2016 GAME "STRONGHOLD"
2016 Game Animation (3:11)
2016 Game & Admin Manuals
2016 Playing Field Details
2016 Kit of Parts & Team Updates
2016 Kickoff Playlist Q&A Logo
3D Printing
"3D technology give girl new hand" Everett Herald 4-1-2015
Building a Prosthetic Hand Everett Herald 12-7-2015
CHIEF DELPHI
Chief Delphi (shared wisdom; created by Team 51 "Wings of Fire")
CONTROL SYSTEM
Communication Problems (courtesy K.O'Connor & forums.usfirst.org)
1) Unplug roboRIO from radio. Plug directly into computer.
Wait 20 seconds. This should refresh the IP address.
2) Plug roboRIO into radio. This may fix the problem.
3) Set drive station IP to 10.TE.AM.5 Instructions
4) Make sure the adapter is not dual homed. Follow These Steps
5) Disable Windows Firewall. Instructions Near Bottom of this Link
Download 2016 FRC Software (courtesy National Instruments)
FRC Control System Layout (courtesy Team358 Hauppauge NY)
roboRIO specifications (courtesy National Instruments)
CURRICULUM
4-H Robotics Curriculum (courtesy 4-H)
Moe University (courtesy Team 365 "Moe" Wilmington DE)
Oklahoma Career Tech FRC Curriculum (courtesy State of Oklahoma)
Western Canada FRC Curriculum
(courtesy FIRST Robotics Western Canada)
DESIGN
Design2522 (courtesy Team 2522 Lynnwood Royal Robotics)
DRIVE TRAIN
Drivetrain-selection1114 (courtesy Team 1114 Simbiotics ONTARIO)
DRAFTING (courtesy Team 2522 Lynnwood Royal Robotics)
01 Start
02 Definitions
03 Draw Experiment
04 Technical Drawing
ELECTRICAL
Electrical2522 (courtesy Team 2522 Lynnwood Royal Robotics)
Wiring the 2016 FRC Control System
FIRST 2015 Website 2015 Site Map 2015 Resource Library
(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)
Alumni
Archived Game Manuals
FIRST CHOICE (part of our Kit of Parts)
FIRST Lego League Junior (K-3) (none in Mason County)
FIRST Lego League (4th-8th) (Olympic Middle School & Pioneer School)
FIRST Tech Challenge (7th-12th) (Oakland Bay Junior High not active)
FIRST Robotics Competition (9th-12th grades) (Shelton High School)
FIRST Robotics Competition Forums
FIRST Safety Resources
FIRST Site Map
FIRST Staff Contacts
FIRST Web Log or Blog
Inspection
Kit of Parts (includes FIRST Choice)
Internships
Pacific Northwest District
Resource Library
Scholarships $25 Million for Juniors and Seniors
TIMS
Washington FIRST Robotics Calendar
Washington FIRST Robotics Donate
Washington FIRST Robotics Homepage
Washington Oregon Pacific Northwest District
FLAG and STANDARD DESIGN (courtesy A.Hospador)
Principles of Flag Design (courtesy A.Hospador)
Standard Design (courtesy Chief Delphi and A.Hospador)
FRC Students
"Robotics rock her world" Everett Herald 10-5-2015
GEARBOX
Gearbox and Motor Selection (courtesy FIRSTinspires.org & YouTube)
KIT
Mecanum (Assembly & Programming Guide courtesy AndyMark.com)
KIT OF PARTS
2016 Kit of Parts
LEARNING
Learning Activities (courtesy Team 2522 Lynnwood Royal Robotics)
MANUALS (courtesy FIRSTinspires.org)
2016-Stronghold 2016 Game Animation (3:11) 2016-Safety Manual
2015-Recycle Rush
2014-Aerial Assist
MARKETING
Big Bacon Theory1902 (won 2013 FIRST Worlds Imagery Award)
Marketing2522 (courtesy Team 2522 Lynnwood Royal Robotics)
MASON COUNTY
Events for January 2016 (includes service clubs)
Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce
MECHANICAL
Mechanical2522 (courtesy Team 2522 Lynnwood Royal Robotics)
MOTORS
Direct Current Motor Performance (courtesy VEXrobotics.com)
Introduction to Direct Current Motors (courtesy VEXrobotics.com)
Motor and Gearbox Selection (courtesy FIRSTinspires.org & YouTube)
Motor Performance (courtesy www.FIRSTinspires.org)
PNEUMATICS
Pneumatics2522 (courtesy Team 2522 Lynnwood Royal Robotics)
PROGRAMMING
Programming2522 (courtesy Team 2522 Lynnwood Royal Robotics)
roboRIO see Control System
roboRIO specifications (courtesy National Instruments)
ROBOT DESIGN
Robot-design1114 (courtesy Team 1114 Simbiotics ONTARIO)
ROBOT INSPECTION (courtesy Coach Wright)
https://firstfrc.blob.core.windows.net/frc2016manuals/GameManual/2016-inspection-checklist-1.0.pdf
SAFETY
FIRST Safety Resources
SCHOLARSHIPS
FIRST ($25+ million available for Juniors and Seniors. Filter by "FRC")
SCHOOLS
North Mason Board of Education
North Mason Calendar
North Mason School District
North Mason School District Volunteer Forms
Shelton Calendars
Shelton High Bell Schedule
Shelton School District
Shelton Schools District Contacts
Shelton School District Volunteer Forms
SERVICE CLUBS
Shelton Kiwanis Club Calendar
Shelton Skookum Rotary OysterFest
SOLIDWORKS (courtesy Team 5295 sponsor DS Solidworks)
Download Instructions Tutorials
If for any reason you have a problem with the software installation, please send an email with screen shots of the error to studentsupport@solidworks.com
Composer
Electrical
Tutorial Robots
Tutorial SAE
WorkgroupPDM
SPRING DESIGN
"Robot-Makers-Rule"
(by Molly Dugan, student President Team 1218 "Vulcan Robotics")
Vulcan Spring (donated 6 springs to Team 5295 in 2016)
'STAR WARS'
"BB-8: Design to Shelf in 10 Months" Financial Times 12-16-2015
TEAMS helping Team 5295 (we call them "Knowledge Sponsors")
(The term "Worlds" below indicates FIRST World Championship.)
Blue Alliance (information on any team)
230 Shelton High in Shelton CT (Team advice. 2013-2016 Worlds.)
254 Cheesy Poofs San Francisco (Fantastic mechanisms. 2016 Worlds.)
1114 Simbotics ONTARIO (Drive train selection & Robot Design)
1902 4-H Exploding Bacon rural FL (marketing experts)
1983 Skunk Works Seattle (very professional team)
2486 CocoNuts Flagstaff Arizona (Aunt Peggy's team)
2557 SOTAbots Tacoma (advised rookie Team 5295 pneumatics)
3574 High Tekerz Burien (sponsors Team 5295 Safety Program)
3787 4-H Ocosta Wild Robotocats (our sister 4-H team Grays Harbor)
4450 Olympia Robotic Federation (Parent team. 2016,2015,2013 Worlds.)
TEAMWORK
Teamwork2522 (courtesy Team 2522 Lynnwood Royal Robotics)
VENDORS
80/20 Extrusions (courtesy TECO Pneumatics)
Ace Hardware (courtesy Tozier Brothers ACE Hardware)
AndyMark.com (sponsors FIRST Choice)
Bimba Pneumatics (donated six pneumatic rams)
Buchanan Automation (Bimba distributor; contact A.Walker to pickup)
Del's Farm & Supply (4-H sponsor in Shelton WA)
FEDEX Tracking
Grainger Industrial Supply
Harbor Freight (contact P.Cusack to pickup in Olympia WA)
Home Depot (contact P.Cusack to pickup in Olympia WA)
Interstate Batteries (contact A.Walker to pickup in Lynnwood WA)
Pro-Build (Shelton WA)
Tozier Brothers ACE Hardware (Shelton WA)
VEX Robotics
WOMEN IN STEM
Girls Who Code
YOUTUBE
2015 FIRST Sponsor Video (courtesy Qualcomm)
4-H FRC Team 5295 Aldernating Current-----SHELTON HIGH ROBOTICS TEAM-----2018 robot "Locust"
Friday, October 16, 2015
To Edit Links or Add a News Article
1. Sign In (upper right)
2A. Upper left pick double paper + Place cursor under entry + Edit
-OR-
2B. Top center left View Blog + Pick desired page + Pick pencil to edit
3. Make changes 4. Preview + Close 5. Publish
2A. Upper left pick double paper + Place cursor under entry + Edit
-OR-
2B. Top center left View Blog + Pick desired page + Pick pencil to edit
3. Make changes 4. Preview + Close 5. Publish
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Green Diamond Now Sponsors Aldernating Current
October 11, 2015: Green Diamond Resource Company is now a sponsor. Funds will be used to create two identical pits at Shelton High School and North Mason High School. For more information on Green Diamond visit https://greendiamond.com/
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
2015 Shorewood Mar20-22: Still Room for Improvement
[From March 24, 2015]
2015 Shorewood Mar20-22: Dean's List Semi-Finalist Kiery Advances---Team 5295
Photo back row: the Ordonezes;
Red row: Tyler, Brayden, K.Mougous;
Second row: Kiery, A.Estrada, N.Vasquez, A.Walker, A.Hospador;
Front row:Josh, Todd, C.Mann.
QUICK READ
Seven students, four mentors, and eleven family members of 4-H Team 5295 "Aldernating Current" had lots of fun. We watched our robot's improved performance in a safe and friendly atmosphere. By the last match our robot "FIR" could successfully stack a green recycle can on two gray totes. The team recognizes that recruiting more students would yield a better performing robot. Students considered what are the characteristics of Team 5295 and may change our name or logo. Tyler volunteered to be our new Safety Captain. Kiery will advance to the Pacific Northwest District Championship as a Dean's List Semi-Finalist.
MAJOR FINANCIAL SPONSORS
A huge thank you to our major sponsors each of which donated over $4000 to our team for the 2014-2015 seasons. Our success is due to DS Solidworks Corp, Community Foundation of South Puget Sound, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Bezos Family Foundation, M.J.Murdock Charitable Trust, Shelton High School and Alan Walker PE.
ATTENDING
Six students (Brayden O., Guy B., Josh M., Kiery E., Todd M., and Tyler C.) participated the entire Shorewood district competition (Friday evening through Sunday lunch). Dustin S. and his mom arrived Saturday morning and had to leave right before lunch due to a family emergency. Four mentors (R.Bachtell, A.Hospador, K.Mougous and A.Walker) advised the team. These family members attended the competition: Andrew's daughter Sara, Branden's family (3), Dustin's mom, Josh's mom, Kiery's family (3), and Todd's family (2).
Team Captain: Josh
Safety Captain: Tyler
Pit Team: Brayden, Josh (Build Captain), Kiery, and Todd. We passed robot inspection in just 90 minutes.Lead Programmer: Guy
Drive Team: Brayden, Guy (Human Player), Josh (Joystick), and Kiery (Drive Captain). Neither the human player or the joystick operator can be the drive captain.A.Mendez, mentor to rookie Team 5588 told A.Walker: "I like your team. They are a real good group of kids."
We left Shelton High School at 3:30PM on Friday, March 20th. Due to traffic, we arrived at Shorewood High School three hours later due to heavy Seattle traffic. To avoid the traffic expected for an NCAA tournament event in Seattle, our students decided to leave the district competition shortly after lunch on Sunday.
DEANS LIST SEMI-FINALIST KIERY ADVANCES TO PACIFIC NORTHWEST DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP
On Sunday, March 22 at the Shorewood District Competition, FIRST announced that Kiery will be moving forward to our Pacific Northwest District Championship event held April 1-4 at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, just outside Spokane. No Dean’s list awards were handed out, just an announcement of whom is moving forward. A.Walker is investigating travel options to the Pacific Northwest Championship with Team 4450 Olympia Robotics Federation. Team 4450 qualified for the Pacific Northwest District Championship by placing 7th at Auburn Mountainview and 3rd this past weekend at Central Washington University. If selected at the Pacific Northwest Championship, Kiery will be a Dean's List Finalist and advance to the World Championship held April 22-25 in St.Louis, Missouri. In February the mentors of Team 5295 nominated Todd M. and Kiery E. to be our Dean's List Semi-Finalists. Only sophmores and juniors can be Deans List nominees. At Shorewood, judges interviewed Todd and Kiery for about five minutes late Saturday afternoon.
DEANS LIST INFORMATION
See pages 44-46 of the Administrative Manual for information on the Deans List process.
http://www.usfirst.org/sites/
PACIFIC NORTHWEST DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP
http://pnwfirst.org/events/
SAFETYSafety Captain: Tyler (Saturday & Sunday). Jacob K., our safety captain at Auburn Mountainview did not make the trip.
Pit Safety Survey: No student wanted to perform a safety survey of the emergency equipment in the pits: first aid kits, battery spill kits, and fire extinguishers. Jasmine of Grays Harbor 4-H Team 3787 Acosta Robotocats from Westport performed the safety survey. She advised us to get an eye wash station to flush foreign substances like battery acid from eyes. A.Walker will follow-up on the eye flush kit.
Identified Hazards: A) Tyler noted the sharp edges on our green bin container "Birthday" cart (built on Josh's birthday) had sharp edges that would hurt if someone fell on it. He suggested adding a protective layer of plexiglass or thick black plastic to prevent human damage. B) Tyler also noticed that the blue gaffers tape that held the blue tarp down over the gym floor became loose in spots causing a trip hazard. Placing the tape flush initially will prevent this. C) Tyler also thought that our robot cart should have a few locking wheels like our green bin container storage "Birthday" cart. D) Tyler pointed out that using paper grocery bags as trash bins fails when liquids leak. E) Tyler also thought camping chairs would help rest the legs of team members including his own.To better document hazards, A.Walker printed out more Corrective Action sheets from the USFIRST.org safety manual. A.Walker will check with the high schools before ordering supplies.
PERFORMANCE
2015 Shorewood District Matches
We and our competition robot "FIR"competed in matches 2-10-16-19-24-31-43-46-49-56-61 and finished last of 32 teams. Or as Brayden said optimistically we were only 31 places behind first. We had a 100% success placing the green recycle can on to a stack of totes. We should have tried this much earlier in our season. The mentors of Team 5295 always strive to have our competition and clone robots built by our students. When we compete with teams whose robots are built by mentors and students, our performance suffers.MATCH) POINTS ALLIANCE---DESCRIPTION
--- Match 2 Red --- 18 points on Red Alliance---A team member in the stands told Guy that during autonomous, "FIR" drove 12" too far past the auto zone. We get points when all three robots drive into the auto zone. Guy corrected the programming.
--- Match 10 Blue --- 42 points on Blue Alliance---For most of the match, "FIR" had no oomph and move very slowly. Pit team diagnosed this as a programming error.
--- Match 16 Red --- 70 points on Red Alliance---The right motor does not work. We can only drive in circles. Guy discovered that when fixing the program error of the previous match, that he "forgot to attach the code to a wire". Should we create a pre-match programming checklist or just have another set of eyes review?
--- Match 19 Blue --- 16 points on Blue Alliance---We stack one and a half totes.
--- Match 24 Blue --- 3 points on Blue Alliance---Almost placed two yellow totes to complete the 40 point coopertition of four yellow totes. We find it hard to move more than one tote.
--- Match 31 Red --- 65 points on Red Alliance---During autonomous, "FIR" goes rogue, hitting a tote, bouncing into the wall, and repeatedly dancing at a feed station. The pit team diagnosis is a programming error.
--- Match 36 Blue --- 34 points on Blue Alliance---Almost had a yellow tote to complete the four yellow tote bonus. Our robot "FIR" lost a screw. Who knew we had a screw loose? How can we modify our pre-match checklist (fresh robot battery, fresh laptop battery, check electrical connections, & check chain) to prevent this from happening in the future?
--- Match 43 Not Available --- 4 points on Blue Alliance---The other two robots on our alliance got stuck together. A.Walker wondered if the robots had fallen in love. K.Mougous added "and we are the third wheel". In this match, the 3-D printed part connecting the sprocket to the van door motor on our robot broke. We did not think to bring a spare of this part. Ideally, the team should do a failure mode analysis to determine what spare parts should be brought along.
--- Match 46 Red --- 0 points on Red Alliance---Our robot is unavailable for the match. Guy attends as the human player which gives Team 5295 the alliance score. Team 4180 donated a 3/4" diameter x 7" long aluminum rod. Build Captain Josh asked the machine shop (all student volunteers) to implement his fix re-attaching the sprocket to the van door motor. Our robot only missed this one match.
--- Match 49 Red --- 24 points on Red Alliance---Again Guy is our human player and we get the alliance score. A complete no show gives the team zero points.
--- Match 56 Red --- 54 points on Red Alliance---We stack two gray totes. "We did the totes well." After this match, Josh adds a larger hook to lift the green recycle container. "FIR" now has two lower hooks to lift gray totes and the higher hook to lift the green recycle can by its handle.
--- Match 61 Red Not Available --- 93 points on Red Alliance---We successfully grab and move two gray totes, one at a time, to the white scoring platform. We then place a green recycle bin on top of the gray totes for the first time ever.
PROGRAMMING
"Programming is very delicate especially during competitions." Guy, Programming Lead
Our pit team diagnosed programming as the root cause for going 12" too far in match 2 autonomous, having weak motors in match 10, lacking right motor control in match 16, and going rogue in match 31 autonomous. We need more time to test. Practicing on a mockup field would assist. More students on the team will speed up robot build and allow more time for testing.
ELIMINATION PLAYOFFS
#1 Qualification Score and Winning Alliance Team 1318 Issaquah Robotics Society (purple shirts with long yellow ties) designed a robot that grabs two green recycle cans during autonomous. During the teleop period, the robot grabs a green can and takes it to the feeder station. The human feeder loads a pool noodle (litter), and then grey totes which are stacked underneath the green recycle can.#2 Qualification Score and Winning Alliance Team 3663 CPR grabs a green can, and heads over to the feeder station. There the human player adds a pool noodle, and then stacks six gray totes under the green can. A.Hospador scouted this team consistently creating two stacks of six gray totes with the green can and pool noodle on top AND a third stack of three gray totes.
#4 Qualification Score Team 3968 High Voltage (the team that repeatedly helped us with programming) decided to load totes also at the feeder station. This team used the bottom tote as a base on which to stack all the other totes.
ENGINEERING PROCESS Tyler visited the pits after lunch Sunday and spoke to the teams in the playoffs. He discovered that many teams use the first week and a half to two weeks of the build season to brainstorm and prototype. Many full size prototypes are built from cardboard to prove that the idea will work. Then robot construction occurs primarily in weeks three and four. Testing is done in week 5 with modifications added in week 6. Our students mentioned throughout our build season that they would like to learn the basic techniques of robot construction in the fall. This would allow them to focus on robot improvements during the six week build season.
MARKETING IDEAS
Marketing Lead: Todd M.
Name: On Saturday, a student from Team 3786 adored the pun in our name "Aldernating Current". In the past spectators thought our name was Alternating Current. Sometimes visitors ask our students to explain what our name means. Visitors ask "Where are you from?" as our banner does not show where Mason County is located.
Display: Todd spoke with his counterpart Kate of rookie Team 5588 on their fabulous marketing display.Brayden's dad thought a short one-two minute video could show students working and our robot lifting a tote.
Team Characteristics: Students generated a list of characteristics they think Team 5295 represents: Awesomeness; Disaster recovery; Tenacious; Improvisers; Against all odds; and Internal fortitude. Todd said "We are really good at quick change improvements." Basically our team uses robotics in a timber county to teach problem solving skills. Being proactive avoids problems.
The Future: In the opening ceremony on Saturday, Chris Takahashi (on Board of Directors for Washington FIRST Robotics) spoke about his daily work with Workforce Snohomish (the organization that recruited A.Walker to FIRST), "Come to a competition. You will see the future. And the future is great!"
WEBSITE
frcTEAM5295AldernatingCurrent.
Team 4512 suggested that our team website be written to support both wide personal computer screens and small phone screens.
FOOD For the second year in a row, we asked Pagliachi's Pizza (Seattle's Best Pizza) to deliver salads, pasta, and pizza to us shortly after arrival at Shorewood High School. Kudos to K.Mougous for figuring out what students wanted and A.Walker for ordering. Thanks Joy for making us homemade muffins for our Saturday appetites. Thank you A.Walker for being our picnic provider Saturday and Sunday. Kiery's dad offered to buy the team a steak dinner Sunday. The students agreed to this and also to Coach's veto due to his extra one hour driving time this would entail. The team has a rain check for a future steak dinner. Our next major event will be the Lacey STEM Fair on May 2.
THANK YOU
+Thank you volunteer robot inspector Tom Blank for inspecting our robot.+Thank you volunteer pit announcer Heidi Burkett for asking for quiet before sharing key safety information.
+Thank you mentor A.Hospador for loading the New Market trailer on Friday afternoon.
+Thank you Coach Bachtell for driving the van through five hours of traffic and being our male chaperon.
+Thank you K.Mougous for serving as female chaperon.+Thank you Team 1778 Chill Out..! for using five humorous cartoons displayed in your pit to get across ideas for safety.+Thank you Elaine and Alex of Team 2557 SOTAbots for explaining that you sharing your battery tips with Team 5295. On your match schedule board, you list the battery the robot will use in each match. Old batteries are only used in the pit and for testing. +Thank you Team 3070 Pronto for hosting the event. We liked how you hung your team sweatshirts from your canopy. Thank you Darrell for showing A.Walker where the nearest shoe store was located.
+Thank you Team 3663 CPR for helping us with programming.
+Thank you Jasmine and Team 3787 Wild Robotocats for performing a pit survey of safety equipment and advising us to get an eye wash kit. Thank you also for posting your safety equipment on the aisle side of your pit for easy access. You also have a great award display.
+Thank you Team 3786 Chargers for letting our team know you like the pun in our name.
+Thank you Team 3968 High Voltage for aiding our programming efforts.
+Thank you Team 4180 Iron Riders for providing us with a 3/4" diameter x 7" long aluminum rod. We could not participate in the later rounds without your generousity. The display of your team season schedule "Gantt chart" gave our lead mentor ideas.
+Thank you Team 4304 Iron Rams for sharing your pun with us Fe (Iron) + Ramen (Ram).
+Thank you Brandon and Ronnie of Team 4512 BEARbots for sharing the business side of your team. Indeed you are "Bruins Empowered And Ready". Thank you Brandon for showing A.Walker. your Outreach Display of events, sponsors, robot photos, and strategy. Your weekly goals and agenda of discussion items, calendar, and significant events is something Team 5295 can do. Your Engineering Journal Entries clearly documents major engineering discoveries. Thank you Ronnie for your willingness to share your business plan with our Marketing Lead Todd. Team 4512 suggested that our team website be written to support both wide personal computer screens and small phone screens.+Thank you Team 4915 Spartronics and rookie Team 5495 Aluminati for using a 2' x 3' white board for match schedules. We will do so at future events.
+Thank you Kate of rookie Team 5588 Holy Names Academy for developing such a fantastic marketing display and sharing ideas with Todd.
+Thank you A.Hospador, and the Beaudoin and Mann families for donating funds for this competition.
2015 Shorewood Mar20-22: Dean's List Semi-Finalist Kiery Advances---Team 5295
Photo back row: the Ordonezes;
Red row: Tyler, Brayden, K.Mougous;
Second row: Kiery, A.Estrada, N.Vasquez, A.Walker, A.Hospador;
Front row:Josh, Todd, C.Mann.
QUICK READ
Seven students, four mentors, and eleven family members of 4-H Team 5295 "Aldernating Current" had lots of fun. We watched our robot's improved performance in a safe and friendly atmosphere. By the last match our robot "FIR" could successfully stack a green recycle can on two gray totes. The team recognizes that recruiting more students would yield a better performing robot. Students considered what are the characteristics of Team 5295 and may change our name or logo. Tyler volunteered to be our new Safety Captain. Kiery will advance to the Pacific Northwest District Championship as a Dean's List Semi-Finalist.
MAJOR FINANCIAL SPONSORS
A huge thank you to our major sponsors each of which donated over $4000 to our team for the 2014-2015 seasons. Our success is due to DS Solidworks Corp, Community Foundation of South Puget Sound, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Bezos Family Foundation, M.J.Murdock Charitable Trust, Shelton High School and Alan Walker PE.
ATTENDING
Six students (Brayden O., Guy B., Josh M., Kiery E., Todd M., and Tyler C.) participated the entire Shorewood district competition (Friday evening through Sunday lunch). Dustin S. and his mom arrived Saturday morning and had to leave right before lunch due to a family emergency. Four mentors (R.Bachtell, A.Hospador, K.Mougous and A.Walker) advised the team. These family members attended the competition: Andrew's daughter Sara, Branden's family (3), Dustin's mom, Josh's mom, Kiery's family (3), and Todd's family (2).
Team Captain: Josh
Safety Captain: Tyler
Pit Team: Brayden, Josh (Build Captain), Kiery, and Todd. We passed robot inspection in just 90 minutes.Lead Programmer: Guy
Drive Team: Brayden, Guy (Human Player), Josh (Joystick), and Kiery (Drive Captain). Neither the human player or the joystick operator can be the drive captain.A.Mendez, mentor to rookie Team 5588 told A.Walker: "I like your team. They are a real good group of kids."
We left Shelton High School at 3:30PM on Friday, March 20th. Due to traffic, we arrived at Shorewood High School three hours later due to heavy Seattle traffic. To avoid the traffic expected for an NCAA tournament event in Seattle, our students decided to leave the district competition shortly after lunch on Sunday.
DEANS LIST SEMI-FINALIST KIERY ADVANCES TO PACIFIC NORTHWEST DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP
On Sunday, March 22 at the Shorewood District Competition, FIRST announced that Kiery will be moving forward to our Pacific Northwest District Championship event held April 1-4 at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, just outside Spokane. No Dean’s list awards were handed out, just an announcement of whom is moving forward. A.Walker is investigating travel options to the Pacific Northwest Championship with Team 4450 Olympia Robotics Federation. Team 4450 qualified for the Pacific Northwest District Championship by placing 7th at Auburn Mountainview and 3rd this past weekend at Central Washington University. If selected at the Pacific Northwest Championship, Kiery will be a Dean's List Finalist and advance to the World Championship held April 22-25 in St.Louis, Missouri. In February the mentors of Team 5295 nominated Todd M. and Kiery E. to be our Dean's List Semi-Finalists. Only sophmores and juniors can be Deans List nominees. At Shorewood, judges interviewed Todd and Kiery for about five minutes late Saturday afternoon.
DEANS LIST INFORMATION
See pages 44-46 of the Administrative Manual for information on the Deans List process.
http://www.usfirst.org/sites/
PACIFIC NORTHWEST DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP
http://pnwfirst.org/events/
SAFETYSafety Captain: Tyler (Saturday & Sunday). Jacob K., our safety captain at Auburn Mountainview did not make the trip.
Pit Safety Survey: No student wanted to perform a safety survey of the emergency equipment in the pits: first aid kits, battery spill kits, and fire extinguishers. Jasmine of Grays Harbor 4-H Team 3787 Acosta Robotocats from Westport performed the safety survey. She advised us to get an eye wash station to flush foreign substances like battery acid from eyes. A.Walker will follow-up on the eye flush kit.
Identified Hazards: A) Tyler noted the sharp edges on our green bin container "Birthday" cart (built on Josh's birthday) had sharp edges that would hurt if someone fell on it. He suggested adding a protective layer of plexiglass or thick black plastic to prevent human damage. B) Tyler also noticed that the blue gaffers tape that held the blue tarp down over the gym floor became loose in spots causing a trip hazard. Placing the tape flush initially will prevent this. C) Tyler also thought that our robot cart should have a few locking wheels like our green bin container storage "Birthday" cart. D) Tyler pointed out that using paper grocery bags as trash bins fails when liquids leak. E) Tyler also thought camping chairs would help rest the legs of team members including his own.To better document hazards, A.Walker printed out more Corrective Action sheets from the USFIRST.org safety manual. A.Walker will check with the high schools before ordering supplies.
PERFORMANCE
2015 Shorewood District Matches
We and our competition robot "FIR"competed in matches 2-10-16-19-24-31-43-46-49-56-61 and finished last of 32 teams. Or as Brayden said optimistically we were only 31 places behind first. We had a 100% success placing the green recycle can on to a stack of totes. We should have tried this much earlier in our season. The mentors of Team 5295 always strive to have our competition and clone robots built by our students. When we compete with teams whose robots are built by mentors and students, our performance suffers.MATCH) POINTS ALLIANCE---DESCRIPTION
--- Match 2 Red --- 18 points on Red Alliance---A team member in the stands told Guy that during autonomous, "FIR" drove 12" too far past the auto zone. We get points when all three robots drive into the auto zone. Guy corrected the programming.
--- Match 10 Blue --- 42 points on Blue Alliance---For most of the match, "FIR" had no oomph and move very slowly. Pit team diagnosed this as a programming error.
--- Match 16 Red --- 70 points on Red Alliance---The right motor does not work. We can only drive in circles. Guy discovered that when fixing the program error of the previous match, that he "forgot to attach the code to a wire". Should we create a pre-match programming checklist or just have another set of eyes review?
--- Match 19 Blue --- 16 points on Blue Alliance---We stack one and a half totes.
--- Match 24 Blue --- 3 points on Blue Alliance---Almost placed two yellow totes to complete the 40 point coopertition of four yellow totes. We find it hard to move more than one tote.
--- Match 31 Red --- 65 points on Red Alliance---During autonomous, "FIR" goes rogue, hitting a tote, bouncing into the wall, and repeatedly dancing at a feed station. The pit team diagnosis is a programming error.
--- Match 36 Blue --- 34 points on Blue Alliance---Almost had a yellow tote to complete the four yellow tote bonus. Our robot "FIR" lost a screw. Who knew we had a screw loose? How can we modify our pre-match checklist (fresh robot battery, fresh laptop battery, check electrical connections, & check chain) to prevent this from happening in the future?
--- Match 43 Not Available --- 4 points on Blue Alliance---The other two robots on our alliance got stuck together. A.Walker wondered if the robots had fallen in love. K.Mougous added "and we are the third wheel". In this match, the 3-D printed part connecting the sprocket to the van door motor on our robot broke. We did not think to bring a spare of this part. Ideally, the team should do a failure mode analysis to determine what spare parts should be brought along.
--- Match 46 Red --- 0 points on Red Alliance---Our robot is unavailable for the match. Guy attends as the human player which gives Team 5295 the alliance score. Team 4180 donated a 3/4" diameter x 7" long aluminum rod. Build Captain Josh asked the machine shop (all student volunteers) to implement his fix re-attaching the sprocket to the van door motor. Our robot only missed this one match.
--- Match 49 Red --- 24 points on Red Alliance---Again Guy is our human player and we get the alliance score. A complete no show gives the team zero points.
--- Match 56 Red --- 54 points on Red Alliance---We stack two gray totes. "We did the totes well." After this match, Josh adds a larger hook to lift the green recycle container. "FIR" now has two lower hooks to lift gray totes and the higher hook to lift the green recycle can by its handle.
--- Match 61 Red Not Available --- 93 points on Red Alliance---We successfully grab and move two gray totes, one at a time, to the white scoring platform. We then place a green recycle bin on top of the gray totes for the first time ever.
PROGRAMMING
"Programming is very delicate especially during competitions." Guy, Programming Lead
Our pit team diagnosed programming as the root cause for going 12" too far in match 2 autonomous, having weak motors in match 10, lacking right motor control in match 16, and going rogue in match 31 autonomous. We need more time to test. Practicing on a mockup field would assist. More students on the team will speed up robot build and allow more time for testing.
ELIMINATION PLAYOFFS
#1 Qualification Score and Winning Alliance Team 1318 Issaquah Robotics Society (purple shirts with long yellow ties) designed a robot that grabs two green recycle cans during autonomous. During the teleop period, the robot grabs a green can and takes it to the feeder station. The human feeder loads a pool noodle (litter), and then grey totes which are stacked underneath the green recycle can.#2 Qualification Score and Winning Alliance Team 3663 CPR grabs a green can, and heads over to the feeder station. There the human player adds a pool noodle, and then stacks six gray totes under the green can. A.Hospador scouted this team consistently creating two stacks of six gray totes with the green can and pool noodle on top AND a third stack of three gray totes.
#4 Qualification Score Team 3968 High Voltage (the team that repeatedly helped us with programming) decided to load totes also at the feeder station. This team used the bottom tote as a base on which to stack all the other totes.
ENGINEERING PROCESS Tyler visited the pits after lunch Sunday and spoke to the teams in the playoffs. He discovered that many teams use the first week and a half to two weeks of the build season to brainstorm and prototype. Many full size prototypes are built from cardboard to prove that the idea will work. Then robot construction occurs primarily in weeks three and four. Testing is done in week 5 with modifications added in week 6. Our students mentioned throughout our build season that they would like to learn the basic techniques of robot construction in the fall. This would allow them to focus on robot improvements during the six week build season.
MARKETING IDEAS
Marketing Lead: Todd M.
Name: On Saturday, a student from Team 3786 adored the pun in our name "Aldernating Current". In the past spectators thought our name was Alternating Current. Sometimes visitors ask our students to explain what our name means. Visitors ask "Where are you from?" as our banner does not show where Mason County is located.
Display: Todd spoke with his counterpart Kate of rookie Team 5588 on their fabulous marketing display.Brayden's dad thought a short one-two minute video could show students working and our robot lifting a tote.
Team Characteristics: Students generated a list of characteristics they think Team 5295 represents: Awesomeness; Disaster recovery; Tenacious; Improvisers; Against all odds; and Internal fortitude. Todd said "We are really good at quick change improvements." Basically our team uses robotics in a timber county to teach problem solving skills. Being proactive avoids problems.
The Future: In the opening ceremony on Saturday, Chris Takahashi (on Board of Directors for Washington FIRST Robotics) spoke about his daily work with Workforce Snohomish (the organization that recruited A.Walker to FIRST), "Come to a competition. You will see the future. And the future is great!"
WEBSITE
frcTEAM5295AldernatingCurrent.
Team 4512 suggested that our team website be written to support both wide personal computer screens and small phone screens.
FOOD For the second year in a row, we asked Pagliachi's Pizza (Seattle's Best Pizza) to deliver salads, pasta, and pizza to us shortly after arrival at Shorewood High School. Kudos to K.Mougous for figuring out what students wanted and A.Walker for ordering. Thanks Joy for making us homemade muffins for our Saturday appetites. Thank you A.Walker for being our picnic provider Saturday and Sunday. Kiery's dad offered to buy the team a steak dinner Sunday. The students agreed to this and also to Coach's veto due to his extra one hour driving time this would entail. The team has a rain check for a future steak dinner. Our next major event will be the Lacey STEM Fair on May 2.
THANK YOU
+Thank you volunteer robot inspector Tom Blank for inspecting our robot.+Thank you volunteer pit announcer Heidi Burkett for asking for quiet before sharing key safety information.
+Thank you mentor A.Hospador for loading the New Market trailer on Friday afternoon.
+Thank you Coach Bachtell for driving the van through five hours of traffic and being our male chaperon.
+Thank you K.Mougous for serving as female chaperon.+Thank you Team 1778 Chill Out..! for using five humorous cartoons displayed in your pit to get across ideas for safety.+Thank you Elaine and Alex of Team 2557 SOTAbots for explaining that you sharing your battery tips with Team 5295. On your match schedule board, you list the battery the robot will use in each match. Old batteries are only used in the pit and for testing. +Thank you Team 3070 Pronto for hosting the event. We liked how you hung your team sweatshirts from your canopy. Thank you Darrell for showing A.Walker where the nearest shoe store was located.
+Thank you Team 3663 CPR for helping us with programming.
+Thank you Jasmine and Team 3787 Wild Robotocats for performing a pit survey of safety equipment and advising us to get an eye wash kit. Thank you also for posting your safety equipment on the aisle side of your pit for easy access. You also have a great award display.
+Thank you Team 3786 Chargers for letting our team know you like the pun in our name.
+Thank you Team 3968 High Voltage for aiding our programming efforts.
+Thank you Team 4180 Iron Riders for providing us with a 3/4" diameter x 7" long aluminum rod. We could not participate in the later rounds without your generousity. The display of your team season schedule "Gantt chart" gave our lead mentor ideas.
+Thank you Team 4304 Iron Rams for sharing your pun with us Fe (Iron) + Ramen (Ram).
+Thank you Brandon and Ronnie of Team 4512 BEARbots for sharing the business side of your team. Indeed you are "Bruins Empowered And Ready". Thank you Brandon for showing A.Walker. your Outreach Display of events, sponsors, robot photos, and strategy. Your weekly goals and agenda of discussion items, calendar, and significant events is something Team 5295 can do. Your Engineering Journal Entries clearly documents major engineering discoveries. Thank you Ronnie for your willingness to share your business plan with our Marketing Lead Todd. Team 4512 suggested that our team website be written to support both wide personal computer screens and small phone screens.+Thank you Team 4915 Spartronics and rookie Team 5495 Aluminati for using a 2' x 3' white board for match schedules. We will do so at future events.
+Thank you Kate of rookie Team 5588 Holy Names Academy for developing such a fantastic marketing display and sharing ideas with Todd.
+Thank you A.Hospador, and the Beaudoin and Mann families for donating funds for this competition.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
2015 Auburn Mountainview District Feb.26-28: Students Troubleshoot Failures into Success
Auburn Mountainview District Feb.26-28, 2015
ATTENDING
Seven students and seven adults of robotics Team 5295 "Aldernating Current" attended the Feb.26-28th district competition at Auburn Mountainview High School in Auburn, Washington. With the team all three days were students Dustin S., Guy B., Jacob K.("J-K"), Josh M., & Kiery E; and Coach Bachtell, mentor A.Hospador, Josh's mom Kimberly, and lead mentor A.Walker. Brayden O. and his mom Joy joined us Friday and Saturday. Todd M. and his parents Carrie and Craig joined us on Saturday.TEAM CAPTAIN: Josh; DRIVE TEAM: Guy (Drive Captain), Josh (driver), Kiery, and Brayden/J-K; PIT TEAM: Josh (Build Captain), Kiery, J-K, Brayden & Todd. Kiery also installed a fully charged battery before each match; PROGRAM TEAM: Guy and J-K; SAFETY TEAM: J-K (Safety Captain) and Dustin; SCHEDULE BOARD: K.Mougous, A.Walker, and Dustin.
PERFORMANCE
After our dozen qualifying matches, we finished 30 out of 32 teams. We were not selected to be on a playoff alliance; 24 robot teams were selected. We were offered the position of 4th backup robot (replaces a playoff robot if and when it breaks). Instead the students decided to pack up after lunch and head back early. A.Walker tried to overrule the students until Josh reminded him that "Mentors suggest, students decide." The more successful teams tend to have more students and more community support. For example the winner of the Engineering Inspiration Award, Team 3588 from Lindbergh High in Renton had sixty team members (students + adults). Standings are posted at http://frc-events.usfirst.org/2015/WAAMV/rankings
ROBOT INSPECTION
Partially because the team did not have a competition packing list of items to load into the trailer, the team forgot to bring white boards which we intended to add the team number and attach to our competition robot "Fir". This meets the requirement of rule R02. (The game manual with all the rules can be found at http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/competition-manual-and-related-documents). We could not sign up to be inspected until we had an inspectable robot. The team looked at how the other robots posted their team numbers and then quickly cut up one of our white moving boxes, added "5295", and attached those to the robot with cable ties. We were one of the last teams to be inspected. Volunteer E.Stokely from Team 360 "The Revolution" inspected competition robot "Fir" and discovered three things amiss: 1) one sharp edge on our arms; 2) leaky pneumatics near the pressure regulator; and 3) software version 60 should be updated to version 62. He complemented the team on having so few items to resolve inspection. Within twenty minutes these items were all resolved. The robot inspector also said that our Bill of Materials (BOM) should include the market price of any wood or metal materials donated. We passed inspection on the first day, too late to use the practice field.
SAFETY EQUIPMENT
Dustin walked around the pit asking each team which safety equipment (first aid kit, battery spill kit, and fire extinguisher) they had in their pit. Safety Captain J-K got permission from Pit Admin to modify the pit map showing the location of these three safety items. J-K and Dustin got dots from the robot inspectors and added this information to the pit map. This effort was one of the reasons the team won Hat Hat pins last year.
PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE
Josh had a brainstorm and designed backup system to pickup the totes in case our robot arms were not working too well. He made a sketch and gave it to the onsite machine shop first thing on day 2 Friday. The machine shop fabricated a set of robot claws from the raw aluminum stock we brought with us.
SCORING REVIEW
---Four yellow totes stacked by both alliances = 40 points.
---Gray tote on white scoring platform = 2 points.
---Green recycle can on a tote = 4 points per number of totes in stack.
---Litter or pool noodles in landfill zone (midfield) = +1 point.
---Litter or pool noodle of alliance color not in landfill zone = -4 points.
MATCHES: FAILURE---TROUBLESHOOTING---SUCCESS
Sometimes our robot "Fir" did not perform as desired. After troubleshooting, our students were able to turn failures into success.
Auburn Mountainview Matches 2015 Team 5295 competed in Auburn Mountainview matches 3-8-12-18-22-31-36-43-47-51-55-63.
--- Match 3 --- The robot ceased talking to the field software. Solid robot signal light indicated something wrong. Guy asked Pyton of Team 4911 to explain why our roboRIO developed zero memory. Guy fixed the software. Robot now functional.
--- Match 8 --- Chain fell off when the aluminum support angle had a bearing failure (the bolt tore through the bracket). Josh led the pit team in fabricating a new aluminum bracket. Robot now operational. The length of the chain and its weight were the root cause of this failure. Another mentor commented that using a lightweight cable, wire or rope would not have this problem.
--- Match 12 --- Disappointed that a fully functional "FIR" could only successfully stack two totes, the pit team replaces arms with robot claws. Good thinking Josh to come up with an alternative robot claw design ahead of time.
--- Match 18 --- The claws seem to pick up totes more easily than the arms. We are now ranked 22nd overall.
--- Match 22 --- One by one we drag three totes to the scoring platform. Sometimes only one claw attaches to the tote. The pit team discusses how best to modify the claw. Some quick work and the claws are better able to grasp the gray totes.
--- Match 31 --- "FIR" stacks gray totes on top of one another. More practice ahead of time would aid drive team performance.
--- Match 36 --- Halfway through the match, our robot "FIR" stops. Troubleshooting revealed a dead laptop battery. Recharged and all okay.
--- Match 43 --- Connection problem causes "FIR" to temporarily cease. The team now checks all electrical connections before each match.
--- Match 47 --- More chain problems. The lower end of the chain comes loose from the sprocket. The pit team reinstalls and tightens the chain.
--- Match 51--- Grasping totes quickly with both claws eludes us. The pit team discusses this and feels the best we can do now is use the improved claws. When we return to our robot shop, we can improve how we pickup totes.
--- Match 55 --- Why does our robot "FIR" just sit midway through the match?
--- Match 63 --- "FIR" stacks first one, then two yellow totes on the common area. We realize we need to more quickly grasp and release totes.
LETTER-WRITING The team received $4900 this year from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (Thank you P.Cusack for writing the application). Our state legislature allocates funds for this purpose. There are 1054 FIRST teams in Washington with a combined budget of $4.6 million. Erin McCallum, President of Washington FIRST Robotics, asked each student to write a letter to our elected senator and two representatives. All seven students wrote letters to our 35th Legislative District Senator Tim Sheldon, Rep. Dan Griffey, and Rep. Drew MacEwen thanking them for supporting FIRST robotics, encouraging future support, and sharing what being on Team 5295 meant to them personally.
QUOTES During the opening ceremony on Friday, the principal of Auburn Mountainview High School said "Robotics is the coolest thing ever". The Associated Student Body president Kayla felt "Nothing else could be more exciting or rewarding". Early in the 2014 season Josh (current team captain) remarked: "Before I was on the robot team, failure was a rare occurance. Now, it is a common occurance."
AWARDS Team 2557 "Sotabots" won the Chairman's Award. Team 4450 "Olympia Robotics Federation" won the UL Industrial Safety Award. "The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Tribble" tipsheet aids safety teachings littered with humor.See http://frc-events.usfirst.org/2015/WAAMV/awards for t he full list of awards.
DEANS LIST
The Deans List honors students who model ideal student behavior. Our two Dean's List nominees, Todd and Kiery, will be interviewed at our Shorewood High School district competition on day 3, Sunday morning March 22. Pages 43-45 of the administrative manual give more infomation on the Deans List.
http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/competition-manual-and-related-documents
MARKETING
---VISIBILITY---In order to recruit more students, mentors, and funding, P.Cusack (Director of Career Technical Education for Shelton School District) and A.Walker feel we need to display our six foot robot at high school events and at public events in the city. Greater visibility will bring the team more students, more parents, more sponsors, and more community support.
---BRAND---
Second year teams usually expand their image. In their second year our mother Team 4450 "Olympia Robotics Federation" added an Engineering Bay to their pit and handed out Tribbles at the 2014 Pacific Northwest Championship. They now use "Proper Care and Feeding of Tribbles" to teach safety in a humorous manner. After some thought and communication with some members of the team, I do not think there is much to develop with "Current": the raison fruit, electrical current symbol I, or i = square root of -1. "Aldernating" a timber derivative of "Alternating" may have more promise. Since the serbian (present day Croatia) Nikoli Tesla developed alternating current, one idea is for the team or just a mascot to be dressed up as Nikoli Tesla and his mustache in lumberman garb. Perhaps we could fill one hump of a sine wave with timber icons and the other with electrical icons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternating_current
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternating_current
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla
---ART---
Dustin thought of one way to make our brand more visible is to add eyeball catching artwork to our marketing materials. Dustin excels at artwork. Todd thought these aspects of Team 5295 should be represented in our artwork: teamwork and friendship. Friendship might be represented with a curvy little f or a handshake. Match 51 shows a blue/red handshake at the 44 second mark when Team 4450 completes the coopertition stack. Craig Mann thought a mechanical tree or claws and elbows (like our robot) might bring out teamwork. Any art we add to our marketing materials ( robot, pit, website, brochure, & letterhead) must be okayed by the students.
---WEBSITE---
Our team website is frcTEAM5295AldernatingCurrent.blogspot.com. Both students who worked on our website are no longer on the team. Ideally there should be at least one person (student or mentor) who knows how to add text, photos, or videos to our website. The consent and release form allows our team members to be photographed and videoed at FIRST competitions. Do we need additional approvals to post photos or videos of our students to our website? To preserve anonymity, Team 3574 "HiTekerz" taught Team 5295 that students should be identified as First L. and mentors at F.Last.
THANK YOU
---Team 5295 "Aldernating Current" is thankful for the help provided to our team from many sources.
---Thank you Community Foundation of South Puget Sound for the $5000 that funds our team.
---Thank you Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the $4900 that funds our team.
---Thank you Bezos Family Foundation for the $3000 that funds our team.
---Thank you Shelton High School for meeting space, raw stock, and use of wood and metal manufacturing equipment.
---Thank you mentor A.Hospador for loading the trailer Thursday, February 26th.
---Thank you Coach Bachtell for splicing in trailer electronics so the trailer had proper safety lights.
---Thank you Coach Bachtell for driving the student van and trailer to and from the competition.
---Thank you Kayla of Team 2929 "Jagbots" for showing us how to properly install the pit canopy structure.
---Thank you volunteer E.Stokely of Team 360 and John ? for inspecting our robot Thursday.
---Thank you student Pyton of Team 4911 for showing Guy how to update the firmware (drive software) from version 60 to version 62.
---Thank you Team 4911 for donating red electrical tape to us.
---Thank you Pit Admin for letting us modify the pit map with the location of the first aid kits, battery spill kits, and fire extinguishers.
---Thank you T.Thomas of Team 2046 "Bear Metal" driving R.Bachtell & A.Walker on the shuttle Friday morning.
---Thank you student Pyton of Team 4911 for showing Guy how to eliminate the zero memory problem of our roboRIO.
---Thank you chaperon K.Mougous, R.Bachtell & A.Hospador for chaperoning our students at the Best Western motel.
---Thank you machine shop for fabricating our robot claws Friday morning from Josh's sketch.
---Thank you Team 3218 mentor M.McGrew for teaching Labview programming basics to first years Brayden and Kiery on Friday.
---Thank you Team 4469 for letting us use your vacuum to cleanup our pit.
---Thank you mentor Dillan of Team 3663 for using a small power saw to cut angle stock into 2" lengths.
---Thank you Team 3588 student Vanessa L for driving R.Bachtell & A.Walker over to the shuttle area to pickup our vehicles on Friday.
---Thank you Eric at Best Western for loaning us pens for our students to write letters to our legislators.
---Thank you Josh for reminding A.Walker that "Mentors suggest; students decide" in the decision to leave after Saturday's lunch.
---Thank you parent Joy (Brayden's mom) for heading back after lunch Saturday with Dustin and Brayden.
---Thank you J.Meier, K.Beaudoin, and J.Ordonez for writing checks to cover the cost of the food and motel.
MEALS
On Thursday the students had Cliff bars on the 80 minute drive to Auburn. For dinner we had pizza delivered. We ate breakfast both mornings at the Best Western Auburn Peppertree. We ate sandwiches (ham & swiss and/or peanut butter & jelly), fruit bars, and fruit (apples, tangerines, oranges & banana) for lunch and dinner at the high school cafeteria. For Saturday's lunch we ate sandwiches (turkey and/or tuna), fruit bars and fruit. Thank you A.Walker and K.Mougous for planning and providing food.
HELP NEEDED
---SCHOLARSHIPS---
Parents of seniors and juniors should look at the $20 million of scholarships available to FIRST graduates.
http://www.usfirst.org/aboutus/scholarships
---FOOD---
Coordinate who brings snacks and Saturday meals for our students.
Volunteer to bring food.
---NEXT COMPETITION---
Shorewood District Competition (March 20-22) in Shoreline Washington
Plan grocery list.
Create a list of what the team should load into the trailer.
---SAFETY ADVISOR---
Volunteer to be our Safety Advisor and work with our student Safety Captain.
Team 4450 won the UL Industrial Safety Award at Auburn Mountainview.
---MARKETING---
Help plan visibility events at the high school.
Help plan visibility events in the city.
Attend a fundraising seminar. Team 3588 (Lynden High) fundraising jumped from $2,500 to $11,000 after attending.
Create a business plan. Team 3781 won the Entreneurship Award for the best business plan.
---WEBSITE---
Figure out how we add or modify our website (text, photos, and video).
Keep website up-to-date with team information.
Determine approvals needed before we can post pictures or videos of students to our website.
---PIT---
Donate a wall clock for the pit to help us stay on our match schedule.
Donate a hand vacuum to keep the pit clean.
Plan how to display our past awards, buttons, and brochures in our pit.
Build a Battery Charger. Teams 360 "Revolution" & 2046 "Bear Metal" built an easy to access battery charger out of 2x4s.
---ROBOT---
Look at the Oregon City district videos to see what characteristics the best robots had.
---ALUMNI---
At http://pnwfirst.org/alumni, document our three alumni that graduated last year.
---OTHER IDEAS---If you see other ways to improve the team, please contact AlanWalker@earthlink.net
ROBOT TEAM MEETINGS
We continue to meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30pm-5:00pm and Saturdays from 8:00am-6:00pm in the Drafting Room 808 at Shelton High School.
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