transport is essential. Jaeden thinks Plexiglas would be helpful.  A.Walker suggested a lower shelf. Continue to use Velcro to attach everything.

ROBOT CART IDEAS:
The cart must carry the drive station. A.Hospador felt the robot cart + drive station should place the joystick at the proper height. The cart should also carry a backup classmate computer, backup joystick, and a backup battery. A place for loose nuts would be helpful.

  

Shelton to be Added to Washington Team Map

By the end of April, once the competition season is over, Washington FIRST Robotics will add a pin at Shelton to show the primary location of 4-H Team 5295 "Aldernating Current" FIRST Robotics of Mason County. This will be the first time in three years our Shelton team shows up on the Washington team map.

Solutions to Communication Problems

Sometimes our drive station operator console does not talk to the wireless radio. We experienced this most recently March 26th at our test at Olympia Robotics Federation test field in Tumwater.

Sean F. (student Lead Programmer for Olympia's Team 4450) suggests
1) Unplug roboRIO at radio. Plug directly into a computer.
       Wait 20 seconds. This should refresh the IP address.
2) Plug roboRIO back into radio. This may fix the problem.

When the above does not work, K.O'Connor (FRC Robotics Engineer at forums.usfirst.org) suggests
3) Set drive station IP to 10.TE.AM.5 (TE.AM = 52.95)
     Instructions to Reimage RIO
4) Make sure the adapter is not dual homed. Follow These Steps
5) Disable Windows Firewall. Instructions at Bottom of this Link

6) L.Spoldi of Team 230 Gaelhawks of Shelton High School in Shelton, Connecticut adds
(6A)As noted above, I would strongly suggest verifying that your Windows Firewall is turned off.  You should also disable any networking configurations that are not being used (eg. Local Area Connection is not being used when connect through the WiFi).  Also make sure that you have successfully re-programmed the new OpenMesh radio after your competition.  This is required to reset the WPA key to allow the wireless communication.  Note that you can verify the basic interface by plugging the driver station into the radio with an ethernet cable.  Make sure that the connection to the roboRIO is plugged into the ethernet port that is next to the power connector.  This is also very important. 

(6B)The version of windows running on your driver station may be a factor.  There have been several teams that have had issues with Windows 10 but I believe they were all fixed with the latest driver station software update (https://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-46527).

(6C)In addition there are several threads on chiefdelphi.com that provide additional tests that can be performed to validate and test the communications. 

Review of Auburn Mountainview

To best prepare for our district competition on April 1-2-3 at Auburn Senior High School, let's ask ourselves a few questions.

What went right?
DRIVE TEAM: Our robot "Ironwood" drove over a rock wall and successfully parked at the tower. PIT CREW: After qualification match 6, the pit crew was able to get the tread back on the robot, missing only one match. After match 18, Hunter was able to give the driver the ability to use our camera to see around obstacles.   

What went wrong?
Treads kept falling off. Tread bearings broke and we had no spares.  Also we did not use an autonomous program.

What did we learn?
Only use drive systems other FRC teams used with success. Bring spares of all parts to competitions.  Write an autonomous program.

What can we learn from other teams?
Our sister 4-H Team 3787 Westport Wild Robotocats successfully overcame both the Portcullis (A1) and the Sally Port(C2). Our parent Team 4450 Olympia Robotics Federation was the #2 scorer after the dozen qualification matches. They had difficulty against a defensive robot in their three quarterfinal matches losing two matches by just three points!  Although Team 4450 wrote three autonomous programs, none were ever used. In Autonomous a team gets ten points just for crossing an undamaged defense.

How can we do better?
Build our robots from kits that other FIRST Robotic Competition (FRC) teams used with success.

What are our resources to test?
In our robot cage - thanks primarily to A.Hospador - we have a Low Bar, Moat (B1), Rock Wall (D1), and Rough Terrain (D2).  Team 4450 invited Team 5295 to use their half field in a warehouse close to Capital High School in Olympia.  Team 2557 SOTAbots has a full size field in Tacoma that is open to everyone.  Probably the best days for a field trip to a test facility is Saturday March 19 or Saturday March 26. 

Robot Breaks in Fourth Match; Team Finishes 35th of 40 in Qualification Matches at Auburn Mountainview March 3-5

SUMMARY: Our competition robot "Ironwood" broke down in qualification match 24.  Both tank tread bearings failed; we did not have spares. We plan to replace the tread with (8) six inch diameter tires. Three of the six robots in the final championship match at Auburn Mountainview used the 8 x 6" pneumatic wheel configuration.  The team's heart broke when we discovered we could not repair the robot in time to compete in another qualification match.  The team competed with a human player in eight of the nine other qualification matches (without a robot) and finished 35th in a field of 40 teams.  In 2015 with a functioning robot, Team 5295 finished 31st out of 32 teams. The team is upbeat about repairing our robot.  The team will begin continue repairing the robot on Thursday, March 10th in robot shop room 809.  Team 5295 did not win any awards. 

ATTENDING: Ten students and seven adult mentors attended. Students: Brayden (Pit Team), Brooklyn (Graphics Lead), Guy (Drive Team), Hunter (Programming Lead & Drive Team), Isaac (first year), Jaeden (Drive Team, Pit Chief, & Build Captain), Jonathan (first year), Juan (Pit Team), Kiery (Drive Captain & Team Captain), and Tyler (Safety Captain).  Mentors: K.Hansen, A.Hospador, G.Inman, Je.Ordonez, Jo.Ordonez, A.Walker, and Coach Wright.

EVENT RESULTS: http://frc-events.firstinspires.org/2016/WAAMV 
The team went 0-4 with the robot and 4-3 without it for an overall record of 4-7.

UNBAG, WEIGHT & SIZE: Upon arriving at Auburn Mountainview High on Day 1 Thursday, the robot inspectors allowed students to unbag our competition robot "Ironwood" asking them to return when the robot frame was fully attached. The robot perimeter measured 118.75" < 120" maximum requirement (rule Robot03). "Ironwood" weighed 95 pounds < 120 pound maximum requirement (rule Robot20).  Brooklyn (with help from Juan and 1.5 other team members)  created a reversible red/blue bumper that weighed 10.8 pounds < 20 pound maximum requirement (rule Robot05). 

ROBOT INSPECTION: This is an iterative process. After our initial inspection, the team needed to: touch-up bumper color; fix the boulder motor slippage; update the drive station software; check the arm motor; install the plexi-glass; check all the electrical wires for any disconnects; and grease gears. The pit team included Jaeden (Pit Chief), Hunter, Isaac, Juan, Kiery, and Tyler.  By the end of evening on Day 1 (pits closed at 9:30PM), we had only to add some red and blue gaffers tape to make the bumper colors uniform, and complete a parts list (PL).  Engineering firms call this a parts list, last year FIRST called it a bill of materials (BOM). This year FIRST calls it a Cost Accounting Worksheet (CAW).  Whatever you call it, it simply documents what components (in addition to the Kit of Parts) the team used to build the robot. A.Walker provided a dinner of sandwiches (turkey, ham, and swiss) and fruit in the high school cafeteria. In the morning of Day 2, Brayden joined the pit team.  Kiery coordinated with robot inspector K.Luthy to pass robot inspection.

SCOUTING: While the pit team made final adjustments to "Ironwood" on Day 1, Kiery and Jaeden organized a scout survey.  In a visit to each pit, our students asked students from other teams whether their robot could make low goals, high goals, climb the tower, or overcome obstacles.  On the morning of Day 3, Guy shared that most of the robots had difficulty with the three gates: Portcullis (A1); Drawbridge (C1); and Sally Port (C2).  A.Walker notes that teams also had difficulty with the Cheval de Frise (A2) and the Rough Terrain (D2).  In the final match of the two best alliances, robots sped across the Moat (B1) and Rock Wall (D1),

DRIVE TEAM: Team Captain Kiery organized the drive team: Guy (human player); Hunter (programming); Jaeden (joystick driver); and Kiery (drive captain). After "Ironwood" broke down, Guy and Brayden represented the team as our Human Player.  This allowed the team to receive the points that the two robot alliance won, including wins.  The team went 0-4 with the robot and 4-3 without it for an overall record of 4-7.

MATCH 6: During our initial match (a 32-55 loss), the right tread fell off. The pit team repaired this and "Ironwood" was ready to go for our third match.

MATCH 9: The pit team could not repair the tread in time for the match start. Guy attended as the Human Player. We lost the match 5-66.  We did pick up five points helping our averages.  Without the human player we would receive zero points and an automatic loss no matter what our alliance did. 

MATCH 18: We lost our third match 55-83. Jaeden successfully drove over the Rock Wall (D1) defense and parked at the tower. Our driver Jaeden lost sight of the robot when it went behind a tall obstacle. Hunter figured out how to give a camera feed to our drivers station.

MATCH 31: We lost our fourth match 12-55, shortly after the left tread became loose and fell off.  The pit crew determined that two small bearings failed, one each side.

REPAIR: The pit team felt the best repair would be to replace the tread with pneumatic wheels. While Team 5295 did not bring our 6" pneumatic wheels with us, we felt sure that another team did.  It was also likely that the machine shop would be able to make some parts for us.  The machine shop also probably had some raw material we could use.  Build mentor K.Hansen felt that the quickest repair involved machining the six required plates in his Shelton garage and getting the pneumatic wheels from our robot cage at Shelton High.  He, Coach Wright, Brayden, Jaeden, and Juan returned to Shelton late afternoon on Day 2.

RULE  R18: A.Mendes, a lead robot inspector that trained A.Walker as a robot inspector, dropped our pit for a visit. Mendes pointed out that rule R18 allows 30 pounds of pre-fabricated parts only at load-in. "The WITHHOLDING ALLOWANCE may only be brought into the Venue when the Team initially loads in at the Event. Items made at an Event do not count towards this weight limit." Our plan to make parts in Shelton and install them on the robot is illegal per R18.

MATCH PLAY WITH HUMAN PLAYER (NO ROBOT):
Q31: 12-56 loss as Red2.
Q37: 65-52 WIN as Blue1.
Q43: 30-74 loss as Blue 2.
Q49: 67-62 WIN as Red2.
Q57: No human player. Loss; 0 points. A.Walker insisted we go to dinner.
Q62: 65-64 WIN as Blue2. (Saturday)
Q67: 90-86 WIN as Red2. (Saturday)
Q73: 59-84 loss as Blue1. (Saturday)

AWARDS: given during the 3PM-4PM ceremony. Congratulations to:
Chairman's Award (sustained good citizenship)---Team 2557 SOTAbots
Engineering Inspiration Award---Team 3786 Chargers
Champions (1st Place Alliance)---Team 1983 Skunkworks (#1 seed),
   Team 3238 Cyborg Ferrets (#3 seed) & Team 3786 Chargers (#32 seed)
Finalist Award (2nd Place Alliance)---Team 2046 Bear Metal (#2 seed),
   Team2522 RoyalRobotics(#12seed)&Team5937 MI-Robotics(#25seed)
Industrial Safety Award---Team 3238 Cyborg Ferrets
Industrial Design Award---Team 2046 Bear Metal
Highest Rookie Seed Award---Team 5803 Apex Robotics
Reinvent the Wheel Award---Team 2605 Sehome Seamonsters
Rookie All Star Award---Team 5827 Code Purple
Rookie Inspiration Award---Team 5803 Apex Robotics
Entreneurship Award---Team 5588 Holy Names Academy (Reign)
Spirit Award---Team 4450 Olympia Robotics Federation
Excellence in Engineering Award---Team 4131 Iron Patriots
Gracious Professionalism Award---host Team 2907 Lion Robotics
Creativity Award---Team 2522 Royal Robotics
Quality Award---Team 1983 Skunk Works Robotics
Innovation in Control---Team 4469 Raider Artificial Intelligence Division
Imagery Award---Team 3238 Cyborg Ferrets
Dean's List---Kaylie P. Team 3787 Wild Robotocats (our sister 4-H team)
Woodie Flowers (Top Mentor) Award---P.Cook Team 4450 & six others

Hunter & Jaeden Selected Dean's List Semi-Finalists

On February 11th, mentors of "Aldernating Current" nominated Hunter and Jaeden as the team's two Dean's List Semi-Finalists.

In an effort to recognize the leadership and dedication of FIRST's most outstanding secondary school students, the Kamen family sponsors awards for selected 10th or 11th grade students known as the Dean's List.  Since its introduction in 2010, the FIRST Dean's List Award has attracted the attention of prestigious colleges and universities who desire to have FIRST Dean's List students apply for admissions.

Criteria for selection of the FIRST Robotics Competition Dean’s List Award includes a student’s: a) demonstrated leadership and commitment to the ideals of FIRST; b) effectiveness at increasing awareness of FIRST in the school and community ; c) interest in and passion for a long-term commitment to FIRST; d) overall individual contribution to their team; e) technical expertise and passion; f) entrepreneurship and creativity; f) ability to motivate and lead fellow team members.

Similar to the very prestigious National Merit Scholarship Award, there are three (3) levels of FIRST Dean’s List Award students: Semi-Finalists nominated by team mentors; Finalists selected at the Pacific Northwest Championship; and Winners awarded at the World Championship.

In 2015, mentors selected Semi-Finalists Kiery (then Electrical Lead sophomore at Shelton High) and Todd (then Marketing & Graphics Lead sophomore at North Mason High).  Based on the mentor's nomination and her interview at district, judges selected Kiery for consideration at the Pacific Northwest Championship. Judges there consider the mentors nomination and judge notes from the district competition. No interview is done. Kiery did not advance to the World Championship.

Hunter and Jaeden will be interviewed for 5-10 minutes at our Auburn Mountainview district competition March 3-5.

Hunter in his junior year at Shelton High School (10th-12th grade). His initiative and level of responsibility make him one of our three key team leaders.

Hunter became our Lead Programmer gradually. He spoke with the returning programmers and watched last year’s game matches. After discussing the pros and cons of each programming language with the other programmers, Hunter persuaded them to write code in JAVA this year.

After the team moved into the auto shop, Hunter took part in our autumn inventory. As the Lead Programmer, Hunter is aware of the parts needed to complete the robot. He notifies our Buyer when we are short a part.

Hunter is our public face at Mason County 4-H Community Days which occur once a quarter. He patiently explains the controls to our young audience (ages 4 to 13) and lets them drive our testbed robot.

On an outreach to North Mason High School, we recruited a new 9th grade programmer. Hunter engaged the young man, assessed his programming skills, and gave him a basic programming assignment.

Hunter and other students visited the offices of their 35th District legislators in Olympia. He shared that much learning occurs when failures become success.

As a student member of the DECA [business] Club at Shelton High, Hunter improves our team business plan.

The following are Hunter’s words.

“Why did I join robotics? Robotics is a challenge. You will learn something if you try to do something very difficult or even seemingly impossible. If you don't first succeed, just follow the old adage ‘try, try, try again’.”

“I see robotics as a wealth of challenges and knowledge. Robotics is a continual never ending series of challenges. After one challenge is complete, two or three more show up even if you don’t initially see them. As you learn, you learn how much more there is still to learn.”

“What has robotics taught me? In the short time I have been in robotics I have honestly learned so much: working as a team; learning that other opinions are there; and that your opinions aren’t always better. A saying I have seen before is ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far go together.’ At the last meeting I took a glance around: I saw Jaeden and his dad working on the robot frame and mechanics; Kiery soldering on the electrical joints; and me cutting and connecting the wires, ready to jump on programming once wiring was done. It really brought it all into reality. We are a team and would only work as a team.”

“Even though I specialize in programming, I am learning to do everything involved in robotics. I now attempt to master the next closely related task to programming which is wiring and soldering.”

“The team functions as a team only if we help each other. I see a value that can be put towards improving our team in everything I learn. To me the team gave me the opportunity to join-in and build robots and be a part of something that I could never do myself. In return, I see that the team deserves that commitment. I fully commit myself to robotics by constantly learning more about anything that could ever slightly relate to robotics. The way I see it is my programming is my personal contribution to the team as much as everything I learn from them is their contribution to me.”


Jaeden is in his sophmore year at Shelton High School (10th-12th grade). His initiative and level of responsibility make him one of our three key team leaders.

Jaeden’s developed his passion towards robotics as part of the FIRST Technical Challenge Team 7979 “T-Wolves” at Oakland Bay Junior High (8th-9th grade). He intuitively understands how his passions can help the team. Jaeden serves the team as a robot designer, Build Captain, Pit Chief, and primary driver.

His initiative and enthusiasm are remarkable.  Our primary high school suggested moving the team storage closet into a 12’ x 18’ cage in the auto shop.  Without prompting, Jaeden oversaw the cleanup of the cage.  He made sure the team had moved over all our robot parts, tools, and marketing aids.

Jaeden loves to sort. He is always collecting similar parts and finding them a home: a box or tote on an appropriate shelf. Tools are collected in the team tool chest. His pursuit of gracious professionalism is incorporated into how he organizes our pit. Jaeden’s mindset is that the pit crew must also have easy access to donate parts or lend tools out to other teams during competitions. He includes the ideas of the other students and shares the team’s preferred storage system with his fellow team members.

Jaeden’s initiative helped the team recover from no team meetings during September. The team did not have a coach until mid-October. Per school policy we could not meet until we had a school district staff member as our coach.

Jaeden is a very fierce advocate for design ideas. He articulates his ideas very well and does not shrink when authority figures suggest an alternate idea. He encourages other team members to clarify their design ideas. This helps the team find the optimum design.

Jaeden is a self-starter. He taught himself how to program and wire a robot. With the larger robots in FIRST Robotics Competition, Jaeden is learning how structural members handle tension and shear loads.

He often invests time at home investigating robot part options such as the best vendor for tank treads. At home he also builds mockups or actual detail parts.

Jaeden assumed the role of Build Captain quite easily.  He is a natural leader. Jaeden is very aware that many aspects of the robot are dependent on each another and strives to clearly communicate with the programming, electrical, and inventory leads.

At the heart of Jaeden’s passion is a personal feeling to share his skills and abilities “because others were gracious enough to help me become who I am”. The circle of gracious professionalism continues, students one by one sharing their skills with others. With his effort to Jaeden demonstrates his commitment to the ideals of FIRST.

Feb.8-9-10 Help Build Medieval Castle at Shelton High

Come and help build a wood mockup of a medieval castle!

Volunteers will meet in the wood shop of Shelton High Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 2:30pm-5:00pm. Pro-Build provides the lumber and supplies.  Shoppers Weekly printed 11"x17" drawings. Student team members will then test their competition robot against the wood mock-ups.

Successful Marketing Brings New Sponsors

New sponsors in the last month include Fastenal (Tumwater),  Pro-Build (Shelton), and  Shoppers Weekly (Shelton). For the complete list, see the Sponsors page. News articles will soon appear in the  Mason County Journal (Shelton) and Mason Life (a Kitsap Sun publication). Thank you Marketing Team!