What parts do you guys think are always good to buy?
Aluminum C-Channels
axles, motors, potentiometers
Shoulder screws and nylock nuts
Bearing flats and 7.2 volt batteries
3000 mAh only, none of those 2000 mAh things.
And all of the electrical suggestions should be taken with the understanding that the cortex, sensors, controller, motors, and possibly batteries are going to get an update soon, so if you can hold out for one more year, it could be worth while. Of course, they are all supposed to be backward compatible and there is going to be some kind of trade in, so it should not be the end of the world if you do get some.
Yeah that’s what I meant, sorry
1x2x35, 1x3x35 aluminum C Channel. Personally I only build my robots with these parts.
Motors. They burn out quickly so it is important to have a lot of extras, especially at tournaments.
Motor controllers
Extra internal gear sets, Flat bearings, GOOD quality tools!
Another random thing that is always needed in the strangest situations… rubber links
Battery wire extensions. Put them in the cortex and only ever plug the battery into the extension. Frequently plugging and unplugging the battery in the cortex will damage the battery connectors and make the cortex trash. (No electrical repairs allowed). It is way cheaper to replace the battery extension than the entire cortex if a connector wears out.
If you have a Cortex with a defective battery connector, send it in to VEX for repair. It’s way less expensive than a new Cortex, and you are choosing the green(er) alternative - fix, don’t replace.
We have a cortex that drops its connection frequently then powers back up. Could this be a bad battery connection? I need to send a joystick in to get a new connector and think I should send the cortex as well. However, I haven’t diagnosed the problem to the extent that I know what the problem is. Do you think Vex could still help? I really don’t want to buy new joysticks and cortexes this year!!
It could. I would contact [email protected] and ask for their help on diagnosis and solution. Good luck.
THANKS! I need to do that soon before the season gets the best of me.