First Team Meeting for 2008-2009!

We will be holding our first team meeting for 2008-2009 over TeamSpeak on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 at 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM EDT.

Server: cherryblossom.homelinux.com

Port: 8767 (default)

Server Guest Password: thornlearobotics

Team members who do not have access to a Teamspeak client may obtain one at http://www.teamspeak.com/?page=downloads .

Hope to see you all there!

York Region Open VEX Robotics Competition (FTC Off-Season Event)

Stephen Lewis Secondary School is trying to organize an off-season FIRST Tech Challenge event, however, they need more teams if they’re going to hold the event at all.

They need to make a decision by Wednesday, so if any of you are from a school that’s interested, go contact them!

Details: http://www.computerstudies.ca/

YRDSB FTC

Does anyone know about this YRDSB FTC event? I noticed it while browsing the FIRST Canada website.

RoboFest

http://www.robofest.net/

http://www.robofest.net/game.htm

http://www.aurorahigh.ca/robofest/index.html

http://admin.robofest.org/sites/08/aurora_can.htm

Ontario FTC Event @ Woburn CI

Well, it was fun.

FTC Event Inspections

Ontario FTC 2007 Inspection Guidelines were sent to team teacher head people today, and they have been forwarded to all team members. If you didn’t receive it and want it, let me know.

Of concern:
1) Only Vex branded NiCd batteries are allowed. No other batteries are allowed, identical or otherwise. (Uh oh.)
2) Morning inspections may take a while. Do we want to consider the Friday evening inspection? (It’s not like anyone will work on the robot between Friday night and Saturday morning anyway… lol)
3) We need a tether cable. I have been saying this for-ever. What are we going to do? Who’s bringing one? Cyrus is bringing a tether cable tomorrow. Yay!

All members are expected to demonstrate their driving ability to Mr. Fernandes and the team tomorrow or they probably won’t be driving.

Reminder: Three Forms Due Tomorrow!

Hi, team!

This is a reminder that all the forms are due tomorrow:

• Parental Permission for the Transportation of Students
• Informed Consent Agreement
  Field Trip – Single Day
• 2007-08 Consent, Release, Hold Harmless and Authorization to Reproduce Physical Likeness

For the Parental Permission for the Transportation of Students form, check 2a and 2b (“parent volunteer” and “teacher or other YRDSB employee”). The first two forms are required by the school board, and the third is required by FIRST. All three need to be signed or you won’t be allowed to participate.

Other issues:

• Drivers – See post below by William. Drivers must be trained to avoid damaging the robot, as limits are NOT in place to preserve parts and it is likely that merely turning or reversing will tend to destroy the gears in the drive train the way the robot is currently configured.
• Michael on Field Trip – I won’t be at school after 9 AM tomorrow — I have a history field trip.
• PVC Rings – Someone needs to bring the PVC pipe to the tech department during 2nd or 3rd period with the specification sheet and letter that I have written. I forget who, but one of the teachers I spoke to did say that students in his Grade 11 class should be able to cut the one inch rings en masse very quickly without major issue. Bring the stuff and ask around, and hopefully a staff member in the department will know what I am talking about. We need these rings if we plan on doing any serious practice.
• Robot Turning Problems – The robot accelerates VERY slowly and has problems turning. Is it possible to use smaller wheels anymore? Failing that, can we lighten the robot in any way?
• Yearbook Photo – Jonathan wants to take a new one. ‘Nuff said.

Anyone who has any other things to mention, please feel free to comment on the site or something.

Driver Issue

Jonathan Wu — Able to Drive/ Wants to Drive
Duncan Ma — (Assume) Wants to Drive
William Zhao — Don’t Care
Derek Cheung — (Assume) Wants to Drive (Jonathan said “Derek is unfit to drive”)
Cyrus Yau — Don’t Care
Ivan Lam — (Not Sure) Don’t Care
Mark Poon — (Assume) Wants to Drive (Didn’t contribute = No privilege to drive = No experience = Cannot be drive… Sorry =( ) <-partially said by Jonathan
Michael Chang — Able to Drive/ Wants to Drive
Andrey Vul — (Assume) Wants to Drive

Notes: Should there be a “Competition For Driving”, But not enough time.
Give the people who are able to drive; to drive?
Some type of Compromise?- William Zhao
P.s If I have misinterpreted anyone’s opnions tell me or Michael to change it.

REMINDER: Ontario Provincial FTC Championship Next Week

This is a reminder that the Ontario Provincial FTC Championship is next week, on Saturday, December 15, 2007. Fifty different teams from all parts of Ontario will be participating. It will occur at Woburn Collegiate Institute (which happens to have seven (!) teams participating) which is located at:

2222 Ellesmere Road

Scarborough, ON

(Markham Rd and Ellesmere) .

Woburn Collegiate Institute appears to be serviced by the following TTC routes:
38 Highland Creek (TTC Subway connection to Scarborough Centre/McCowan)
95,B York Mills (Passes Ellesmere but does not enter Subway station, TTC Subway connection to York Mills)
133+ Neilson (TTC Subway connection to Scarborough Centre/McCowan)

More information will be published as it becomes available.

• Student Participants, Mentors, etcetras are required to fill out the Consent/Release form as mandated by FIRST.
• VERIFY RIDES FOR DEC 11
• VERIFY PIZZA ORDERS FOR DEC 11
• Verify that it is still okay to borrow the goggles from Mr. Greenwood on Friday.
• Students need to arrange for transportation to and from the event. (Is there anyone willing to give rides to/from the event?)
• Find out the times for the event.
• Update: Figure out why we are missing the agenda and lunch order forms.

Update: “Registration begins at 8:00 am, with opening ceremonies starting at 10:00 am. The closing ceremonies are scheduled to finish at 5:45 pm.” –Provided by Karthik, FRC #1114 Team Mentor

Update 2: Tentative agendas have been sent to everyone. Please let us know if you did not receive a copy. PLEASE INFORM US ABOUT YOUR TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS AND PIZZA ORDERS FOR TOMORROW, DEC 11!!!

FTC Practice Competition at OSC

Hey all — I spent the entire afternoon at the Ontario Science Centre getting information (when I should have been doing homework, heh). More pictures after the jump. (Note: there are quite a few pictures.) Videos to come later.

Edit: To clarify to visitors — one representative from our team (me), went to the OSC to watch. We were not one of the teams that participated in the practice competition.