Resources
Over the years, Team 159 has amassed a collection of useful resources covering everything from machining and pneumatics to CAD design and animation. The links below can be a great resource for any team whether rookie or veteran. You can find past games and Arena Manuals, programming guides, wiring information, web design tutorials, and more. The files are accessible as either Adobe PDF Documents (.pdf), Microsoft Word Documents (.doc) or web pages. Enjoy!
General
- Chief Delphi (Team 47)
- Chief Delphi was created by Team 47, and is a great resource to look up information about all aspects of robotics and FIRST. If you have a question you want answered, a good place to it up is on Chief Delphi. This is probably the best place to learn about robotics and have questions answered concerning robotics and FIRST. Almost everyone involved with the program worldwide is on this site.
- US FIRST Team Members
- The online home of FIRST is suggested reading/surfing for all members of your team. You can find competition info, updates, events, parts, and almost anything else you want to know about FIRST on this website. During the season, check the updates often for late-breaking changes.
- NASA Robotics Alliance Project
- The NASA Robotics website contains video archives and live video feeds from select regionals and the National Championship in Atlanta.
CAD / Robot Design
- Online Weight Conversion
- A quick and easy tool to convert weights between different units.
- Innovation First
- Provider of the FRC robot controller and many other parts included in the official kit of parts.
- Andy Mark
- Provides various products for FIRST teams. Wheels, servos, gears, and more.
- Bane Bots
- Makers of gearboxes and motors provided in the official kit of parts.
Machining
- Boston Gear
- Boston Gear is a great supplier of transmissions and transmission parts.
- Machining and Metalworking Resources
- This is a great collection of Machining tutorials and resources.
- Machining: An Introduction
- A great website with an easy to follow overview of all the aspects of machining, including lathes, mills, and more.
- Wikipedia: Machining
- Wikipedia's entry on machining is a very useful general source.
Programming
- Innovation First
- An integral company to FIRST, they provide the Robot Controller, Operator Interface, and Speed Controllers as well as other electronics.
- Kevin's Code Repository
- A very simple, but useful site with lots of First Robotics Competition (FRC) code. The site has code from all years since 2004.
Electronics
- 68HC11 Assembly
- This page introduces the inner workings of the 68HC11 microprocessor, and provides details on writing assembly language programs for the 68HC11.
Pneumatics
- Norgren
- Norgren offers high quality pneumatics and other motion control devices.
- Bimba
- Bimba Manufacturing provides intustry-leading pneumatic solutions, including a variety of stainless steel body air cylinders that are easy to use and reliable.
- SMC Corporation
- SMC Corporation of America has been proud to support the US FIRST Robotics program for over 10 years! They supply high quality pneumatics.
- Wikipedia: Pneumatics
- Wikipedia's entry on Pneumatics is a very useful general source.
3D Design / Animation
- 3D Cafe
- 3D Cafe is a great source of 3D modelling and animation tutorials.
- Blue Sfear
- Blue Sfear is a great source for everything relating to 3D Studio Max. They have tutorials for modelling, effects, textures, rendering, animation, and lighting.
Web Design
- The W3C
- The World Wide Web Consortium is a very useful source for everything relating to coding, and compatability. The W3C also has a tool to check the validity of your code to various standards.
- Pixel2Life
- Pixel2Life is the best tutorail website on the internet. They have tutorials relating to all kinds of art, designing, and programming, from 3D Design to C# coding. If you have problems with anything, check P2L first.