(Part 2) Best products from r/FTC

What kind of experience are you guys coming into this with?

Do you have mentors/are you yourselves familiar with the use and safety precautions necessary around power tools?

What kind of space are you in? Do you have a dedicated space to use or do you need to move things in and out of an area every meeting?

How much do you want to learn? Are you planning on using primarily Matrix/Tetrix this season or do you want to do custom fabrication?

If you're planning on using chain, I'd recommend getting at least one of these (Dark Soul #25 chain tool). You won't need to use master links again, and they're just in general great to have around.

I would definitely recommend getting Anderson Powerpole tools and items. Definitely get a TriCrimp and associated wire, connectors, and contacts, if you don't have them already.

I'd also recommend a few tools that come in useful just in general when it comes to FTC-- a good adjustable wrench is good to have around, whether you're doing custom or not. A ratcheting screwdriver is also good to have around, in addition to more standard versions. I'd also recommend my personal favorite allen wrenches (you can get just metric or standard sets, but I linked the paired version). For taking care of stuck bolts or anything else stuck, a good pair of locking pliers are also great. Also getting some good pliers for all your electrical needs is a good idea. Also extremely useful is a good square. On a similar note, a level is good for checking whether you actually bolted that part on straight.

You should also get a general set of combo wrenches and some of the specific sizes most common for FTC. Pretty much any reputable brand is fine for this-- don't spend more than about $50 for a set and $10 for an individual wrench (honestly, that would be super high, you should probably target half of that). A decent ratchet set is also good, but not absolutely essential.

Other good things to have around are a heat gun or heat bar (for doing custom plastic parts for your robot). You can do some great stuff with some creativity and some sheet polycarbonate.

To go with that, a vinyl cutter is great for doing sponsor decals and general cool stuff.

As far as "essentials" go, that depends on where you want to go. If you want to do lots of custom work-- or use something like 80/20, then you'll want some other tools to do that work. A good power drill is absolutely essential, and if you have the space, I'd definitely recommend getting a solid miter saw and an aluminum cutting blade (I know some people consider them too dangerous, but with proper safety training and precautions, I've never had a student or mentor get injured with one).

As far as materials for doing custom work go, I'd recommend getting some box aluminum (1x1 and 1x2) tubing, 1/8" and 1/16" polycarbonate (I'm partial to the dark tinted stuff, but it's a bit more expensive), and a full assortment of #6 and maybe #8 hardware. You'll also want some M3 screws for face mounting AndyMark and REV robotics motors. I like to use Copper State for this, because while they have a totally garbage web ordering system, their prices are great, and their website isn't that bad (to be honest, I'm a bit spoiled by McMaster-Carr).

You probably don't need me to tell you what kind of COTS parts might be good (if that's within the scope of this money). Electronics, good phones (not those stupid ZTEs), motors, are all good.


You'll notice that I'm not suggesting the very budget stuff-- while you can go that direction if you need to, quality tools help you get quality results. If you have the money to get and use the right tools for the job, I always recommend doing that as opposed to cheaping out with something you'll just end up breaking and messing up your robot with later.

A decent chunk of the tools I linked are suggested by my personal favorite review site, The WireCutter/SweetHome. I've used the majority of them, and my experience has been good enough that I don't have an issue recommending their suggestions for other tools relevant to FTC.

Hopefully that was somewhat helpful. I'd definitely consider the answers to the questions at the top-- they can help you narrow down what will actually be useful for you. I can definitely give more specific suggestions if you know what direction you're taking with robot building techniques and how much space you have/ whether you have to move.

This should do nicely: https://www.amazon.com/2L-inc-Carbide-Uncoated-E2-250x2-0-125-5/dp/B01J2KKGDY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1527553815&sr=8-2&keywords=1%2F8+dia+1%2F4+shank+2+flute+endmill

As far as what works in aluminum: 2 flutes, coated HSS or carbide, but you cant really make use of the cutting ability of carbide without the machine rigidity to take a super heavy depth of cut. And I'd get in touch with your local Kennametal or other cutting tool distributor, they can probably get you some free samples. Oh and safety glasses, all the safety glasses. Lexan machine guards if you can.

Best of luck!

We used some small excercise weights, but here is a link to a diving weight you can buy in sizes from 1 to 12 lbs.

For something more precise, something like these may be better, albeit more expensive.

The piece we used is closest to this one, which allowed us to run a rev extrusion through it to mount it more securely.

In all honestly, each of the weights above should work more or less the same, but which is the best will depend on how much weight you need to add, and where you can mount it.

Not sure why opacity is needed, but let's go with it.

AndyMark has clear and gray-tinted polycarbonate (full disclosure, I worked for them): http://www.andymark.com/category-s/499.htm

I've also gone to McMaster in the past, solid option there. (As is ABS.)

If you've got some taste for Amazon, they have sheets there too: https://www.amazon.com/Lexan-Sheet-Polycarbonate-Thick-Nominal/dp/B00CAWRVJO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1510759977&sr=8-3&keywords=polycarbonate%2Bsheet&dpID=41fNc6gVslL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch&th=1 (Fun fact: Amazon owns Small Parts, which was more or less the sole source for extra parts in FRC from its founding until 2002.)

Now, most of those are options are going to be clear. If you want to make it opaque, you have options:

• Vinyl wrap to cover it (Bonus round: get a local sign company to print your sponsor logos on a sticker like that. Looks sweet.)
  
• Paint--use light coats of R/C spray paint and it'll look great. With some skills and an airbrush, you can absolutely get fancier with this.
  
• Well, duct tape fixes everything.

We use a wire cart for tournaments to which we can drive. It breaks down easily if you don't have a large car available, it's pretty sturdy, and the extra shelving is nice for tools, batteries, storing the drive team's jackets, etc.

We got a Pelican 0350 for worlds, and it's super for the purpose. Worked well for travel, and served as a really nice cart at the tournament.

I agree you need a drill, but a $20-30 drill when you are going to likely be mainly drilling metal just seems like a recipe for misery. Honestly if I was going to go through your original list, I would get rid of the rotary, and get a good cordless drill. Rotary tools, while nice (my team goes no where without ours) is not necessary; and a cordless drill will be much more useful at competitions and regular meetings, plus spend a bit more to avoid some headaches.


I have this one that we use for robotics too: https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER-BDCDMT120C-20-Volt-Lithium-Ion/
Trust me when I say this thing can take two and a half beatings and just keep on going. On top of that you can get alternate attachments for use with other things. literally an hour ago I killed 3 batteries jigsawing plywood (2 hours straight of cutting) I also have blades to cut metal, impact driver for screws and bolts and regular driver for making holes

30FT 1.7MM BRAIDED KEVLAR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00746VAU2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9b8pybPESAETJ

This works great for us. Our lift can go up in 6 seconds with the cap ball on it!

One option is to try a bi-directional cable winder.

These are pretty cheap and you can replace the USB cable with a servo cable. Not sure if a motor cable would fit, but it should.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P4YX9BO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Our team uses a cable carrier for the prismatic part of the arm. It is very clean:

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Plastic-Chain-Carrier-Router/dp/B00880AVL2

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We use this one, and while we haven’t tested any others, it seems to work nicely. Logitech C525

Logitech HD Webcam C525, Portable HD 720p Video Calling with Autofocus https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WO8HQ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_aMn7BbVM31GSN

Our team used DuPont Kevlar Braided line last year, after experiencing the issues with wire issues and para cord issues. Worked well for lifting the Center vortex ball in last years challenge, and we plan on using it again this year.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00746VAU2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

In the past we have used this, but we are currently using this.