Aldernating Current on Facebook

Visit https://www.facebook.com/AldernatingCurrent5295/
to the latest news on the Shelton High Robotics Team.

A quick tutorial on what you'll see here at our blogspot.
Join - How to join. If uncertain watch YouTube videos at bottom of page.
Sponsors - Our wonderful 2017 sponsors.
Donate - How to donate. See our tax exempt status.
Links - A variety of useful links for students who design & build robots.
2016 - Our "STRONGHOLD" season competitions.
2015 - "Recycle Rush" encouraged three robot alliances to stack totes.
2014 - "Aerial Ascent" robots move 24" rubber ball down court into a goal.

Aldernating Current Applies For $15,000 in Grants

In the last month, Lead Mentor and 4-H Head Clover Alan Walker PE applied for two grants: $4100 from FIRST Washington (formerly called Washington FIRST Robotics), and $5000 from The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound.  This week Pat Cusack, Career Tech Education Director of Shelton School District, is applying for a $6000 i-Grant from the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to benefit robotics at Shelton High School.

The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound awarded Aldernating Current $5000 the last two years. Their support helped attract $10,000 from the Career Technical Education department at Shelton School District last year.  These funds were primarily used to buy robot parts and tools.

OSPI awarded Aldernating Current $5670 last year and $4900 the year before. Funds help pay the FIRST entry fee.

FIRST Washington awarded Aldernating Current $2000 last year and recruited a $500 donation from F5 Networks.

Last year Green Diamond Resource Company awarded Aldernating Current a $2000 two-year grant.

See the Sponsors webpage for more information on our wonderful sponsors. 

Shelton High Robotics Club Meets Monday & Thursday 2:30pm in Weld Shop (Building 800) Starting Sept.8th

The Robotics Club of Shelton High School will hold its initial meeting of the year on Thursday, September 8, 2016 from 2:30pm in the Weld Shop in Building 800.  Returning students will show new students videos and explain what all the excitement is about.  The club has opportunities for students with skills in business marketing, photography/video, programming, design, and construction.  For fall the Robotics Club will meet Mondays and Thursdays 2:30pm-5:00pm in the Weld Shop (Building 800) at Shelton High.

CLIMBER DAY: Technology Club at Shelton High August 29

“We are a technology club” says Aldernating Current marketing mentor A.Estrada.  That phrase summed up the two robots on display and the photography and video display he created with student help.  At Climber Day, 300 sophomores arrived in the morning, picked up their class schedules, and got a tour of the high school.  The tours stopped in the Student Union Building (S.U.B.) where a dozen clubs displayed their activities.  Our two robots and media display impressed the new sophomores.  Over half of the new signups expressed an interest in “Photography and Video”.  Others showed interest in Design, Construction, Programming, and Marketing.  Thank you Jaeden for updating our Robotics Sign Up form. 

The sophomores also stopped by the mini-dome for a quick introduction to the student clubs.  Shelton High Robotics Club President Kiery spoke briefly.  “We have two competitions a year and we need people not only to build, but also for business management, design, marketing, programming, and photography and video.”

Hunter, Jaeden, and Kiery spoke to students and let visitors drive both “Gingko”, a small sideways sliding mecanum wheel wonder, and “Ironwood”, last year’s 120 lbs. competition robot.  Students designed and built these robots last year.  Coach Wright, as well as volunteers A.Estrada, A.Hospador, and A.Walker attended and supported the students.

Afterwards the club moved all the tools and robot parts from the robot cage in the auto shop to the weld shop.  Shelton High is constructing a 12' x 12' robot closest for the robotics team in the weld shop. This will be large enough for the team to set up a 10' x 10' robotics pit identical to the one the students will use at competitions.  This is the very first time the team will have a lockable area large enough for a full pit.  The advantage is that all pit crew members will already know the location of everything prior to arriving at a competition. 

4-H Extravaganza at Shelton High Excites Crowd July 30

4-H Team 5295 “Aldernating Current” and the Shelton High Robotics Club let visitors drive their student-built robot “Gingko”, a four mecanum wheeled side sliding wonder at the 4-H Extravaganza.  Visitors also drove the competition robot “Ironwood” around tables in the Student Union Building.

High school students built “Gingko” from scratch 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”.

Students designed and built 120 lbs. “Ironwood” to meet the requirements of the 2016 FIRST game “Stronghold”.  Teams of three robots had to cross nine obstacles including moats, shoot “boulders” into a castle, and climb the castle.

Three students, four volunteers, and a hundred 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: Chris, Hunter, and Kiery.  Volunteers: A.Estrada, A.Hospador, G.Inman, and A.Walker. 

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.