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End of Build Scrimmages
January 20, 2012
By MN Regionals Web Staff
Looking for a way to test your robot before Lock-Up Day? There are three scrimmages planned for the last full weekend of the build season. Based on prior year’s events, these are very helpful in testing your robot and strategy in a real game environment. Each location has its own registration procedure and fee schedule. All scrimmage events require pre-event registration. Please read the flyer for each event and follow the registration instructions. Itasca Community College will host an event on Sunday, Feb. 19th. On Saturday, Feb. 18th, teams may select the event hosted by Simley HS-Team 2518, or the scrimmage hosted by Eagan HS-Team 2220.
Join the MN FRC LabVIEW Training
December 26, 2011
By MN Regionals Web Staff
Jed Retherford, of National Instruments, created a MN FRC community page and is posting LabVIEW training materials. Every FRC team should have a programmer and a mentor "Join" the site so that they can be emailed when new material is available, and also be notified of future training sessions. Click this link.
Once you have clicked on the link:
1) "Register" at the top of the “Members” page
2) "Join this Group" on the right side of the page
3) Start reviewing the material and learning LabVIEW
4) Program an awesome robot
Junkyard Robots to Guide Teams, Visitors at the DECC!
December 22, 2011
By Lauren W.
Hey FRC robot fanatics and pack rats! Planners for the Lake Superior Regional have designed a creative and green project with FIRST Teams’ creativity and building abilities in mind. The DECC (Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center) is the venue for the Lake Superior Regional competition. It’s a large facility where people tend to get lost. Solution: Teams competing at the Lake Superior Regional are invited to build and enter into competition a “robot” made out of only bits, pieces, recyclables and/or on-hand materials (hence: Junkyard Robot) that will be used to hold signs and point people in the right directions. Read this flyer for all of the competition details. The deadline to enter is February 21. Interested in entering your team's Junkyard Robot? Send an email to Mark Lawrence, markl56821@aol.com, stating your team's intention to build a Junkyard Robot; include your Team number and the contact info (name, email and cell phone) for the person in charge of your team's Junkyard Robot.
Minnesota Splash Goes Online
December 11, 2011
By MN Regionals Web Staff
Minnesota Splash this year consists of three evenings of web-based training seminars: December 13, December 15 and December 20. Here are the directions to setting up your computer to access the live webinars.
First, you must make sure you are using a Windows based (NOT MAC) computer that has a microphone and speaker enabled. Having the microphone and speaker will allow you to see the live video feed from the sessions. If you have a webcam, we will be able to see you when you ask a question. Download and install the Microsoft Lync Attendee on that computer by clicking this link:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=15755
At the link window, click the DOWNLOAD box. This will download into a download folder at the bottom of your screen. If prompted, you will want to click "Keep" for the selected download. Once downloaded, you will want to click on the download and run the install program.
Once you have successfully installed the program, go to the link below, follow the directions, and see if you are put into the “meeting lobby.”
https://join.microsoft.com/meet/chkunze/1FFY4F6P
When you click the link, a pop-up window will display. If you get a blocked pop-up, a message should display. You need to allow pop-ups from Microsoft for this to work. In the pop-up window, you need to select the button "Join as Guest" and then click the "Join" box below the Guest button. That will be as far as you can go testing the software until the actual session on Dec 13th.
The schedule for the three evenings of webcast presentations is as follows:
December 13th – Rookie Track
5:30 – 6:15 PM – Build Season Survival Guide/Essentials: Team 2169- KING Tec
6:30 – 7:15 PM – Drive Train and Manipulators: Team 2169 -KING Tec
7:30 – 8:15 PM – Rookie Programming/Libraries/Running the Robot: Team 1816-Green Machine
December 15th – Wiring, LabVIEW, and Fund Raising
5:30 – 6:15 PM – Electrical Wiring and Pneumatics: Team 2177-The Robettes
6:30 – 7:15 PM – LabVIEW/National Instruments – Jed Retherford, NI
7:30 – 8:15 PM – Fundraising/Business Plans & Game Strategy: Team 1816
December 20th – Advanced ProgrammingInspection
5:30 – 6:30 PM – Programming/Sensors/Beta Test/Kinect: Teams 2169, 1816 & 2177
6:45 – 8:15 PM – Robot Inspections – Jeff Pahl, and Jon Stratis, Lead Robot Inspectors
All Minnesota Splash webinars will be recorded and archived. Information will be posted when the webinars are available.
Brush Up Your Design, Build, Programming Skills
October 19, 2011
By MN Regionals Web Staff
FIRST Teams! This Fall, Dunwoody College of Technology’s Robotics & Manufacturing Department is hosting a series of Saturday morning hands-on seminars including:
Basic Electricity
Basic Shop Tools
Industrial Robotics
LabVIEW Programming
Solidworks Design
This training is free of charge to any high school student actively participating in robotics - including the Midwest Robotics League, FIRST Robotics, or just general interest in engineering, design, electronics or robotics. Mentors and parents are welcome to attend, but the hands-on portion of all activities is reserved for students.
Each seminar is limited to 12 students. Eight seminars are scheduled on each Saturday morning. Click here to read the seminar flyer. Students must email the time, date and seminar(s) they are interested in attending. Confirm your space via email to: edaigle<at>Dunwoody.edu. Confirmation will be sent via email reply within 24 hours.
Beta Testing New Code for 2012
September 23, 2011
By Connor S.
Excited about the upcoming season? If so, you are not alone, because there are teams already jumping in by helping other FRC teams get ready. These teams start early by applying – and winning assignments – to Beta Test new robot code.
This year, 147 FIRST teams from around the world applied to beta test one of three languages: C/C++, JAVA, and LabVIEW. Of that 147, 75 teams were chosen (25 for each language), and of those 75, seven are Minnesota teams.
Team 1816-The Green Machine, Edina, will test C/C++; LabVIEW will be tested by Team 2169-KING TeC, Prior Lake, and Team 2530-Inconceivable, Rochester. JAVA has four Minnesota teams assigned: 2177-The Robettes, St. Paul; 2846-FireBears, Roseville; 2977-Sir Lancer Bots, La Crescent, and 3630-The Stampede, Golden Valley.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term “beta testing,” it is the part of software development where a company developing new software releases it to a limited number of people to tell them what works and what really doesn’t work at all. Being a FRC Beta Test team isn’t all fun and games. First, it involves the task of reviewing the entire software libraries for bugs. This can be a very long and tedious process, but the reward is great! Even catching one line of ‘bad code’ can make a huge difference in how a robot performs. The second part of beta testing involves building new code, which can be extremely fun: Perhaps there’s a new UI for writing the code, or some new addition to the libraries that can cut 60 lines into one! That new code is then shared with all teams. Questions are expected and encouraged. Beta Test teams can be contacted via the FRC forums, and many teams may share their findings in pre-season events as well.
In fact, one could view testing new code on your robot during build season as a Beta Test! For that reason, Beta Testing of the new code on FRC robots before the season helps give developers vital feedback and also helps FIRST because it identifies possible future problems that could arise during the season. It is far easier to find and correct problems with a control group of 75 instead of the, literally, thousands of teams that may all be experiencing that same problem. Beta Tests also allow testers to observe how well the code operates when it is in an actual real-world scenario, instead of virtual simulation.
This process can be so beneficial to so many people in such an endless amount of ways. It can help rookie teams decide which language is their best fit, and allows for veterans to trouble-shoot before problems develop. We encourage all FIRST teams to get in touch with a Beta Testing team if you haven’t already!
2nd Annual Minne Mini Regional Set for November 19
September 14, 2011
By MN Regional Web Staff
The2nd annual Minne Mini-Regional FRC tournament is slated for November 19, 2011, at Prior Lake High School. Sponsored by FRC Teams 2220-Blue Twilight, 1816-The Green Machine and 2169-KING TeC, this will be our last event to play the 2011 game, LOGO Motion. This event is scheduled later in the year to allow your teams to form and to give you the best chance for new members to gain a real competition experience before the 2012 Kickoff on January 7 and the new season.
This event is important as we are dedicating all net proceeds towards the procurement of a new competition field for all Minnesota teams to use. Please support FIRST Minnesota and your team by signing up for the event. It's a lot of fun and it will make a difference for the future of how Minnesota teams compete.
Sign up by emailing Joe Passofaro, j.pass<at>prodigy.net to reserve your entry. The cost this year will again be $150 and remember, all of the net proceeds go towards the new field. Once you have reserved your place via email, please mail a check for $150 made out to Prior Lake Robotics to: Joe Passofaro, 16077 Northwood Rd, Prior Lake, MN 55372.
Event details will follow as we approach the tournament date.
i.am.FIRST Special Now Online
September 14, 2011
By Nate Purdy
In case you missed it, or would like to the see the show again, the "i.am.FIRST" special that aired on August 14th is available to view online. The hour-long ABC special features FIRST founder Dean Kamen, well-known musician will.i.am, the Blackeyed Peas, and footage from the 2011 FIRST Championships in St. Louis. This prime-time celebration of FIRST can only be seen here!
Registration Now Open For the Minnesota Robotics Invitational
September 13, 2011
By MN Regional Web Staff
FIRST Team 2846-The Roseville FireBears is hosting the inaugural Minnesota Robotics Invitational (MRI) competition on October 21st - 22nd (MEA Weekend) at the Roseville Area High School, Roseville, MN. The MRI will have a real FIRST field, real FIRST electronics, real FIRST volunteers, and a real FIRST Technical Advisor running the event.
A fun rule change for the MRI is the use of sponsored tubes. Sponsors will have their logos attached to the tubes. Hanging the tube with the sponsor's logo facing the field doubles the point value of that tube.
The Roseville Visitors Association is working with Roseville area hotels to provide discounted hotel rates during the MRI for teams that need an overnight stay.
This pre-season competition is limited to the first 36 teams to send in their paid registration. The registration form, contact information, schedule, plus other information is found at http://www.firebears.org/mri.html.
Talking Education and Robots with The Millerbots
September 13, 2011
By Nate Purdy
FIRST Team 2549- The Millerbots from Minneapolis' Washburn High School were recently featured on the Minnesota Dept. of Education show "Education Conversations". After some adjustments, online viewing of the video is now possible. Check out what these FRC team members have to say about engineering, technology, robotics, and Project Lead the Way.