2018 – 2019
YEAR ONE as Power Surge 4H Robotics.
It was quite a year!
Through the strength, bravery, and conviction of our students, parents, and mentors, and the invaluable guidance and resources of 4H-UCONN, and with the support of sponsors and donors in the community, we became independent from the school district, acquired a new name and team number, and recruited new members. By the generosity of one of our corporate sponsors, Braxton Manufacturing, we have a shop in Woodbury we can call home, our Power Station.
We designed and built Zeus the robot, took it to Rhode Island and Maine to compete in two district events, made it to the quarter-finals in each, and won an award for having a creative and successful engineering component. We competed in the Connecticut State Championships in Hartford and in an off-season event at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. We volunteered in the community; held several fundraising events, team socials and an open house, and helped out and were helped by other FIRST teams. We hosted the Girl Scouts and a robotics team from China, marched in a parade, and visited the company facilities of some of our sponsors.
Along the way we learned: engineering design, game strategy, programming, electrical and computer engineering, wiring, welding, metal fabrication, carpentry, industrial art and aesthetics, group dynamics, presentation skills, time management, teamwork, perseverance, sportsmanship, peer mentoring, and how to properly eat a lobster. We worked hard, laughed more, gained confidence, and made new friends.
Next year will be even better!
July 25-26, 2019
Chinese Team Visit
Power Surge hosted a visiting robotics team from Guangdong, China with a tour of the Power Station, a visit to the CT Science Center, and pizza! The group is part of Hope Education Technology, headed by Geoffrey Hou.
July 23, 2019
Senior Center Presentation
The team makes a presentation for the folks at the Pomperaug Woods Senior Center in Southbury.
July 16, 2019
Programming Lesson
Team member, Tyler Lavaway, gives a lesson in programming to student members and mentors.
Alumnus Alex Williams, former team president, lends a hand mentoring when he can after receiving his degree from The University of Connecticut.
July 2, 2019
Corporate Sponsor Visit
The team gave a presentation on the season to the engineers at Braxton Manufacturing Company. They presented CEO, Tom Ordway, with the plaque of the Creativity Award received at the New England District Pine Tree qualifier. The students received a tour of the facilities and information about internships at the company.
June 29, 2019
Team Picnic and
Senior Send-Off
At the end of every season the team celebrates with their families as a family. The team presents the departing seniors with gifts, the students present mentors with gifts, and the departing team president ceremoniously hands off the job to the incoming president. Food, fun, a campfire with s’mores, and a concert from our resident band members!
June 11, 2019
Helping the GIRL SCOUTS
with their Robotics merit badges
The team welcomed our local Girl Scout troop to the Power Station to learning some of coding and construct robotic arms to meet a challenge.
June 8 – 9, 2019
We had a great time at
BATTLECRY 20 at WPI
One of the most revered, most feared, most fun
off-season competitions in New England!
54 teams, tweaked game rules, human player challenge, unique awards, awesome venue.
Held at the same time as Worcester Polytechnic Institutes’ Science festival, Touch Tomorrow.
Our team got to see some cool exhibits and attend a presentation on creating music with the help of robots.
Memorial Day Parades in Woodbury and Bethlehem.
Great weekend with the communities getting together
to remember those who gave all for our freedom.
photo © Tim Parry
photo © Tim Parry
Waiting for our turn on the field, lit by the sun coming through the 110 year old Armory building’s skylight roof.
Learn more about this historic building by clicking on its name in blue above.
The Quarter Finals match
with our Alliance Captains Second Law Enforcers team # 178 from Farmington, CT
and Alliance Partner the Techno-Nuts team #155 from Berlin, CT.
Jonah as the Human Player on the Drive Team, ready to hand off a game piece to the robot.
Zeus’s climb up its ladder to the top of the HAB is always a spectator favorite.
POST-SEASON SCHEDULE
- 04/23/2019 – Team Dinner at San Remo’s Restaurant, Woodbury, CT
- (04/27/2019 – Westport Maker Faire, Westport, CT)
- 05/04/2019 – 10:00AM – 3:00PM – Origami Owl Custom Jewelry Fundraiser, at the Power Station
- 05/11/2019 – Connecticut State Championship competition for CT FRC teams, Hartford, CT
- 05/25/2019 – TAG SALE 8:00AM – 3:00PM at The Power Station, Braxton Building, 60 Weekeepeemee Road, Woodbury, CT
- 05/26/2019 – 05/27/2019 – Memorial Day Parades, Woodbury and Bethlehem, CT
- (06/01/2019 – Where is Wolcott Invitational, off-season competition hosted by FRC Team Max # 1071, Wolcott, CT)
- 06/07/2019 – 06/09/2019 – BATTLECRY 20 @ WPI, off-season competition at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA
- 06/11/2019 – Helping the Girl Scouts with their Robotics Badge
- 06/29/2019 – Team end-of-year and Seniors send-off picnic
- 07/02/2019 – Team presentations to, and tours of, Sponsor company facilities
- 07/16/2019 – Programming Lesson
- 07/16/2019 – Senior Center Presentation
- 07/ 25-26 /2019 – Chinese Team Visit
- and – Welding lessons, fundraisers, project builds, more programming, CAD lessons…
2019 SEASON SCHEDULE
- 01/04/2019 – 2019 FRC Founders Reception at Dean Kamen’s house.
- 01/05/2019 – KICK_OFF live broadcast of the game DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE, Kit of Parts pick-up.
- 01/06/2019 – 02/19/2019 – Build Season, 6 weeks:
- 01/06/2019 – 01/12/2019 – Week 1: Read the Manual, design and strategy brainstorming, build field elements, prototyping
- 01/13/2019 – 01/19/2019 – Week 2: Finalize robot design concept, order materials, continue building field, prototyping
- 01/20/2019 – 01/26/2019 – Week 3: Begin chassis, pneumatics, electrical, appendages, lift mechanism, complete field elements
- 01/27/2019 – 02/02/2019 – Week 4:Test the drive train, test pneumatics, work on the other components, programming
- 02/03/2019 – 02/09/2019 – Week 5: Working on components, programming, dance practice
- 02/10/2019 – 02/16/2019 – Week 6: Completing components, assembling robot, driving robot, testing, programming
- 02/17/2019 – 02/19/2019 -Final Build Season Weekend, last chance to work on robot before bagging. Driving, testing, fine tuning
- 02/19/2019 – Stop Build Day, bagging the robot, celebrating
- 02/20/2019 – 03/21/2019 – Prepare for competitions, build driver station, spare parts, pit design, spirit materials, scouting strategy, sponsor relations, travel planning, fundraising…
- 03/9/2019 – 03/10-2019 – Visit Waterbury District competition to practice scouting. Visit to a neighbor team to lend a hand.
- 03/16/2019 – 1:00-4:00pm – Open House at The Power Station
- 03/22/2019 – 03/24/2019 – First N.E. District Competition, Bryant University, Smithfield, RI
- 04/04/2019 – 04/06/2019 – Second N.E. District Competition,The Androscoggin Bank Colisee, Lewiston, ME
- (04/10/2019 – 04/13/2019 – New England Championship, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA)
- (04/24/2019 – 04/27/2019 – FIRST Robotics Competition World Championship, Cobo Center, Detroit, MI)
FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION
2019 game:
Destination Deep Space
Live streaming of competitions and events for every match around the world, for the whole competition season, can be accessed from here: https://www.thebluealliance.com/events/2019
Watch live streaming of competitions and events on Twitch at: https://www.twitch.tv/firstinspires
More info on the FIRST website: info.firstinspires.org
Team celebration dinner at our sponsor San Remo Restaurant in Woodbury.
Power Surge brings home the
CREATIVITY AWARD
SPONSORED BY XEROX
from the
New England District Pine Tree Qualifying Event
in Lewiston, Maine, April 6, 2019
Awarded for Zeus’ unique climbing mechanism, where the robot travels up a ladder-like ramp it deploys to enable it to park itself on the highest level podium for extra points at the end of the game. As seen in the video below.
from firstinspires.org :
“The Creativity AwardSponsored by Xerox celebrates creativity in design, use of component, or strategy of play.”
Guidelines
- A team spokesperson must be able to competently describe the creative/unique feature(s) and can trace its conception, design, manufacturing/assembly, or deployment.
- It is highly original in concept or execution.
- Since creativity may involve risk of failure, a team’s appropriate response to challenges, including machine failures, can be considered.
- Its uniqueness has a practical application and contributes to the objectives of the competition.
- Developing it contributed to the team’s success in FIRST – not just in performance on the field of competition.
- The team created this device/strategy rather than discovered it once the machine was built.
FIRST judges take the time during their deliberations to write custom paragraphs about each award recipient team, to be read by the Master of Ceremonies during the Awards Presentation. These are always creative, thoughtful, even some rhyming poems. FIRST judges, all volunteers, are the best!
New England District Pine Tree Qualifying Event
in Lewiston, Maine, April 4-6, 2019
Along with the upbeat music and the sounds of forces on the field, the arena is filled with mascots, team flags, signs, custom cheers, and line dancing during slow spells.
Student team member, Brianna Hill, was surprised by the intensity of emotion experienced at FIRST competitions. She was not expecting to feel so anxious by the losses and so elated by the wins. “I liked the cheering; the cheering got me into it,” she said.
It’s always a bit unnerving when an official with a clipboard is inspecting your robot.
Larry the Lobster looks on from the bucket of team pins.
Judges walk through the pits interviewing students (not mentors) about their robots and their build season and team experiences. Here judges in blue shirts interview the team.
Zeus goes from plain engine turning to styling red lightening bolts for the competition.
Zeus proudly carried the Bangor Police Department’s Duck of Justice decal in appreciation of the event’s host state and for the work of first responders everywhere.
Our own first responder, student Team Safety Captain, Andrew King (left), said, “I have been volunteering with our local fire department for longer than I can remember and I felt a great swell of joy when watching these competitions, as I pictured how in the future this could all be applied to the emergency services fields, and all the lives these future engineers and their inventions could potentially save.”
Kyle holds the Creativity Award plaque, which was accompanied by the trophy that student team Vice President, Steven LeClerc is holding in the section below.
Pictured in the combo photo below is the robot climbing it’s own ladder onto “the hab” on the field. View the shop video in the section below to see it in action.
The process of converting from regional school sponsorship to an independent 4-H team, then securing funding, shop space, and equipment, took the entire fall season right up to just before Kickoff. Yet, the team made it to the quarter finals in both District events, creating a robot with an award winning design.
Although he admitted the competitions were hectic and a bit overwhelming, team student President, Kyle Krantz, said, “I’m proud of how the team has advanced, considering the challenges we surged through to start this team.”
At the end of the competition Kyle enjoyed a well deserved Maine lobster.
NE District Rhode Island Event March 22 – 24, 2019
SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF A CHALLENGING FIRST DISTRICT EVENT
March 22 – 24
Power Surge and Zeus spent the weekend at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI, competing in the NE District Rhode Island Event. This was the first chance to test the robot on a full size field and in an intense competitive environment. They worked diligently between matches to address unforeseen problems and improve performance, finishing 16th at the end of the semi-finals. They will be using what they learned on the field to prepare for their second District Event two weeks from this one.
The team enjoyed meeting and competing with students, mentors, and robots from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Thank you to all who cheered them on from the bleachers and from home. They are looking forward to going to Maine for the Pine Tree Event!
Presentations to 4-H
Go to Fairfield County 4-H U Conn Facebook page to see photos of our students making their presentations to our 4-H representatives:
Open House March 16, 2019
The team held an Open House to thank our sponsors and show the community what we do. Tours of the shop, the robot, button making, and snacks. Guests included sponsors, team alumni, family members, representatives from other FIRST teams, curious community members, and students considering joining the team.
The team welcomed special guest Mr. Tom Ordway, CEO of our sponsor, Braxton Manufacturing. We were pleased to show how well his company’s building works as our shop, and introduce Zeus, the robot we built there. The Power Station has been the perfect home for work, camaraderie, and inspiration, and our students love coming here. In appreciation, the students presented Mr. Ordway with a team shirt and a framed print of our logo signed by all the team members.
We hope all who came to the Open House will get the chance to see us compete at one of our events!
Testing Scouting Apps
March 9, Week 2 of Competition Season
Building the robot is only part of the job. There is more to do to prepare for competition.
The live-streaming of matches from around the world gives the team the opportunity to test out new scouting apps and strategies.
FRC teams compete in an alliance of three robots versus three in each match. During qualification alliances are randomly assigned. For the finals, however, the top eight teams choose their alliance partners. During qualification matches team members scout the other drive teams and their robots, noting strengths, weaknesses, and special capabilities, in order to put together a strong alliance whose members best compliment each other’s talents.
The next day the team will visit a local competition to test scouting strategies in person and cheer on their friends. There will be teams in this local event they will be competing with in the New England District Championships.
“Gracious Professionalism is part of the ethos of FIRST. It’s a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community.
With Gracious Professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions. Gracious professionals learn and compete like crazy, but treat one another with respect and kindness in the process. They avoid treating anyone like losers. No chest thumping tough talk, but no sticky-sweet platitudes either. Knowledge, competition, and empathy are comfortably blended.
In the long run, Gracious Professionalism is part of pursuing a meaningful life. One can add to society and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing one has acted with integrity and sensitivity.”
Learn more about the phrase coined by Dr. Woodie Flowers at firstinspires.org.
Shout-outs to two FIRST teams
Power Surge volunteers at Senior Center
On February 14th Power Surge 4-H Robotics team members and mentors helped out at the Woodbury Senior Center to set up a miniature golf course for the annual fundraiser.
Charles Bartlett, the founder of the tournament, needed some help getting the course set up. The work of putting the course together continued to be done by a handful of senior citizens.
Bartlett and his team were looking for some younger blood to help keep the golf tournament going. Two juniors and two seniors from the team stepped up to help with the setup.
On February 18th the team helped take down the course and store it till next year. This time three sophomores and our 8th grade member stepped up to help. Gracious community service and civic pride displayed by all.
Net proceeds from the fundraiser now go the Community Services Council of Woodbury. Bartlett said about $15,000 has been raised so far.
BAG DAY
Final weekend push to ready the robot before bagging it up. Every team has the same six weeks in which to build. The robot is then sealed in a bag, opened only for a specified few hours for demonstrations to sponsors or outreach, or to fix, before the first competition. Teams are allowed to keep out 30 lbs of parts that can continue to be worked on.
Week 6
Student video of the Bridgeport Mill in action:
Testing a mechanism for handling game pieces that need to be delivered to high places on the field.
Mentor Doug Whyte gave the team a presentation on Engine Turning as a design option for a surface finish. The students learned the technique and applied it to the robot.
Students used a stainless steel brush and some lubricant on the Bridgeport Mill to create swirls on the aluminum surface of a robot part.
Week 5:
Everyone is focused, looking forward to seeing all the pieces come together.
Learning to use the pop rivet gun donated by ebm papst.
Punching holes in a support plate, preparing to drill holes to reduce the weight.
Game rules state the robot cannot exceed 125 lbs, not including the battery and the interchangeable red or blue perimeter bumpers.
Programming, the brains of the machine.
Installing pop rivets.
Week 4:
Team president and his grandfather prep aluminum stock for drilling.
Even shop lobsters know Safety First!
Superbowl weekend. Power Station is humming.
Week 3:
Safety Glasses? Check. Having fun? Check. All systems go!
Doing the math.
Week 2:
Students learning alongside mentors. Starting up the Bridgeport mill!
Alumni from the old team returned to lend a hand while on holiday break from college.
Team members unpack new materials.
Week 1:
Students and mentors double-checking the rules in the Game Manual while planning the final robot design.
During Week 1, design and strategy brainstorming start with “playing” the game. Students pretending to be the robots get a feel for what will be needed.
01/05/2019 KICKOFF at FIRST HQ in Manchester NH
Team members traveled to New Hampshire to attend the annual Founders Reception at FIRST founder Dean Kamen’s home, the live Kickoff event, and to pick up the KOP (Kit Of Parts).
Team mentor, president, parents at Kickoff in NH.
Inspection of the game playing field.
Spotting FIRST founder Woody Flowers in the crowd.
Picking up the KOP.
KOP Inspection Kickoff Day
After watching the live stream of the game reveal in the morning, the team reconvenes in the evening to a pot-luck dinner to welcome back the group that drove to New Hampshire, unpack the KOP (Kit of Parts), discuss the Game Manual, and begin brainstorming.
Every team receives the same KOP, which includes enough parts to build a basic robot and the special materials, electronics, game pieces, etc, unique to this year’s game. Each team can then add to their robot assets within certain parameters for materials and monetary limits. Thus, though competing on a level playing field, so to speak, every team finds their own solutions to the challenges, and every robot on the field is unique.
How to Fold a Shirt
We have just received our new team T-shirts, and the first thing to learn is to efficiently fold them, nice and neat. We take turns showing eadh other favorite HACKS, and mentor Hogan Eng has the first one of the year.
12/01/2018 Welcome to the Power Station
First meeting in the new shop space,
thanks to sponsor Braxton Manufacturing.
A little cleaning, a few tools, couple of throw pillows… and a Bridgeport Mill, make it feel like home.
Thank you Jo-Vek Tool and Die Manufacturing Company!
11/27/2018 Surge On
What do you do when you don’t yet have a shop space and Kick-off is a month away?
You build a robot anyway, of course, in the living room and garage of a super team member family!
The team is surging ahead learning about robot components with a kit bot purchased from the folks at AndyMark.
11/18/2018 Bake Sale
Thank you to all who supported our first official fundraiser!
