First Tech Challenge - Team 9246 Timberbots - 2016-2017 Season - Velocity Vortex

Cedarcrest Robotics Team: Timberbots #9246

Kickoff Youtube by C4 Robotics - Live on 9/10/2016 at 9AM PST

Game and Season Info: This link contains the manuals, materials, forum documentation, season results and team materials for the 2016-2017 Season.

How to join: Contact  Michael Shreeve or Rob Hollis

Cost: FIRST FTC is provided at no direct cost to students at Cedarcrest Middle School in Marysville, WA.  Some teams may charge fees/dues to help offset costs, but the program is a premium program with average budgets running between $2500-$5000 per year.  Donations/corporate sponsorship is welcome and often sponsors are acknowledged through graphics publicly attached to team materials at events, flyers, and blog pages.  If you are interested in volunteering or donating to help this program continue to be made available to students in the Marysville, WA area, please contact us.

Age requirements:   Age is not a determining factor in FIRST, rather a students current progression through school will serve as a guideline for matching students to the programs which are targeted to their educational abilities.  The first programs focus on students enrolled in K-12.  Program offerings vary from year to year, as new teams are forming all the time.

FTC: Students in grades 7-12  Other Programs: include FLL jr: Grades K-3, FLL: Grades 4-8, and FRC: Grades 9-12

Who can Participate:First students and teams are formed from local schools and other community organizations (Scouts, 4H, etc.)

Adults may assist the team as mentors at any age, approved by the local team pending completion of Youth Protection and FIRST registration requirements.

Where do we Meet: Tuesday/Thursday 3:00PM-4:00PM

Events:
Kickoff 9/10/2016 9AM PST - Auburn, WA

Community Involvement:
Cedarcrest Science Fair 2017
Robotic Day and Summer Camps
School and Library Presentations

Game Specifics:
Field Basics:

    Field is 12' x 12'
    Foam floor
    Divided Red/Blue on the vertical axis
    Center Vortex structure contains an elevated stand 30 inches off the floor for both colors
    Center Vortex is on a base which can be used for parking/scoring during autonomous period
    Corner Vortex appears in the corner of the field for each alliance color,
                            ramped from floor level at wide opening.
    Cap Ball: Large colored ball 21" diameter, 38.9 oz
    Particles: plastic whiffle ball measuring 3.75" and 1.98 oz
    Beacons: Electronic push button LED colored beacons which change color when button pressed

Game Length: 2 minutes 30 seconds
   During the first 30 secs robots are running on pre-programmed instructions, and may use sensors
   During the last 2 minutes robots are controlled by controllers connected wirelessly via android phones (one with the controller, one on the robot.)

Scoring Basics:  Game scores vary based on when points are scored
Autonomous: First 30 seconds
  Beacons:
     30 points per Beacon (regardless of which alliance triggers the beacon)
  Balls/Particles:
     5 points Cap Ball on Floor (awarded to alliance of ball color )
     15 points Particles into alliance colored center vortex
     5 points Particles into  corner vortex
  Parking:
     5 points Partially parked on center vortex base
     10 points Completely parked on center vortex base
     5 points Partially parked on Corner Vortex
     10 point Completely parked on Corner Vortex

Tele-Op: Last 2 minutes (includes End Game)
  Beacons:
     10 points per Beacon (scored based on color state at end of match)
  Balls/Particles:
     5 points Particles into alliance colored center vortex
     1 points Particles into  corner vortex

End Game: Last 30 seconds of Tele-Op)
  Beacons:
     10 points per Beacon (scored based on color state at end of match)
  Cap Ball: based on 76 cm (30 inches) – the approximate height of the Center Vortex crossbar
     10 Points - Low height – The lowest point of the Cap Ball is lower than 76 cm (30 inches)
     20 Points - High height – The lowest point of the Cap Ball is above 76 cm (30 inches)
     40 Points - Capping – The Cap Ball is supported by an Alliance-specific Center Vortex *
                       and not in contact with a Robot on the corresponding Alliance

Penalty Scoring - Penalties are awarded at the end of the match to the non-offending team
     10 Points - Minor Penalty
     40 Points - Major Penalty

FTC 2015 Game - RES-Q

Click on the Icon above to go to the official USFirst Page for this year's FTC Game

Game Summary:
Field; 12' x 12'
Robots: 4 (1 per team, 2 teams per alliance Red/Blue)
Teams: 2 (One coach and 2 Drivers, along with their Robot per team)
Robot Size: Fit within 18" cube to start (expands after)

This year features mountains, debris, zip lines and climbers, and colored lit beacons.
Preload up to 2 climbers, and robot starts touching wall

Autonomous (First 30 seconds):
Push Button (20 points) Find Rescue beacon, Determine which is own color, press correct button
  Partner Robot may repeat for 20 points
  Pressing the wrong button awards 20 points to opposing team.
Climber deposit (10 points each up to two preloaded climbers) for each pre-loaded climber in alliance color bucket
Parking
  marked floor zone (5 points)
  partially on mountain low (5 points)
  fully on mountain low (10 points)
  fully on mid zone (20 points)
  fully on high zone (40 points)

Tele-Op:(2:00)
Debris
  Floor Zone (1 point each)
  Low Goal (5 points each)
  Mid Goal (10 points each)
  High Goal (15 points each)
Climbers
  Deposited from Autonomous (10 points again)
  Deposited during Tele-Op (10 points each)
  Zip Line 20 points each
  Mountain Parking (5 Partial, 10 Low, 20 Mid, 40 High)

End Game(Last 30 Seconds included in 2:00 Teleop)
  Cliff Zone
    Claim All Clear signal (20 points)
    Hanging from pull up (80 points)

Back to School - 2015-2016 FTC and FRC Season

The 2015-2016 Season for US FIRST Robotics (FRC) and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) are about to begin.

• FLL - 12 inch Cubed Robot 5-8th Grade - Cedarcrest Mrs. Kukull's Site
• FTC - 18 Inch Cubed Robot 7-12th Grade -  Cedarcrest Mr Shreeve's Site
• First Tech Challenge Kickoff Event is THIS Saturday
• Microsoft Campus in Redmond, WA at 9AM 9/12/2015  
• If you are interested in going to the kickoff event, please read on.
• FRC - 60 Inch Cubed Robot 9-12th Grade - 
• First Robotics Challenge Kickof Event will be announced later this month

Whats the difference?

First is divided into different leagues and competition is limited by age/grade groups.  As a general rule of thumb, the older the group, the bigger and more complex the robot.  JR FLL is for primary aged groups, FLL includes 4-7th grades, FTC includes 7-12th grades, and FRC includes 9-12th grades.

FTC and FRC are both run by the same organization, FIRST.  If you have never been in robotics, and are interested, FTC uses a smaller robot platform, but has many of the same principles as FRC.  The FTC Season starts now and goes through January.

The FRC Season begins in January and goes through May (depending on the placement).

This means you can get familiar with the robots and how they are built in FTC, as well as how the competitions are run, and then hit the ground running when the FRC program starts after winter break.

FTC meetings will be Tuesday after school in Mr. Shreeve's Room.  The A&T bus returns to Cedarcrest in the afternoon, Mr. Shreeves room is on the south east side of the school with the door facing the football field.  Students should plan on being at club once a week, and we will plan some additional work sessions for design, game discussion, planning and building.  For local information, email. SMS or call  425-583-4222.

FRC meetings will be announced at A&T and information can be found online and through Mrs. Jordan (A&T Science).

Mindstorming the Marysville Library

On 3/14/2015 (Ultimate Pi Day) the Timberbots will be Mindstorming the Marysville Library and invite you to join us.

We will be reviewing the FIRST programs, local offerings, details on robots, and providing a hands on demonstration of robotic technology available at the Library and used in robotic competitions around the world.

From 130-330PM in the large conference room, no pre-registration is required, so drop in, stay for a minute, or stay for the whole time.  You are welcome, and we look forward to seeing you there.

The Marysville Public Library is located at

6120 Grove St, Marysville, WA 98270

(360) 658-5000 | website | More Info

Pictures from this event:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marysvillelibrary/sets/72157650942154170/

Mindstorming the Marysville Library

In Partnership with the Sno-Isle Library system and Cedarcrest Middle School we are proud to present Mindstorming the Library

Join us today (Pi Day) 3/14/2015 from 130-330 at the Marysville Library on Grove Street for a demonstration and information on robotics programs in our area.  Demonstration and information is being made available by the Cedarcrest Timberbots Team #9246 and is free of charge to the public.  No registration is required, so come see what Robotics is doing in our education system today!

First Knuth League Robotics Meet Brings Hundreds to Arlington High School

Today from 1230PM to almost 600PM, 15 Teams from North Snohomish, Skagit County and Bellingham, and even from one team from Vancouver, Canada joined in the Arlington High School.  What drew these young people armed with metal and motors, gears and gyros, sensors and common sense to the mecca that is the commons area  at AHS?  They came to match wits and bits in competition that brings back nostalgic moments from the Battle Bots TV series of 2000-2002.  When that series was running, most of the students competing today would not yet have entered school.  But they were here today, and here to play.

Teams consisting of Middle and High School students, took turns placing ther metallic masterpieces in a plexiglass walled arena.  The game, "Cascade Effect" is the revealed competition from US First Robotics this year, and challenges teams to navigate up and down ramps, knock balls down, and then like every good teenager should, pick them back up.  Each team was paired with another and faced off against a second pair trying to score as many points as humanly , well roboticly possible.  They laughed, they cried, and they planned for the next battle minutes after finishing the previous one.  Each team was able to compete in 8 separate 2 minutes 30 second matches.

In between rounds teams would collaborate with their previous ally, or scout out their next opposition.  They would make comments about how cool one team's idea was, as they counted bolts and screws to see what it would take to add a novel attachment to their own design.  They shared information, tools, batteries, glasses, and all in the name of "Gracious Profressionalism", a hallmark of the program.

Finally at the end of the day, points were tallied up, tool boxes packed up, wifi routers rested, and with drained batteries and charged ideas of tomorrow they left planning for the next time fate would bring them together again.

High thanks to the Arlington High School, home of the Eagles for hosting the event.  Praise and appreciation to the volunteers and refs for their time and dedication, which make these events a success.  If you are afraid you missed it, and want to know more, our next competition will be on Dec 13. 2014 and admission is free to watch.  If you are interested in starting up a team in your area and/or want to become involved with one already there, you can find more information calling and asking your High school, or contacting US First on their page or Washington's division at FirstWA.

We hope to see you at the next event on Dec 13, so until then, keep your batteries charged along with your imagination, Wheels down and heads up as you work on the next big thing.

If you are interested in volunteering, donating or learning more, and can't find the answer, I may not know it right off but I welcome your questions and will happily get you going in the right direction.

Team 9246 built and operates an Omni-Robot,  Quad motor/wheel, single motor scissor lift, single motor arm, dual servo grasping hand and single servo gate release.  Programming in Robot C 4.27, processing controlled by a Lego NXT brick, and communications via a Samantha Module. Code Name: Humpty  Why: Because he kind of looks like a dump truck, is always losing pieces, and all the kings horses, women and men seem to always putting him back together.

If you attended the event I invite your pictures, and as we are new, your comments and posts are welcome.

US FIRST announces partnership with Coca-Cola and 3DSystems to provide 1600 EKOCYCLE Printers to teams across the US.  See the following link for the announcement, and find out how recycling can be economic and stylish at the same time.  http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/ekocycle-cube-3d-printer-program  Team 9246 has applied and we invite you to see how Recycled part printing can become an Essential part of your FIRST Team.

For an in-depth review of the Ekocycle Printer look here: http://cubify.com/en/Ekocycle