I’m sure there are several teams out there in VRC with relatively small budgets, lower accessibility to parts, etc.
How do you preserve parts / save money, and be competitive on a low budget? Any bot designs to share? I’d like to hear your thoughts!
reuse metal make sure to cut only what you need and no extra cad modeling it is free and it shows what metal you need
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Always compare prices on commodity hardware between VEX, Robosource.net, Amazon, MSC, and your local hardware store.
Chances are you can get large packages of screws, zip-ties, and rubber bands at prices well below what Vex sells them for.
In addition to that, you will get wider selection and more colorful variety of parts to sprinkle some holiday spirit on your robot:
Also, you should check ebay and ask senior volunteers at your local event if any (graduating) team is willing to sell their surplus or older (steel) parts at discount.
Finally, don’t buy pneumatics. It has marginal educational value on top of basic kit imo. Instead, try to think creatively about using more cheaper VRC legal non-VEX parts, like rubber bands, zip-ties, rope, and spacers.
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I’m on a team based out of Virginia, far enough from the vex supply center that we don’t have money for parts and delivery and etc. We have had to rely on many teams for the very basic of parts like motor cartridges, wheels, and even screws. Being on a low-no budget (Explained later on no budget) team for parts and repairs can and will force you to innovate.
The only way we really preserve parts is by cadding out the whole robot, remove custom/cut parts, and find other ways to implement uncut or already cut parts before we cut anything new.
How we save money, we don’t. Our instructors keep all the money and not recognize what our actual needs are for a team. (Short story) We recently gotten a grant (3,000$ USD) for our robotics program (3 teams already struggling with parts) and our instructors ignored our recommendation of setting most to parts so we can possibly get a pneumatic kit or something cool like that, but 3,000$ down the drain with 2 newly opened teams and only having enough money to register 3 out of the 5 teams for a single competition.
How we stay competitive on a low budget is by staying in touch with nearby and far away teams and consistently exchange ideas and designs. (No joke I’m on a discord call rn with a bunch of Va teams talking abt ideas and playing poker.)
If u wanna see our bot I could Dm it to u through Discord.
Fly wheel + Catapult = OP
13150B Xcentric
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Vex’s $20 minimum shipping charge is a bit much so its hard to place small orders. Try to order as much as you can at a time. Other places like robosource have reasonable shipping. Pneumatics are expensive. Get short extension connections for your brains. You can replace a 3 dollar cable instead of the brain when you wreck the fragile micro usb connection.
Draw up everything before you let students take or cut parts. It doesn’t have to be cad but in cad you can test fit things together without cutting. Try not to cut metal and require it be cut at the 5 square marks. Any none standard cuts need mentor approval. This creates standardized re-usable parts. Do the math when cutting slip gears then cut a couple teeth less than the math says you need. You can always cut another tooth, you can’t put one back. Its frustrating the number of gears I’ve seen wasted.
Look for government money. There is often funding in the form of grants. Hit up local organizations for sponsorships. Host events, sell concessions at those events. Run fund raisers. Raising money can be a lot of work but often its there if you have volunteers willing to put the effort in.
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