What can I do in the off season to prepare

[Nightsoot]

Hi I’m a sophomore at my high school and was going to join my school’s robotics team and was wondering if there is anything I can do in the off season to get a head start next season? (I’m in my school’s robotics class so I’m not completely inexperienced)

[7996B]

If you are the builder, build different mechanisms to familiarize yourself with mechanisms

If you are the programmer, practice programming. Maybe make a PID if you don’t have one (and you are ready for that), or just learn new ways to program

If you are the driver, drive a base you made with weight on it/ drive an old robot if it is still assembled

[AliA]

My state competition is next week, and even if I qualify I won’t be allowed to go to worlds (for a variety of reasons), so during the down time from then till the next game reveal I’m going to try and just improve my robot to push my engineering ability and code more to improve myself, and you could do the same thing!

The way I got better at designing and engineering was by looking at other team’s designs and ideas and thinking of how they worked and how exactly they were put together. By thinking of the ways other teams used common ideas and applied it to their robot, I was able to do it to mine as well.

For programming, it’s a matter of trying new things, as @7996B said. Starting small (like a PID) and getting really good at that, then working up bit by bit is how you’ll get better. You’ll start to think, “How can I improve this/make it more accurate?”

Hope this helped!

[kmmohn]

From a thread a few days ago…

Release next year's game early

Here’s some more ideas for the “off season” that will reap benefits when you start the new robot design: • Build a simple drive base, perhaps even the Clawbot (if you have the Clawbot kit) as a test platform, or use your current drive base if it works and then get some of the new sensors (vision, GPS, inertial, rotational, etc) and learn how to program them. • Learn how to use and program pneumatics. • Try out various drive: mecanun, X-drive, holonomic, “kiwi” “H-drive” or any of the myriad o…

[1422_WI]

• Learn V5 block code
  Download it for free, then look through all the examples/templates

• Practice/learn V5 Pro
  Download for free, find tutorials

• Program a non-existent robot
  Program a drive, lift, intake, sensors, precise turning/lifting sequences, etc

• Find a summer competition and view it
  Even youtube livestreams are great

• Study game reveal
  Much can be learned, ponder every aspect, every minute detail of the game pieces and field layout

• Watch reveals
  Study designs

• Binge-watch Kepler Electronics’ vex videos
  No longer active in VEX, but this guy is amazing

• Research old games and reveals to learn approaches and mechanisms
  I’ve learned that many mechanisms are usable in various seasons, not just one

• Keep reading the forum
  Change your notification settings to give you relevant threads and info

[TimmyOsborne]

One thing that I do and have done is that i spent hours and hours researching different desightns and mechanisms. I did this mostly by looking at old vrc competitors so that I can see what teams have tried and what is possible. I 5hen list out the assortment of systems that have been used wether it is different types of lifts, flywheels varapults etc or smaller systems Like ways to use ratchets and other motor sharing systems in order to implement these into my robots for the next years.