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FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®)
Offsite Resources:
FIRST® Official Sources | FIRST Specific | Region/Team Sites | FRC® CAD Sites | 3D Printers | Mechanical | Materiel | Pneumatics | Computers/Programming | Electrical | Robot Specific | Tools | Other Competitions | Miscellaneous | Long Island | Suggested ReadingFIRST® Official Sources:
FIRST - The organizationFIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®) Game & Season - The high school-level competition
Locate FRC® Teams & Events
FRC Blog - FRC Director notes direct to you
FIRST forums
Season News and Email Blasts
FRC Team Leader Dashboard - where team Main Contacts deal with FIRST paperwork, signup for events, etc.
FRC Volunteer Information Management System (VIMS) - how to volunteer to work at events.
FRC Social Media:
reddit FRC communityFRC Facebook
FRC Twitter
FRC Blog
FIRSTWorldTube
FRCTeamsGlobal
Team Youtube Channels
FIRST Robotics Specific:
Chief Delphi - The premier meeting place for FRC teams, sponsored by Team 47 (now 51). Find out about all things scouting, strategy, mechanical, programming, chit-chat, or just exchange ideas with teammates from all over the country and world.NEMO - Non-Engineering Mentor Organization (NEMO) is a support group and information exchange for those adult non-engineering mentors who help teams as part of the FIRST robotics programs
WPI FIRST - general resources, such as, 3rd party workshops
AndyMark - designed for FIRST power transmission and drivetrain products
Vex Robotics - suppliers of FRC speed controllers, gearboxes, sprokets, belts, motors, etc.
Blue Alliance Match Results & Videos - Event/Match results, team information, and webcasts of selected Regional Competitions & the Championship.
frclinks - direct shortcuts to FIRST team & event information by Pat Fairbanks
Useful FIRST Region/Team sites:
FIRST Canada - Workshops and mechanism photo galleriesMOE Team 365 - MOE University
Simbotics Team 1114 - workshops
Monta Vista Robotics Team 115 - Trainings
Miss Daisy Team 341 - Team-in-a-Box
Robojackets - Georgia Tech team
![FRC CAD Sites](RobotCAD.jpg)
FRC CAD Sites:
FRC Designs - a student site that's collecting FRC robot CADs.3D Printers:
MakerBotRepRap - self reproducing 3D printer
Thingiverse - shared stuff to print on 3D printers
3D Systems
![Mechanical](mechanic.jpg)
Mechanical:
AndyMark - designed for FIRST power transmission and drivetrain productsVex Robotics - suppliers of FRC speed controllers, gearboxes, sprokets, belts, motors, etc.
221 Robotic Systems - FIRST chassis & drivetrain products
West Coast Products - FIRST chassis & drivetrain products
B&B Manufacturing - Timing pulleys, belts, idlers, tensioners
V Belt Supply - Timing belts, V-belts
Gates - Design tool for multi-point and complex serpentine belt drives-belt length/width/tension/shaft load
Practical Machinist - forum for machining
Bolt Depot - fasteners, lots of fasteners (bolts, screws, cotter pins, etc.)
Robot Marketplace - everything you need to build your own robot
McMaster-Carr - Online store for buying gears, sprockets, aluminum stock, or anything else mechanical.
Grainger - Really just about anything from glue to electronics too
GlobalSpec - Engineering search engine
Haydon Kerk Motion - Suppliers of the Lead Screws found in the KOP
Amazon Supply - Specializes in small quantities of special parts and hard to find engineering tools and materials. Formerly Small Parts, Inc.
Rush Gears - will rapidly make and overnight ship custom made gears for a price.
W.M. Berg - spur gears, worms and worm gears, belts & chains, sprockets & pulleys, lead screws, shafts, bearings, collars, hubs, couplings
PIC Design - metric gears.
MSC Industrial Supply - lots of parts
Skyway Wheels - these wheels were in the FIRST kits for years
Colson Wheels - heavy duty robot wheels
Omniwheel.com - Omnidirectional wheels
Kornylak - Wheels (omni & mecanum)
Kids Wheels - Gearboxes, wheels, etc. for kids ride-on vehicles
Boston Gear - gears of course
Martin Sprocket & Gear - more gears
Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument (SDP/SI) - drive components, a.k.a. gears. A great source for spur gear stock, small bearings, including flanged bearings, chain, sprockets, and lots of other miscellaneous small stuff
Grob Inc. - Hard to find pulleys and pinion wire as well as custom broaching.
Pacific International Bearing, Inc. - These might have a bearing on (for) your problem
Robot Marketplace - all robotics stuff, all the time
Conveyor Belting - need to pick stuff up and move it around?
Brecoflex - source of Roughtop material used on all those high-traction wheels and tread drive systems
F.N.Sheppard & Co. - specialty belting
Fastenal - more fasteners than you could ever use.
BaneBots - Gearboxes, Misc. robot mechanical & electrical parts.
Bosch Extrusion - aluminum structural framing
80/20 Extrusion - aluminum structural framing, an alternate system to Bosch
T-slots Extrusion - aluminum structural framing, an alternate system to 80/20
Brunner Enterprises - Aluminum profiles
Amazon - search for "aluminum extrusion"
Generic Clamp fittings - Heavy Duty Aluminum Clamp-On Framing Fittings
Cangro Industries - Transmission components, bearings, machining (LI, NJ, NYC, PA)
Applied Industrial Technologies - Drivetrain components to loctite and tools
Misumi USA - spur gears, drive shafts, aluminum framing, custom machine parts
Rebel Gears Motorcycle Sprockets - Aluminum sprockets any tooth size 18-76 for #25 & #35 chain
West Coast Products - gears, fasteners, gearboxes, hubs, roller chain
![Materiel](materiel.jpg)
Materiel:
Metal Connections, Inc.- GREAT walk-in shop for local LI teams. They have lots of odd-size pieces to pick through and will sell only the amount you need. Sheet & plate, rod & bar, extrusions, tube & pipe, stainless steel, specialsK&S Metals - Brass, aluminum, copper tubing
Online metals - Aluminum, brass, stainless steel, bronze, plastic, composites.
Aluminum Discs- Cheaper scrap alluminum discs manufacturing leftovers
Aerospace Composite Products - Fiberglass, Kevlar® and Carbon materials are available in various forms, in large or small quantities.
Laird Plastics - locations cover the US and Canada
Port Plastics - including Acetal, Nylon, Fluoropolymers, Factory Mutual Listed materials, Static control materials, Acrylic, Polycarbonate, laminates, Phenolics, ABS Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Styrene and polyurethane.
Interstate Plastics- Like their name says...legal for FTC too
Metals Depot- Aluminum, steel, brass -- Bar, tube, angle, sheet
Yarde Metals Dropzone- Odd sizes of excess metals (aluminum, steel, brass) - like a garage sale, just check back often for what you need
3M- If it's made of vinyl or glue
Smooth-on- Mold special parts using liquid rubbers & plastics
Engineer's Handbook - reference information for mechanical design, manufacturing and engineering
The EMF Safety Superstore - Magnetic shielding
![Pneumatics](pneumatic.jpg)
Pneumatics:
Automation Direct - Valves & fittingsPneuaire - Valves & fittings
Allied - purchase fittings (for FRC generally 1/4" tube fittings)
Motion Industries - pneumatics section
Coast Pneumatics
Fluid Power Education Foundation - learn more about pneumatics
FESTO - supplier of solenoid valves in the FRC KoP.
Bimba - Supplier of the actuators used in the FRC.
Thomas - Manufacturer of the compressor distributed with the FRC KoP.
Clippard - Manufacturer of the storage tanks distributed with the FRC KoP.
Parker - supplier of some of the pnuematics used in the KOP
Norgren - supplier of some of the pnuematics used in the KOP
SMC Corporation of America - Need valve assembly instructions? Supplier of the disassembled valves used in the KOP
Freelin-Wade - pneumatic tubing like the coiled stuff in the KOP
HPE Automation - HPE coordinates the donation of approximately $1 Million in pneumatic components to FIRST.
Monnier, Inc. - regulators and stuff
Nason Company - KOP pressure sensor
PIAB Vacuum Products - KOP vaccum pump
Wika Instruments - KOP gauges
![Electrical](electrical.jpg)
Electrical:
Cross the Road Electronics - designer/producer of the 2015-2019 FRC Control System and the Talon motor controller.eStop Robotics - An FRC team spinoff with FRC specific parts
Parallax Omni - robot electronics, sensors, and more
Acroname - Specialty robotics electronics.
All Data Spec Sheets - A compendium of manufacturer's data sheets on electronics of all kinds.
DigiKey - electronic parts and sensors.
Newark - Electronics and sensors supplier (slightly more expensive)
Mouser Electronics, Inc. - electronics and sensors.
Radio Shack - Local supplier of basic electronic parts.
Future Electronics - electronics and sensors.
Grayhill - Supplier of wonderful encoders.
Jameco - Hobby electronics, especially good for FRC robot controller pins and connectors.
Hitec Servos - Supplier of the servos that are in the FRC KoP.
Powerwerx - Supplier of the Anderson quick disconnects in the FRC KoP and a good source for wire and power connectors of every shape and size.
Connector Concepts, Inc. - supplier of the breakers and fuse panels for KOP
Tyco Electronics - supplier of connectors
Banner - supplier of light based sensors, e.g., range or object detection
Terminal Supply Co. - supplier of electrical terminals
Bournes, Inc. - Potentiometers, encoders, etc.
AP Circuits - For custom printed circuit boards
MSC Industrial Supply Co. - Supplier of terminal connectors in the KOP
Battery University - For online practical battery knowledge
Snap Action Fuses - The auto-reset breakers we use on our FIRST robots
MK Battery - The supplier of our FIRST robot 12v batteries (2007)
Mercotac - Rotary electrical connectors (replaces slip rings)
All Electronics - electronic and electro-mechanical parts and supplies
Electronic Goldmine - Cheap surplus electronic parts
Findchips - Multi-vendor/distributor parts search engine. Type in a part number and get a list of distributor part links
Images SL, Inc. - Science, Robotics, & Electronics
MPJA - Surplus electronics
Scott Edwards Electronics - Robot-sized LCDs
Spark Fun Electronics - Prototyping supplies right up our robotics alley & lots of useful sensors
Octopart - A search engine for electronic parts if you already know exactly what you want.
Robot Power - Motor control (non-FIRST)
LED calculator-single - for single LEDs | LED calculator-array - for arrays of LEDs
West Mountain Radio - computerized 12v battery load tester
Pololu - robotics & electronics
![Computers](computer.jpg)
Computers/Programming:
WPI FIRST Robotics Resource Center - Collection of FIRST related technical presentations & other informationFRC Java Programming Environment - WPI release of the FRC Java environment and libraries
Java Tutorials - Beginners introduction to Java programming
C++ Tutorial - Beginners introduction to C++ programming
LV Mastery Tip jar - FRC specific step by step video taped lectures
Kevin Watson - pre-2009 Kickoff code & repository of code examples, detailed documentation and FAQs on older FRC coding topics.
Microchip Technology, Inc. - The maker of the FRC robot controller microprocessor 2004-2008.
Introduction to Sensors - Engineer's Handbook
Player Project - Free Software that enables generic research in robot and sensor systems
![Robot Specific](robot.jpg)
Robot Specific:
Vex Robotics - erector set style robot kits up to full sized FRC partsRobotikits - kits to affordably introduce students to robotics, science, and solar technology.
FingerTech Robotics - RC hobby robotics parts, including 2" mechanums
Super Droid Robots - Autonomous Robot Sales and Development
Lynxmotion - robot kits and components
the Robot Store - finished robots (Roomba, mowers) to kits
The Robot MarketPlace -
Trossen Robotics - Robot kits and parts
E-Clec-Tech - robotic, physics, and electronic kits and parts
MobileRobots - Research & University Robots, Software & Accessories
RobotShop - personal robots, professional robots, robot toys, robot kits and robot parts
robot cafe - Robot specific links of interest
Ridge Soft - Robotics Hardware, Software and Curriculum for Your Classroom
Budget Robotics - small hobby robots & animatronics
Robot Village - outlet to buy or rent robots
Crust Crawler - Underwater thrusters, robotic arms, walking hex & biped kits
Evolution Robotics - integrated vision and autonomous navigation
Procerus UAVs - Procerus Technologies - Kestrelª Autopilot System for mini and micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
![Tools](tools.jpg)
Tools:
Grizzly - Industrial toolsEnco - Clamps, bits, welding, lubricants, etc.
Northern Tool - power tools, generators, compressors, etc.
My Tool Store - all tools
Wiha Quality Tools - all tools
Sears - more tools in your neighborhood
Home Depot - tools (& material)
Lowes - tools (& material) too
Bosch Tools - power tools
Harbor Freight - still more tools
Mike's Tools - new and refurbished tools
littlemachineshop - source of tooling, parts, and accessories for bench top machinists
Allen Designs LLC - Great measurement tools at a VERY reasonable price: Digital Calipers, Micrometers, Dial Indicators.
welding tips and tricks - practical welding advice
![Robotics Competitions](competition.jpg)
Other Robotics Competitions:
Robot Events ListingsASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge
AUVSI International Competitions
BEST Robotics, Inc. - Robotics organization similar to FIRST, primarily in Texas.
BotBall - Teams of robots play on a 4'x8' field
RoboCup - Uses soccer as the central challenge
RoboGames - General Robotics games site
CESSNA/ONR Student Design/Build/Fly Competition (an AIAA student activity)
Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition
Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams
MATE ROV Competition
National Robotics Challenge
North American Solar Challenge
SAE Collegiate Design Series
Trinity College Firefighting Robot Competition - annual competition held in CT, find your way through a house maze and extinguish the candle.
SeaPerch - introduces middle & high school students to areas of engineering targeted by the U.S. government such as Naval Architecture, Marine and Naval Engineering.
Miscellaneous Interest:
Site dedicated to robotic fishThe Machine Lab - Heavy Duty mobile robot platforms
![Long Island](LongIsland.gif)
Long Island:
All LI Teams - Past and Present (most are both)SBPLI-LI FIRST Regional Team List
SBPLI - Sponsor of the FRC Long Island Regional.
Mentoring Partnership of Long Island - works to start and support mentoring programs across Long Island
Hauppauge, NY Info. -- Hauppauge, NY Wikipedia
![Suggested Reading](Reading.jpg)
Suggested Reading:
Find these at Amazon.comRobot Builder's Bonanza (Tab Electronics) by Gordon McComb
Building Robot Drive Trains (Robot DNA Series) by Dennis Clark
Constructing Robot Bases (Robot DNA Series) by Gordon McComb
Robot Mechanisms and Mechanical Devices - Illustrated by Paul E. Sandin
robotics DeMYSTiFieD- a Self-Teaching Guide by Edwin Wise
The C Programming Language, Brian Kernighan & Dennis Ritchie
The C Answer Book, Clovis Tondo & Scott Gimpel (a companion to the above book with solutions to the exercises in that book))
Programming Robot Controllers (Robot DNA Series) by Myke Predko
Robot Programming : A Practical Guide to Behavior-Based Robotics by Joe Jones, Daniel Roth
Physical Computing -- Dan O'Sullivan & Tom Igoe, Thomson Course Technology, 2004
Machinery's Handbook -- This is a machining details reference book.