CAMS ROBOTICS TEAM
NERD HERD : TEAM 687
BUILD
Chair l Thuan Doan
Build Overview

Competition
 VEX
Robotics
Competition (VRC)
 FIRST Tech
Challenge (FTC)
 FIRST Robotics
Challenge (FRC)
What will buildies be doing?





Learning how to design, build, program,
and test a competitive robot
CAD
Machining
Working with motors, pneumatics,
machines, electrical components,
programming code
*NOTE* Experience is NOT necessary
FRC Build Sub Teams

Build sub-teams include
 Strategy
 Articulation
 Drive
 Electrical
 Programming
SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
Systems Engineers l Pat Capulong and Chani Martin
What do we do?




coordinate the work of the other leaders,
each of whom is an expert on one part of
the robot
coordinate the tasks involved in following
the waterfall model
create and maintain documentation to
ensure effective planning and execution
ensure that the team and the robot
function efficiently and securely
STRATEGY
Director l Kevin Hsu
Robots



Robots come in all different shapes,
sizes, speeds, weights, looks,
… and even genders
Analyze the task you want to
accomplish
Choose the design that will be best for
each game
FRC 2010 Game Breakaway

Choose the best:
 Drive system
 Gearing
 Try
 Omni
 Reading
 Swerve
 This
 Articulation
 Elastic
 Pneumatic



Size
 Shape
 Holonomic
 Big or small
 Thuan
Speed
 Fast
 Slow
Center of Gravity
VEX 2010 Game: Round Up


Some things to consider:
 Drive Speed
 Light and fast
 Slow and heavy
 Articulation
 Arm
 4-bar linkage
 Gearing?
Also, game mechanics:
 What to focus on
 Where to score
 Choose what’s best to
do based on situation
Alliances

Robotics is a team sport
Games are usually played with
alliances of 2 or 3 robots
 Be on the lookout for good teams,
(but be nice to everyone)

Ending Message
Btw my name’s Kevin. I’ll be analyzing
these games in excruciating detail to
help you guys come up with the
design best suited for each.
ARTICULATION
Leader l Vincent Kee
What is an articulation system?



Whatever manipulates the game pieces
or lifts the entire robot
Everything on the bot besides drive base,
electronics
Arms, claws, kickers, intake rollers,
vacuum, elevators, baskets, hangers, etc.
What does articulation do?
Sketch, CAD, Prototype, and Machine
Designs
 Calculate Mechanical Advantage to
find optimal gear ratios for motors
 Work with Pneumatics and other cool
stuff
 If you don't know how to do any of
this, DON’T WORRY, you will learn a LOT
during the season!

DRIVE
Leader l Lauren Froschauer and Michelle Gonzalez
Who are we?


Drive Team is responsible for the drive
system of the 2010-2011 FRC Robot
We work closely with all other sub-teams
What’s a drive system?


A drive system is the maneuverable
platform on which the articulation is built
Many different types of drive systems are
in existence
Types of Drive Systems







Four Wheel Drive
Six Wheel Drive
Tank Drive
Mecanum Drive
Omni Drive
Crab Drive
Ball Drive ;)
What do we do?





Learn about the different types of drive
systems
Decide which type of DS (listed/not listed)
is best suited for the 2010-2011 FRC Game
Design, CAD, and build the FRC DS
Machine the drive system
Use calculations to help design
Motor Design Calculator
ELECTRICAL
Leader l Isabel Lally
What does electrical do?





Basic robotic training
Learn about and use electrical
components
Learn and use electrical skills
Design and create an electrical board for
the FRC robot
Without us, the robot wouldn’t move
Electrical Components

Examples
 Power
Distribution
Board
 Digital Sidecar
 Motor Controllers
 Jaguar
 Victor
Electrical Skills

Examples
 Cutting
and Stripping Wire
 Crimping
 Soldering
PROGRAMMING
THE HEART AND SOUL OF ROBOTS
Leader l Mathew Francis-Landau
What do we do?

Subteam on FRC



Debug a wide variety of problems
Main platform is LabVIEW
Teach new members how to program,
using the VEX platform

Depending on a teams requirements, a
team can chose between easyC and
robotC
VEX


Autonomous period
is worth 10 points,
twice as much as
last year.
We want every team
to have a least a few
members that can
make the full
autonomous
program for their
robot.
FRC


For the FRC robot
our main platform
programming
platform is
LabVIEW
LabVIEW is
designed for
continuous data
processing that is
required by
control system
Theories of Control

PID (proportional–integral–derivative) –
close loop control system used to cancel
out error


Was used with the kicker on the last FRC bot
to consistently bring it back to the correct
position
Low-pass filter – open loop system used to
remove little imprecision from the drive,
giving better control over the robot
Debugging



Debugging is the process of going from
having a problem, to finding the cause, to
designing the solution
When designing more complex systems, it
is said that 10% is programming and 90% is
debugging
Programmers usually do the most
ADMINISTRATION
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
Chair l Jon Mitsui
Leaders l Jessica Chiv and Josie Ma
Who are we?

Business and
Financial Sub
team
 Organizers
 Editors
 Presenters
What do we do?

Fundraisers
Movie Nights
 Halloween Night
 See’s Candy
 VEX Summer Camps


Documents
Business Plan
 Guides
 Brochures
 Awards

What do we do?

Communication
 Presentations
 Networking
 Sponsors



Competition
Preparations
Account
management
Order Materials
Have Fun :)
MEDIA
Leader l Victoria Kim
Media Overview
The media team’s primary purpose is
to promote the Nerd Herd image
through design and social networking.
What do we design?


NerdHerd t-shirts
CAMS Robotics’ website







Also managing our Facebook and Twitter accounts
Buttons for competitions
Business cards
Display boards
Banners and flyers
Chairman’s Video
Other promotional items
OUTREACH
Director l Eugene Lee
What do we do?



Keep track of service
hours completed by
team members
Coordinate Outreach
events (Middle School
Mentoring, Bots by the
Bay, Scout Tours…)
One goal for next
year: start and mentor
FLL Teams and a FTC
team
**IMPORTANT MESSAGE**
You MUST complete at least 10
Hours to go to a FRC Competition
or World Competition – NO
EXCEPTIONS!