Update from Class on Saturday

The coaches & their kids attended the first day of a two day training session at UNCA's Osher Life Long Learning Institute on Saturday.  Boy, was it a full day!

What we learned:

A fun an interesting way to figure out the diameter of your wheels:  Move forward a number of rotations and measure.  Figure out what you think it is, then test it against different numbers of rotations.  When you're getting a consistent measurement per rotation, that equals your wheel diameter.  Simple, enough, right?  In the end, more accurate than wrapping a tape measure around the tire, and a user-friendly way for a 4th grader to approach the geometry.

We learned that for turns, a combination of Motor blocks and an external rotation counter configured for one of the turning motors is more accurate and consistent than a move block.  Why?  Well, the motors are each controlled by their own blocks and the rotation counter is more precise than the motor block rotation -- which applies to and keeps up with the combined function of two motors at the same time.  You can learn more about the Move and Motor blocks here or here (note that this last one talks about the motor block on its own, without the external rotation counter).  

The basic idea is that you create two motor blocks that run infinitely, and configure each to do what that specific motor needs to do (different for each type of turn).  Then you use a reset and the external rotation counter (a sensor block for ONE of the motors) to tell the motor when to stop.  So, one specific sensor is controlling the stopping point, which is more precise than allowing either the move or motor block to say "when" (eliminating the overshooting or undershooting of rotations explained in the links above).  BUT, it only works if the two move blocks are infinite.  Why?  Because otherwise, they try to run sequentially and it messes the whole thing up.  

We learned about different types of turns.  This video did not come from the class, but is a good explanation of the three different types of turns that need to be considered.  We'll be looking at these and working on them as we work through our missions. 

The second session of the class is next week.  We'll be tackling sensors then, so stay tuned!

Thank you, Neil Rosenberg!

Teams 4892 and 4894 would like to thank Neil Rosenberg for his generosity in developing and teaching the Beginning NXT Programming course at UNCA's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.  

Neil is also the driving force behind the Robotics Opportunity Committee of Western North Carolina, an organization that provides leadership and support to FIRST teams of all varieties across our region.  

From the Official FLL Blog --Core Values, Flipped!

Comic strip of Flipped the robot and core values:
http://fllblog.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/the-core-values-get-flipped/

Robot for class at UNCA's Reuter Center

You can see the class information here.  It will be exciting to see who's there! 

Software!

Did you know that you can download the NXT software we will be using for FLL?  What a fantastic resource!  Check out this Lego Knowledge Base tip for the detail.  Windows or Mac, looks like you're covered

Technically, there's a minor difference between the linked version (2.0) and the version that came with the kits (2.1) but all of the features we'll use for FLL are in both, so the files can be shared.


Want a little more software goodness?  Check out the Lego Digital Designer.  It's CAD software for Legos!  You can install it and "build" virtual models with Legos.  Better yet, it installs with an NXT module, so the kids can check out all of the parts and build instructions that come with the kit.  Think about the possibilities -- They've been trying to work through something at practice, but it doesn't work to lug a box of parts and the robot home just now.  They can check what's available, test how different ideas work AND not make a mess all over the living room with little tiny connectors... SWEET!  There's also a Building Guide Mode that lets them print step-by-step instructions for what they designed -- They don't have to recreate it when they get to practice, they just follow their own directions!  (Did I mention they will be developing great skills in the process?)

Congratulations to Claxton's 2012 FLL teams!

We have the final list of students back from the selection committee and it looks like we will have great teams. Below are the important details we want you to know now, and we have a Parent Meeting planned for 5:00 on August 13th (the Monday before school starts) at school. We really need you there!

Key details:

• Practices will be Monday and Friday from 2:45 to 4:00. Students are expected to participate in all practices! The first practice will be Monday, August 20^th.
• There will be research and other tasks that the kids have to complete at home between practices. Teams depend on these tasks being completed to move forward, so we need a high level of commitment from each participant.
• We CANNOT make this work without parent involvement. We will have a volunteer schedule for signing up for the things that work best for you. You don't need to be an expert to be a critical success factor in supporting the teams. We need helping hands to keep kids on task, to wrangle siblings while practice happens, to provide snacks, etc. Of course, for those with skills to share in programming, design or with particular expertise related to the "Senior Solutions" theme, we appreciate those too!
• The tournament is Saturday, November 3rd at UNCA. It's an ALL DAY event and every kid needs to be there!
• Communication is a key factor in making this work. We have created a blog for the teams with resource links, and will be posting progress, assignments and other information there. We will ask parents to register to receive email updates from that site and to read and review new posts with your kids.
• There is a registration fee of $45 per participant. This is a small increase over last year. If it poses a hardship for anyone, please, please let us know and we'll make it work!

Between now and the first practice, we would like the kids to take a look at the Senior Solutions Challenge description. They should find one person to talk with about the issues and challenges aging people face. This means they can talk with an older family member or neighbor, they can talk to someone who works with the aging, or they can talk with you, their parents, about friends or relatives you know who deal with or have dealt with the challenges of getting old. This exercise will help teams establish a foundation for brainstorming when the time comes to start choosing what they will investigate for their research project.

We will be following this email with a phone call to make sure everyone is in the loop, knows about the parent meeting, knows what to expect and understands the commitment we need for the kids to be successful. If you have any questions, please let us know and we'll do our level best to get them answered.

We're looking forward to a fantastic and frenetic FLL season!

Field Kits have Arrived!

The field kits came in yesterday. Time to get the parts sorted and the mats unfurled!