Blog

Another Day, Another Slay

By Aubrey, December 27 2022, 8:32pm


It was a light crew today. Cayden and I assembled the robot in CAD while I tried to talk to him, just to get bullied, and Sodi worked on something. Cayden was struggling with this new "architecture". He was crying while assembling. Arms heavy, knees not so steady, moms spaghetti. I was having a grand time.
Matt.png Could Not Be Found
Spencer.exe Could Not Be Found
Dan.pdf Could Not Be Found
Gabe.jpeg Could Not Be Found
Trent.MP3 Could Not Be Found



6th Meeting

By Aubrey, November 29 2022, 8:31pm


Today was Just Sodi, Dan and I. Dan and I did driver practice, while Sodi Struggled with Java. Dan and I can place 9 cones on our bad runs, and 11 on our good ones. Poggers
AlmostEveryone.exe Could Not Be Found



4th Meeting

By Aubrey, November 22 2022, 8:27pm


I wasn't here last meeting, so that's why we skipped a blog. Today we put in the expansion hub, and did wiring. I HATE wiring, but I actually did really good :D. SO I'm pretty happy. This robot is so dang cute, though! Its 15". MY brother is coming home tomorrow, so I'm in such a good mood. Anyways, see you Saturday, cause we're not meeting on Thanksgiving lol.
Trent.exeCould Not Be Found
Matt.png Could Not Be Found



2nd Meeting (After qualifier)

By Aubrey, November 17 2022, 8:32pm


Soooo Today Gabe and I worked on getting chains on the wheels, and putting the lower arm on. Trent did that, but on the other side. Spencer worked on CADing the new collector, and Sodi and Mat programmed.
Cayden.exe Could Not Be Found
Dan.png Could Not Be Found



1st meeting after qualifier

By Aubrey, November 15 2022, 8:34pm


I'm back babyyyyyyyyy. So long story short: No state. So we all decided to make the robot smaller. SO Cayden, Trent and I all took the robot apart, and Cayden cut some X-bar. He assembled the core of the drive-train, and got set up for putting wheels on.
Sodi worked.
Gabe.exe Could Not Be Found
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Mat.wps Could Not Be Found



21nd meeting

By Aubrey, October 22 2022, 2:41pm


I worked on the promote video. Dan and Trent worked on changing out wheels. Then we all got together and filmed for the promote video. it was very fun. I made a blooper video. thats all lol
gabe.exe Could Not Be Found



19th Meeting

By Aubrey, October 18 2022, 8:37pm


Today, I was trying to talk to Cayden and Dan, but no one cared T.T. It was VERY sad. Every time I got interrupted, I shed a tear. My heart broke into tiny pieces, and my hands started to shake with rage. AND THEN I GOT ABANDONED IN THE OFFICE. Dan and Cayden worked on wiring in the field room, while Spencer and Sodi programmed. I worked on documentation. it was very sad.
Trent.png Could Not Be Found
Matt.exe Could Not Be Found



Random blog

By Aubrey, October 14 2022, 8:06pm


So Caydens over assembling the camera mount. I legaly have to be here (Mr. Badger cant be alone with a member. Just the rules.), so I'm working on promote video script. I want the ✨Aesthetic✨ to be a 60's commercial. So far, I like the script. But we'll have to see what the boss says about it. I'm really excited to start editing it. I don't think you guys realize how much I love editing. Its the only thing that brings me pure joy in this cruel, cruel world. That's not entirely true, but you know what I mean. I'm just excited. Our qualifier is in 28 days!!!! I'm SO excited
ok bye bye



17th Meeting

By Aubrey, October 13 2022, 9:31pm


Today, I struggled CADing a feather. Cayden Struggled CADing multiple things, Gabe struggled documenting, and Trent struggled putting on bolts. Spencer and Sodi were having fun programming. Honestly, nothing really happened this meeting. We all just vibed. Ok bye.
Mat.exe Could not Be Found



16th Meeting

By Aubrey, October 12 2022, 9:35pm


I didn't blog yesterday, cause I forgot to. Dan and I put in an extra hour of work yesterday. I had to because I was using Mr. Badgers computer, and its very slow and kept on crashing. Dan was here an extra hour because Trent and him don't know how to use tape. Cayden was CADing, and Spencer was cyber bullying Luke. Thats about it. See you tomorrow
-Aubrey
Mat.png Could not be found
Sodi.Exe Could not be found



15th Meeting

By Aubrey, October 08 2022, 12:04pm


Light crew today. Sodi and Spencer got distracted together while programming. Spencer went on a total rampage about not having a camera, but I saved the day by giving him one. I was mostly documenting today. I fixed the field because SOMEONE eye balled it. Nothing really happened this meeting. See you Tuesday!
Gabe.png Could not be found
Cayden.wav Could not be found



14th Meeting

By Aubrey, October 06 2022, 8:36pm


Today we re-did the the drive train because SOMEONE took it apart. But it only took like, 10 minutes, so its ok. We then did some strategy planning. It was so fun. Trent sat on his phone or waddled around the whole time, Gabe vibed to his music, and Spencer was cursing up a storm. I was fine with it at first, but it got really annoying by the end of the meeting, thus I hit him with a nut driver. I get to do fun wiring tomorrow by myself cuz I live here. Maybe I'll make a blog post about it, but only if someone interesting happens. See you Saturday!
-Aubrey



13th Meeting

By Aubrey, October 04 2022, 8:32pm


Today was VERY successful. We switched the arm over to the original drive train (It has wheels :D), and we did a TON of wiring. Spencer was doing what he does best, getting distracted. OK in his defense, he wasn't THAT distracted today, but he still was. Dan kept on whispering "I love the meds", and Sodi and Trent were looking at dog photos. Cayden was "CADing" AKA playing Minecraft (He only did that at the end of the meeting). Overall, it was an AMAZING meeting -_-.
Gabe.png could not be found



12th meeting

By Aubrey, October 01 2022, 12:09pm


Today, Dan and I worked on servos, and some springs. Yesterday, I worked on a new spring mechanism, that seems to be working. Dan and I had to move around some axles, and program some servos. Sodi was programming, and Cayden was CADing with Mr. Badger. Gabe was... Building? It was a very uneventful meeting tbh. See you Tuesday!
Spencer.exe could not be found
Trent.png could not be found

Sodi's programming servos lol



11th Meeting

By Aubrey, September 29 2022, 8:52pm


Today, Mat and I had some fun ✧bonding✧ time.
He helped me with the rude springs, and getting the servos fixed up. Trent worked on wheels (I think), and Cayden and Spencer got to see Mr. Badgers sass.
Its so fun to listen to. Sodi was programming (I think. I saw her staring at a photo of a cockroach for a solid 5 minutes, so who knows what that chick was doing.).
Spencer was on my computer since his is awful, stupid, ugly, and doesn't work CAD at the moment. It made me SO nervous. Cause I have just AWFUL, and TERRIBLE things on my computer.... like roblox. I don't know why I still have that on here since I haven't played that game for like, 5 months lol.
The worse thing on this big ol' piece of junk is probably random photos I download, cause I want the background for a video.
ANYWAYS, See you Saturday!
Gabe.png could not be found
Dan.exe could not be found



10th meeting

By Aubrey, September 27 2022, 8:39pm


Today, Dan and I worked on springs. THE ENTIRE TIME. We had to keep on adjusting our springs, how far apart they were, and weather or not to use two springs. It was not fun. Spencer was goofing off with stickers for the cone, cause I was a bit aggressive at the start of the meeting. And he was so torn apart from that, that he didn't want to work with Dan and I. BTW, this is all sarcasm. Gabe and Trent were working on the field, and Cayden was designing a new collector. see you Thursday!
-Aubrey



Ninth Meeting

By Aubrey, September 24 2022, 9:45am


Aubrey.Exe is sick



Eight Meeting

By Aubrey, September 20 2022, 8:33pm


Oh good jolly. Today, Spencer, Dan. and I were working on the collector lift. We had to put springs on them so they could hold still, and not die. Trent was building the collector, Cayden was scaring everyone with the forbidden hair dryer, and Matt and Sodi were programming. I sure do hope that Sodi likes programming, cause it looks like that's all shes really going to do. It was a very fun, and happy, and not a making death threats meeting. See you Thursday!
Gabe.wav is not found



Seventh Meeting

By Aubrey, September 17 2022, 11:56am


Everyone was very productive today. Trent and Spencer were working on Servos, Matt and Sodi were programming, Cayden was CADing, and I was documenting.

I was having trouble with documenting our first collector. I couldn't find the right words, and soon gave up, and soddenly screamed for Mr. Badger to come help me. I'm still not sure if I wrote it very well, but I'll have Mr. Badger look over it latter.

This meeting kept on feeling like Christmas, and I don't know why. It could be because we have a robot in the first week (when we usually have a robot in the first month or so), or it could be that I had a mocha that I drink during winter ¯_(ツ)_/¯.

Anyways, we're back to meeting every other day (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Its practically every day.). Poor Trent was working by himself yesterday. Everyone else was busy. I was watching a movie with friends :D. We watched Up, and some Marvel film. ANYWAYS, see you Tuesday!

Gabe.exe is not found



Sixth Meeting

By Aubrey, September 15 2022, 8:12pm


Today, everyone was in deep hatred. The hatred was as thicc as my dog Lucy (Shes fat). It was SO thicc, that you could feel the tension in the air. All of that hatred, went back to Spencer. I wasn't here yesterday, but apparently Spencer tried being a leader (I know). He made a big oopsies (as Dan would say). He gave.. FALSE INFORMATION :0. I honestly don't really know what really happened, but this meeting they had to re-do ALL of there work from yesterdays meeting. Everyone was working. Silently glaring at Spencer with hatred. JUST KIDDING! There was -0% silents. But I had to listen to them complaining for like, the whole meeting. And I had to listen to them making nut jokes. Pray for my sanity. Matt and Sodi were being the good lads they are, and programmed silently in they're little programming room. Cayden was struggling (with what I heard) in CAD. Gabe was... building? Mr. Badger was eating cookies :3. BUT DON'T WORRY!! He wont get fat cause he was eating them upside down. I was documenting this meeting. I didn't want to get in on the anti Spencer movement.
See you tomorrow!
Ps. Nobody was missing this meeting. Quite a rare sight.



Fifth meeting

By Spencer Piha, September 15 2022, 6:59am


This is Spencer righting the fifth meeting notes, because Aubrey didn’t show up to the meeting… I’m also writing this late because I thought she may have already wrote something… today Matt.exe is missing and so is sodi.png so no programming, Dan.jpeg is also not found because he was busy… gabe, Spencer and Trent worked on attaching axle mounts to the axle so the axles don’t free spin and gabe had also worked on disassembling the field because mr badger wants to balance out the floor since the rough poured concrete was poured not very level, making bumps all through the the floor underneath the field… Cayden CADed the assembly of the robot that we have now… and we got the field parts today… very exciting and productive meeting :)



Fourth Meeting

By Aubrey, September 13 2022, 8:24pm


Dan and Spencer were being silly little lads while building today. Spencer said that it was because he was tired, but when I was tired on Saturday, he was making fun of me for it. So I'm just going to say that hes just lazy :). Sodi and Matt were doing the usual. PROGRAMMING. I had the amazing task of ✨ Documenting ✨ . I actually really like documenting, so its ok :D. I documented EDC, and fixed up Spencer's documentation of our outreach. I like documenting, cause its the most creative/ artistic thing you'll get in FTC. Like, building robots is fun and all, but color coding and choosing fonts just hits different. There is also the promote video, but youre kinda forced to make it cringy and cheesy. I should probably start on the promote video soon. Mr. Badger has been making really lame videos that take like, 0.0000000000000000000001 seconds to make. And you can tell. Anyways, I'm ranting. see you tomorrow!
Gabe.wav is missing Cayden.txt is also missing.



Third Meeting

By Aubrey, September 12 2022, 8:13pm


I'm doing this blog post a bit earlier then usual. If Mr. Badger didn't read this, I would say that I got stumped on something and needed a break. Since he sadly does read this, I'll just say that this counts as documenting. I came late to the meeting since I had dance. But one of the first things Spencer said to me when I came was "you're ugly." One like = one bandage for my shattered confidence. I almost forgot! GABE HAS RETURNED!!!!! Hes CADing with Cayden right now. Dan, Spencer, and Trent are building our next proto-type. Sodi and Matt are programming... something. You never really know what those two are doing ¯_(ツ)_/¯
I built a little, and then got our lab notebook all ready. I read Game Manual part one. I don't know what else to write in here, but I'm having fun witting this. Trent brought snacks, but I cant eat any cause I'm gluten free. :( Gabe and Cayden seem to like them. They have a huge pile of wrappers next to them. I should stop writing before I turn into a pumpkin.

-Aubrey



Second meeting

By Aubrey, September 11 2022, 7:37pm


oh boy. These meetings are long, and short at the same time. Today we met from 1-5. We have our first proto-type done, and getting programmed, and our second one is in the works. We have a new character in our series named Trent. He is 12 (turning 13 tomorrow. I'll have to make cupcakes), and likes building robots, and taking long walks on the beach. Cayden got to do some CAD today, and Sodi and Spencer did programming like, the entire time. Dan was missing, but we knew that ahead of time.
Gabe.PNG is STILL not found.



The TRUE First meeting

By Aubrey, September 10 2022, 4:49pm


Today, everyone (-Gabe -Sodi) woke up bright and early to go to the kick off. We went, we vibed, and then we ate McDonalds. We came back around 1:00, and worked hard till 5. Cayden and Spencer worked on the collector, while Dan and I worked on the drive train. Dan and I had a terrible, terrible problem. When we were assembling the motors and wheels, we tested it, and it wasnt working. Our axle was too short. So we had to re-do ALL THE MOTORS. I didnt explain it that well. See ya'll tomorrow!
-Aubrey



8th pre-meeting

By Aubrey, September 08 2022, 8:45pm


This fine and beautiful meeting was... questionable. Cayden was working on CAD, while Spencer was complaining about how slow he is at it. Dan was doing CAD (putting outlets in the control hub), while Spencer was Snapping him photos of Dan. I was lock tighting some motors, while I listened to Spencer annoying Cayden and Dan. Sodi was Coding peacefully in the other room with Mr. B. Gabe.exe is not found.



7th meeting

By Aubrey, September 07 2022, 2:27pm


I'm writing this the day after our meeting, because I #ForgotToDoItLastNight. We have one more meeting before the kick off. Everyone is counting down the hours, minutes, and seconds. Cayden was working on his drone (I think). Spencer was being a chatter bug while taking apart his mini bot, and Sodi and Mat were coding something. I was assembling some new wheel assembly that Mr. B and I came up with (It was mostly me who came up with them). Thats about if for this meeting. Gabe.exe is not found.
-Aubrey



sixth meeting

By Aubrey, September 01 2022, 8:09pm


We have two members missing this meeting. Plus Mentor Matt. Dan and Gabe are gone (with no excuse). Spencer should be doing CAD, but is instead teaching the glorious art of code to Sodi. Cayden is using the soldering iron. I'm scared. He's also using the forbidden hair dryer. Double Scared. This meeting I've been working on CADing a basket. I have not been successful. I've been working on it for an hour and a half, and I'm only 12 minutes into the 35 minute video. So I decided that its time to do the blog. Mr. Badger disprove, but I don't care, because I'm a bady.



fifth meeting

By Aubrey, August 30 2022, 8:44pm


Everyone was hard at work this meeting. Sodi and Mat were working on programming (Sodi's getting quite good at it from what I've heard), Cayden was looking at a drone, and Dan sat quietly, working. Aubrey got to the meeting late, so she felt the anger of her teammates when she stepped into the room. Everyone was very busy. Except Spencer. He wasn't at the meeting. 7/10 meeting.



fourth meeting

By Aubrey, August 25 2022, 8:20pm


Ga-be is missing this meeting, so I am writing this for him. Dan is hard at work, punching the air whenever he finishes a motor. its honestly a bruh moment. Sodi and Spencer are working on the ground. Spencer feels connected to the robots when hes on the ground, so I'll just let him work there. Aubrey actually worked this meeting. Mr. Badger is fixing un-fixable LED lights. Make sure to like and subscribe, and turn on notifications.
-Aubrey



the true third meeting

By Ga-Be, August 23 2022, 8:24pm


Ga-Be is hard at work a slave to it. Cayden is missing as normal. dan left to go to the bathroom approximately 45 min ago, and I don't think he is coming back.
till next time



Third Meeting by Aubrey Badger

By Aubrey, August 23 2022, 7:58pm


Everyone is working hard as usual, except Aubrey. Shes vibing. Gabe is working on his 3D printer with Luke, and Spencer and Sodi are struggling with programming. Dan is figuring out CAD. Very successful meeting.



second meeting

By Ga-Be, August 18 2022, 8:31pm


second meeting, everyone is hard at work....except cayden who has done nothing but play games on his computer.
Ga-Be has done most of the work so far.
see you guys on the flip side



hello

By Olivia Palme, September 01 2021, 9:34pm


hello



FTC Minnesota State Championship

By Matthew Larson, January 25 2018, 11:04am


We are going to State!

The FIRST Tech Challenge Minnesota State Championship will be held at Washington Technology Magnet School.


For event details see hightechkids.org/mn-ftc-state-championship



Minnesota State Championship

By Matthew Larson, January 24 2017, 10:40am


We're going to State!

The FIRST Tech Challenge Minnesota State Championship will be held at Washington Technology Magnet School.


For event details see hightechkids.org/mn-ftc-state-championship



North Branch Qualifier

By Matthew Larson, January 16 2017, 12:49pm


The FIRST Tech Challenge North Branch Qualifier is taking place this weekend,
January 21 2017 at the North Branch Middle School. For details click here.



Modern Robotics Motor Controller Fix

By Erik Badger, February 18 2016, 8:24pm


UNFORTUNATELY ALL OF THE CHANGES IN THIS POST ARE ILLEGAL SO YOU WONT BE ABLE TO USE THIS IN COMPETITION BUT IT IS A INTERESTING PROOF OF CONCEPT.


Materials : 4 0.1 uF capacitors ($0.07); Solder; Soldering iron;
Estimated Time Per Module : 10 Minutes (First may be longer)


Procedure:
We need to put a 0.1 uF capacitor between the ground and MCLR pin. Conveniently those two pins are connected to the programming pins 1 and 4. Pin 1 is the is the pine which is slightly filled in and you count away from that.


You may want to test each module before you move on to the next. I recommend making a program that will run the motors to make sure you haven't shorted anything out.


Steps:
1. Place one capacitor tail into pin 1
2. solder tail into pin making sure the capacitor is inline with the pins.
3. place second tail of capacitor into pin 4
4. solder tail into pin
5. test motor controller(run motor in both directions)


The capacitor(which is highlighted red) is going into programming pin 1 and 4 (highlighted blue)



North Super Regionals

By Matthew Larson, February 07 2016, 2:14pm


We're proceeding to the North Super Regionals!

The event will be held March 17 - 19 2016,
at the US Cellular Center/DoubleTree Convention Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.



Event details



FIRST Tech Challenge Minnesota State Championship

By Matthew Larson, January 31 2016, 5:08pm


The Minnesota FTC State Championship games are Feb 6, at the Thomas Jefferson High School.
Doors open at 7am and opening ceremony is at nine.

General Schedule

Pit map

Advancing Teams
For complete event details see hightechkids.org/mn-ftc-state-championship



Rusty Is Almost Ready For State

By Matthew Larson, January 30 2016, 11:10am


Rusty 2.0 (More like Rusty 2.7)

Rusty 2.0 (2.7)

Had a little surgery since the North Branch qualifier to change how his arm is raised, and added a servo to place the climbers in the bucket behind the light repair zone.
Now we need to practice driving with the new arm mechanism and see if we can get the cliff climb.



We're Going to State

By Matthew Larson, December 13 2015, 8:00pm




Hello World

By Matthew Larson, December 05 2015, 12:11pm


Greetings, World!