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💪Zero to Hero for FRC CAD/Design - Full Course

Course built by Eshwar Saikumar, Matthew Elizalde, and Rylee Lippenholz

Here are the steps to your FRC CAD/Design Success!

Remember throughout this course if you have questions at any time, reach out to your Captains and/or Mentors. We are happy to help.

Learning Onshape

Now you are more or less fluent in terms of how to use the application, let's transition to some relevant knowledge that you will need during the CAD part of our Build Season.

Connecting Onshape to FRC

Team 3005 Robochargers has a course that walks you through the fundamentals of how to connect onshape and cad, to the intricacies of the FRC robot. There are videos and a slideshow set for you to follow along with and learn about CAD. There are 18 videos total. Work on them self-paced as you see fit.

Observing Robots in Action

Once you have finished both courses and have acquired the technical knowledge essential to being proficient in Onshape and gained exposure to some basic FRC Concepts, you now have a challenge! Scour The Blue Alliance and Chief Delphi and find your favorite robot each year from 2016-2023. Some notoriously good teams will be listed below but every robot cannot just come from these teams; do research and branch out. You must watch actual gameplay on The Blue Alliance and take screenshots from there. Write up a short paragraph response for each robot you choose and why you chose it, explaining mechanically what you like most about it. This must have some technical language and concepts explained in the previous courses. It doesn’t have to be long and drawn out, as long as clear thought is shown a few sentences will do. At the end you will have seven robots you have chosen throughout these years (2020 and 2021 were the same game). Each robot must be from a different team.

Start with these teams so they can help you expand your search:

254 The Cheesy Poofs

1678 Citrus Circuits

2056 OP Robotics

118 Robonauts

148 Robowranglers

1323 MadTown Robotics

33 Killer Bees

67 The HOT Team

359 Hawaiian Kids

27 Team RUSH

1114 Simbotics

  • Submission Point #3

So now that you have gained exposure to actual gameplay and seen many robots in action, using your newly fine-tuned CAD skills, explore the following 2023 robot CADs on Onshape. See what innovative design ideas or mechanisms that they may possess, or even something that you may change. And remember, if you would like to see the robots from the CADs in action, then simply go to The Blue Alliance and explore!

Exploring a Robot in Detail through CAD

Various CADs from 2023 Charged UP

  • Submission Point #4

CAD-a-thon!

The Final Challenge to this course is a CAD-a-thon. A CAD-a-thon is a simulated season CAD. This is where you have one week to complete a full FRC CAD. You will be divided into teams and each team will design a full robot in the given time. This event will take place when enough people have completed the course up until this point. A random game will be assigned for you to CAD. Be ready!

To help you be successful in the CAD-a-thon, here are some housekeeping tips:

There are a variety of websites that supply parts specific to FRC and general hardware including VEX, REV, AndyMark, The Thrifty Bot, West-Coast Products, McMaster-Carr. McMaster-Carr features almost any random raw part that you would like. On these websites, you are able to download the CAD of any part that you would like to use. Most of the parts from these suppliers are included on the MKCad app, which is super easy to use and work with in Onshape. If not, then import the CAD file from the website and the part that you would like.

Additionally, we have CNC plastic and sheet metal sponsors available to make custom parts. You will CAD these as flat plates with holes cut out in them or whatever you wish for, with the preferred thickness. If you want something that requires a multi axis cnc, then you can pretend that you 3d-printed the parts, but be sensible using your knowledge of how materials cooperate in different situations. The standard thickness for CNC plastic is .37”, but you can go more or less; for example, with ¼” or ½” Sheet metal thicknesses typically come in measurements like, ⅛”, ¼”, ½”. Example pictures are included below. Remember physics properties when lightening these pieces such as the distribution of force and force lines so that you do not put holes that could compromise the structural integrity of your parts. There is an art to lightening parts to be practical and reduce weight.

For motors and servos, here are the expectations. Use REV NEOs or NEO 550s for Brushless motors. If you want to use Brushed Motors, then you have almost any option you want, just know that they are sometimes old, and not the best. If you want to use servos, any will work as long as they are FRC legal (from an FRC website). For planetaries, try to stick with VEX’s versa planetaries, and use a CIM adapter if you want to make it compatible with non-VEX products such as NEOs. MKCad includes all of these gearboxes in their library to easily drop in any gear-ratio you desire.

REMEMBER TO CAD IN ELECTRONICS! A list of the necessary electronics will be included below, but remember that this might change depending on your design and what you need. Most electronic components are included in the MKCad library. Certain electronics are meant to be close to others, so be sensible with your location. Make sure that they are in a safe protected space that is still easily accessible. Keep in mind during the CAD process how you plan on wiring each subsystem. Make sure to CAD in the appropriate motor controller for each motor (examples will be included below). This is crucial as it must be located in close proximity to each motor.

Essential Electronics:

  • REV Power Distribution Hub

  • RoboRio 2.0

  • Voltage Regulator Module

  • Limit Switches (on each subsystem for redundancy)

  • Main Breaker

  • Robot Signal Light

  • Robot Radio

  • REV Radio Power Module

Pneumatic Electronics (if you have any pistons):

  • REV Pneumatic Hub

  • Pneumatic Control Module

  • Pressure Switch

  • Solenoid

  • Air Compressor

  • Air Tanks

Swerve Drive Electronics:

  • CanCoders

  • Cannivore

  • Pigeon

Sample Wiring Diagram, you may not use all components

Motor Controller Mounting Examples (credit - 3005 Robocharger 2023 CAD):

Again. If you have any questions, please reach out to your Captains and or Mentors.

Good Luck!

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