2010 FTC Season "HotShot" has begun.
WIRE announces that "HotShoT" the 2009 - 2010 FTC competition's
FTC PA State Robotics Championship will be held in Weatherly, PA on
March 6th, 2010. The number of team registrations is limited to 32
as per FIRST rules. This is the last season for open registration,
next year's competition registration will be done through a series of
qualifying events in PA.
The cost to register is still only $200 per team and you can send your
check to: The Weatherly Institute for Robotics and Engineering (W.I.R.E.);
401 First Street, Weatherly, PA 18255. We will send you a receipt
by snail mail, confirming your spot at the competition.
Call 570-401-7813 for more info or to have your questions answered.
Thanks, we will see you there!
Competition Notes: Thank You for all who attended, it was great seeing you all there.
I am leaving the pre-event info up for a bit as a template for our up coming Erie Competition scheduled for April 17th. This event is not open to registration but is a demonstration event using the same rules and guidelines as the State competition. GE has generously sponsored twelve teams from the Erie area, and this is their initial flush at being in a FIRST Tech Challenge competition format. Ms Eileen Zinchiak is coordinating the event and has done a wonderful job getting this program up and running.
The FIRST Tech Challenge PA State Robotics Competition Award Winners , Finalists and Winning Alliance are listed below. But every Team and EVERYONE associated with those teams were the true winners on March 6th!
| Award | Finalists | Winners |
| The Motivate Award | Team 796, Team 2859, Team 3527 | Team 2859, Team Tiki |
| The Connect Award | Team 237, Team 110, Team 248 | Team 237, MFS Hawks |
| The Rockwell Collins Innovate Award | Team 248, Team 2859, Team 3730 | Team 2859, Team Tiki |
| The PTC Design Award | Team 14, Team 199, Team 3795 | Team 199, Team Overclocked Robotics |
| The Think Award | Team 237, Team 110, Team 248 | Team 110, MFS Foxes |
| The Inspire Award | Team 2859, Team 13, Team 3527 | Team 2859, Team Tiki |
| The Finalists | Team 248, Team 247, Team 61 | |
| The Winning Alliance | Team 3539, Team 3527, Team 712 | Alliance Captain Team 3539, Team Say Watt? Good Job Say Watt? |
|
Team 3527 Team CEC Cougars the second highest point getter in the
winning alliance will receive the automatic bid to
Atlanta. Team Say Watt? had already qualified and was not eligible
for the bid.
|
The Event address is: 602 Sixth Street, Weatherly, PA 18255 at the Weatherly Area School District Middle School Complex.
Event Schedule (subject to change as needed) NOTE: Food is available all day long, until we run out!
| Team Registration (Call 570-401-7813 if you are going to be late! No registration after 10:30AM) | 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM |
| Robot Judging and Inspection (All teams must be inspected by 10:30 AM) | 8:15 AM - 10:30 AM |
| Coaches Meeting (The main Mentor MUST attend) | 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM |
| Opening Ceremonies (The Pit Area will be cleared of all event participants) | 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM |
| Open Practices (First come first served, but be respectful of those teams that did not get a chance and let them practice | 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM |
| Competition Rounds (We will try to give each team five rounds, but this is subject to change) | 11:00 AM - 12:00 Noon |
| Lunch Break (All food and drink must be consumed in designated areas. Nothing will be allowed in Gym or Pit areas) | 12:00 Noon - 1:00 PM |
| Competition Rounds | 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM |
| Alliance Selections | 4:00 PM - 4:15 PM |
| Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Finals | 4:15 PM - 6:15 PM |
| Award Ceremonies and Closing | 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
Release Forms
Please be sure to bring a signed FIRST release form for every member of your team including coaches and mentors.
Safety
Safety glasses or goggles MUST be worn at all times in the pits and on the competition floor, there will be NO exceptions to this rule! There will be spot inspections of both areas and two warnings will be given, at the third violation the offending person will be asked to take a seat in the bleachers or in the eating area for the rest of the event.
All metal work, such as cutting or grinding will take place only behind the pit administration table. There will be a grinder provided.
All soldering will take place only behind the pit administration table. There will be a soldering gun and solder provided.
Judges will be examining robots for sharp edges, so round them off before you come!
Computers and Programming **********
Each team is required to have a laptop with which they can "pair up" their NXT Brick using bluetooth. This laptop should be able to come to the competition field without needing additional power cords at the field. We will try to have power available, but do not count on it, due to power configuration of the gym.
This pairing will be checked at the queuing table as well as by the refs at the field, before competition can begin.
Each laptop must have the FTC Field Controller System v 1.0.0.7 software loaded and running. You can load the FCS by going to usfirst.org then clicking on FTC on then selecting Programming. Pick the option that best suits your needs.
Each NXT Brick must have the current version of Firmware loaded.
Every program MUST use the required TEMPLATES: LabView, RobotC or NXT-G. These templates are found by going to: usfirst.org then clicking on FTC on then selecting Programming, select the location of your template from the list provided. NO robot can compete without these templates as part of their program!
FTC Toolkit: To download the toolkit, close LabView and in your browser type in www.ni.com/info. In the code box type in: FTCsoftware, fill out the brief form and select your download. When you have finished downloading locate the National Instruments Downloads directory on your computer. Locate NI LabView 2009 NXT Module and install this first! Then locate the NI LabView 2010 Toolkit and Install. Your templates should be found under the toolkit directory in your LabView software.
Each team should bring a power strip so that they may plug into the power at the pit table that they are assigned. They can share strips with other teams but do not depend on the other teams to have one!
Rules Change: Remember that your robot must fit within the 18"x18"x18" sizing cube at judging and at the beginning of each match. There is a rules change for this year's competition, the horizontal space surrounding the robot (your x-axis if you will) CAN NOT extend past 10" from the standard sizing frame at any time during the competition. Please check your game manual for the rule and check your robot for violation. It will be checked during the inspection process.
FOOD and Drink
Menu
| Egg & Cheese Sandwich | $2.00 |
| Egg & Cheese & Sausage Sandwich | $2.50 |
| Danish | $2.00 |
| Cheeseburger | $2.50 |
| Hamburger | $2.00 |
| Hot Dog | $1.00 |
| Hot Dog w/Cheese | $1.50 |
| Doritos | $1.00 |
| BBQ Chips | $1.00 |
| Fruit Roll Ups | $1.00 |
| Rice Krispie Treats (Regular and Chocolate) | $1.00 |
| Soda | $1.00 |
| Iced Tea | $1.00 |
| Water | $1.00 |
| Apple Juice | $1.00 |
No food or drink is allowed in the pit or competition area. A food court will be provided to eat and drink in.
Please No Smoking on school property.
Again this year our FRC team will be using the event to help raise funds to send them to the FRC Regional at Drexel University. They do this by selling food and chances at door prizes. The cost of food is very reasonable, with nothing costing more than $2.50. There will be breakfast food and lunch food and all drinks and snacks. Please help us help them by buying the food at the competition.
Entertainment: Teams 110 and 237 in "Mini Robot Tag" and "Bean Bag Pushover"
The fine folks from Moorestown Friends School High School from Moorestown NJ are bringing some innovative and entertaining games for young visitors to play. One set of robots is set up for "tag" as the robots race around in a loop. Each time a robot is tagged it becomes inactive for two seconds. They also have another mini competition with pairs of robots trying to move bean bags over to the other team's side. These games will be found at the far end of the food court and are meant to entertain and fascinate our young visitors. So a great big thanks to teams 110 and 237!
Places to Stay
Once again several Hotels, Motels and Bed & Breakfasts have agreed to extend our competition teams and their families a special price for staying at their facilities during the competition.
Candlewood Suites is offering the following rooms and rates: Call 570-459-1600 for info and reservations. www.candlewoodsuites.com/welcome
Convenient to Routes 81 & 80
Studio Suite Queen or Double $69.00+/night
One Bedroom Suites $89.00+/night
Country Inns & Suites is offering the following rooms and rates: Call 610-379-5066 for info and reservations. Mention code: 1003Robots. www.countryinns.com/lehightonpa
Convenient to PA Turnpike Northeast Extension Route 476
Standard $89.00+/night
Suite $109.00+/night
More options to be posted soon!
See the "NEWs Page" of this website for more details!
| The FIRST Tech Challenge PA State Robotics Championship March 6th 2010 | ||||
| Team Number | Team Name | Software | School/Organization | State/Province |
| 3489 | Minds In Gear | PA | ||
| 796 | Harley Wolves | NY | ||
| 3539 | Say Watt | NJ | ||
| 61 | Ozone | PA | ||
| 199 | Overclocked Robotics | NY | ||
| 3777 | PCSST | NJ | ||
| 3795 | PA | |||
| 3171 | The Trojans | Turner Fenton Secondary School | ON | |
| 790 | Uki Robo H.H. | Lab View | Ukrainian Academy for Culture and Education | PA |
| 110 | MFS Foxes | Moorestown Friends School | NJ | |
| 237 | MFS Hawks | Moorestown Friends School | NJ | |
| 609 | CJCP Cougars | Central Jersey College Prep Charter School | NJ | |
| 134 | R.A.T.S. | Berks Career & Technology Center | PA | |
| 2874 | RoboWarriors | Eden Christian Academy | PA | |
| 2859 | Team Tiki | VA | ||
| 3138 | Prototype | Trumbull Career & Technical Center | OH | |
| 712 | G.E.A.R. | Phoenixville Area High School | PA | |
| 3900 | Comets | Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy | PA | |
| 3613 | 1st Regiment | General Robotics | PA | |
| 12 | Vexy Things | The Potomac School | VA | |
| 14 | Plan C | The Potomac School | VA | |
| 3718 | Awesome Trojan Machine | York Suburban High School | PA | |
| 3527 | CEC Cougars | Christian Educational Consortium | KY | |
| 3948 | The B.E.S.T. | Atlantic County Institute of Technology | NJ | |
| 3949 | Tyrannical | Atlantic County Institute of Technology | NJ | |
| 247 | The ReVOLT | Pope John XXIII High School | NJ | |
| 248 | Fatal Error | Pope John XXIII High School | NJ | |
| 3730 | TOPS | Robot C | ON | |