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Useful Resources

Because we don't know everything about what we do, we have to consult a lot of resources. Below are some of our favorite resources that we wanted to share with the rest of the robotics community.


General Resources

  • The Official FIRST Website - FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a multinational non-profit organization, that aspires to transform culture, making science, math, engineering, and technology as cool for kids as sports are today.
  • Indiana FIRST - Indiana has a strong group of FIRST Robotics teams. We've had many state-wide events that have brought us together, increased our competition level, and provided a way for us to support each other. Up until now, these events were started and hosted by individuals on specific teams. This group, the Indiana FIRST board of directors, was founded to contine the support of some of these existing events, support Indiana FIRST teams, and provide promotion for FIRST within the state of Indiana.
  • FIRST Lego League - Introduces children around the world to the fun and experience of solving real-world problems by applying math, science, and technology.
  • FIRST Tech Challenge - Is a mini-version of the FIRST Robotics competition that is open to middle-school and high-school aged students that plays games similar to the FRC games.
  • Official FIRST Documents - Here, you can find all of the official documents that FIRST let out regarding this year's competition. You will also find updates on the rules and a question and answer section.
  • ChiefDelphi Forums - Run by the ChiefDelphi team, these forums provide a portal for teams to communicate and relay information amongst themselves.
  • NASA - Here is your opportunity to learn more about NASA as an agency. Explore the many facets of NASA, from the administration and leadership, to the mission and vision for the future, to business, research and career opportunities.
  • SOAP HQ - A website devoted entirely to the scouting of teams and their robots in the FIRST competitions.

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Mechanical Resources

  • PneumaticsFIRST - A site dedicated to pneumatics with tons of resources and information about their favorite topic: PNEUMATICS!
  • University of Waterloo: Technical Resources - Images of wheels, drivetrains, arms, grippers, and more. Also workshop presentations of performing other aspects of FIRST is available here.
  • IFI Robotics - Parts, Parts & More Parts.

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CAD Resources

  • The FIRST CAD Library - A CAD library of robot components . Here you will find many models of the components used in current and prior FIRST robotic competitions as well as some other useful information.
  • Autodesk FIRSTbase - The Official Autodesk source, with downloads, tutorials, and more, just for FRC teams!

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Electronics Resources

  • Datasheet Archive - Ever find a part that's not being made anymore, and you just can't find the datasheet or wiring diagram? Datasheet Archive has a lot of these "lost" datasheets archived in its site. Just hope that you didn't have the manufacture code scratched off.

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Programming Resources

  • Microchip - The official site of the compiler. Go here to find updates on the compiler which may contain components which aid in the programming of your robot.
  • Kevin FRC Code Repository - A site run by Kevin Watson with codes created for the free usage of FIRST teams. Along with code, he also has datasheets for the compiler which may be VERY helpful.

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Animation Resources

  • Autodesk Tutorials - Videos tutorials on Autodesk Inventor and 3d Studio Max provided by Autodesk.
  • Autodesk FIRSTbase - The Official Autodesk source, with downloads, tutorials, and more, just for FRC teams!

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Website Resources

  • HTML Goodies - A website which provides a run-down of every aspect of a website, also with a few "goodies" tucked in here and there. Ideal for the beginning webmaster.
  • FlashKit - A very good site full of tutorials, codes, sound bytes, and more for those who wish to create a Flash-based website.
  • Building a Database-Driven Web Site using PHP and MySQL - A very in-depth and informative website on how to build a website utilizing PHP and MySQL databases. Great for bringing websites into the new design age!
  • Vim
    Vim is a really good program for web development, its a text editor with syntax highlighting that makes it a lot easier to notice errors.
  • Adobe - Adobe is the place to look for graphics editing software. You should be able to get free trials for Photoshop and Flash from the site.
  • GIMP - GIMP is the second best choice to Photoshop, and its free, which is always good. Its not nearly as user friendly..but a lot more readily available to most people than Photoshop is.
  • HTML Code Tutorial - The name of the site is a pretty good indicator for what you\'ll find there. Tutorials for HTML and other useful languages.
  • Deviant Art -Deviant Art is an amazing site for resources for web site and graphic design, tons of Photoshop and Gimp brushes.
  • W3 Schools- W3 Schools is another great website language site, worth looking at if you have a problem you need solved.
  • Drupal - Drupal is a Content Management System. We switched from a homemade site to a professional content management system due to time constraints, and this is the one we chose.

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Indiana Teams!
Some of the teams may have changed their sites or not updated their pages, we don't know, we just put what is listed at FIRST here. If they don't have a link, that means we couldn't find their website.