FRC Archive Wiki - User contributions [en]

1996

2026-03-18T16:02:04Z

Fallinsideahole: /* News and unofficial media */

{{Infobox Year
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| year = 1996
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44957 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/44957/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1996/1 1996]

| header20 = Game Information

| game_name = Hexagon Havoc

| number_teams = 93

| number_events = 2

| header70 = {{#if:{{{winners|}}}|Awards}}

| chairman_winner = [[frc144|144]]
| champions = [[frc73|73]]
| finalists = [[frc-114|-114]]

| prevyear = [[1995]]
| nextyear = [[1997]]

| image2 = {{{altlogo|}}}
| caption2 = {{{altlogocaption|}}}

}}

The 1996 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began on February 10, 1996 at the [[kickoff#1996|kickoff]] event in Nashua, New Hampshire. Attendees were introduced to Hexagon Havoc, the [[kit of parts]] materials, some of the rules, and the playing field. Competition season consisted of the [[1996nh|1996 New England Tournament]] in Nashua, New Hampshire and the [[1996cmp|National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World. Teams did not need to qualify for the Championship and could participate in the New Hampshire Tournament, Nationals, or both.

After the 1996 season, FIRST dropped the "U.S." in the U.S. FIRST name that they had operated under since being founded in 1989<ref name="name">[https://web.archive.org/web/19961125044045/http://usfirst.org/news/960905.html Our name has changed!]</ref>.

The [[Woodie Flowers Award]] was introduced in 1996 and was first awarded to [[Woodie Flowers]] himself. 1996 also saw the introduction of the modern black and clear acrylic trophies with FIRST logo on top and round medals for the event winners, while other awards were an acrylic plate in a wooden frame.

==Documentation==
===Game manual===
<pdf>File:1996 Game Manual (partial).PDF</pdf>{{358ref}} 

==Playing field and scoring==
<gallery perrow=4 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:45839 - 1996 game materials.png|The playing field and starting positions in one-on-one-on-one rounds [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45839]
File:45840 - 1996 game materials.png|Side view of the goal [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45840]
File:45841 - 1996 game materials.png|Top-down view of the goal [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45841]
File:45842 - 1996 game materials.png|Rear view of the human player station [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45842]
</gallery>

The field is a carpeted hexagon with 16 foot long sides rimmed with 4 by 4 lumber. As in [[1995]], a plastic-covered cable fence surrounded the field.

The central goal is hexagonal with 25-3/4 inch long sides with an upper and lower section surrounded by wooden posts. A triangular frame forms three overhanging triangles where three of the large balls begin the match. A 24 inch wide circular hole in the top surface of the goal allows access to the lower area of the goal, as does the exposed portion of the lower goal itself. The goal is constructed from 2 by 4 lumber, 3/4 inch plywood, and 1-1/2 inch dowels. Other than the downwards force from the weight of the goal, the goal was not affixed to the carpet and could be pushed around the field or even tipped over by a strong enough machine.

The human player area consisted of a 3 foot 7 inch wide by 3 foot long 3/4 inch thick plywood ramp angled away from the playing field where it meets the base plate. The base plate is another 3 foot 7 inch wide by 3 foot deep piece of 3/4 inch plywood sitting flat on the carpet. The boarder lumber and fence extend along the sides of the ramp and base plates. Two vertical 2 inch diameter PVC pipes extend upwards from the bottom corners of the ramp with an 8 foot long horizontal pipe located so that the top of the pipe sits 60-3/4 inches off the carpet across them.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:1254 - 1996 1996cmp frc141 match robot.jpg|[[frc141|Team 141]] ready for a match in the red position at the [[1996cmp|National championship]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/1254]
</gallery>

Three robots in the red, yellow, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with two on two matches later on. Each team has two large and twelve small matching color balls. One of each color of large ball starts scored on the triangular corners of the goal directly in front of the robot in its colored position. The second large ball of each color begins the match 1/3rd of a clockwise rotation around the hexagon away from the robot in that position. A large ball that ends the match on or above the triangles is worth five points (regardless of which color the triangle is), while a large ball inside or above the main portion of the goal is worth ten points. Eight small balls start in a somewhat diamond-like configuration on the field 1/6th of a counterclockwise rotation from the robot in their colored position and four more start at the bottom of their matching ramp. Small balls scored inside or above the goal are worth three points. The scoring area is defined as the extension of the hexagonal profile of the goal (or the triangles, for scoring large balls on the triangles). The maximum possible score is 56 points.

1996 also marked the introduction of the human player. Human players were seatbelted down in the base plate and could remove balls from the field from under the horizontal PVC bar between the base plate and ramp or around the upright supports but could only get them back into play on the field by throwing them up and over the horizontal bar. Human players could not make contact with robots.

Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end. At the end of the match, referees score the balls in the goal. In seeding matches, winners receive three seeding points, runners-up receive one seeding point, and losers receive no seeding points. At the end of seeding rounds, teams are ranked and play in a double-elimination tournament until eight teams remain, at which point a one-on-one best-two-out-of-three series begins with quarterfinals.

===Game strategy===

Most simply, matches involved collecting balls and scoring them as quickly as possible. Because of the positioning of the balls at the beginning of a match, some teams would scatter an opponent's cluster of small balls on the way to pick up their own. Generally, small balls were scored by aligning a portion of the robot with the wooden support structure of the upper goal and ejecting balls over the lower fence structure. Some robots collected the small balls into a box which could be pushed into the bottom of the goal and take up space, potentially blocking other teams from scoring. Covering or blocking the top of the goal with netting was also somewhat effective, assuming your robot could get into position and block before another robot began to score (and ideally be able to also score your own balls at some point as well). Because balls are considered scored when their geometric center is inside or above the goal, blockers were more ineffective against robots which could lift the large balls particularly high above the goal. The goal filling up with small and large balls (and lower goal blockers) was very possible and being able to hold on to a ball high above the goal was advantageous in general, especially because the first match tiebreaker was decided by the large ball in the highest position.

Because of the way that the scoring area was defined, and the overall construction of the goal, a completely legal strategy was to tip over the goal and score balls in the now closer-to-horizontal scoring area. Teams like [[frc42|team 42]] used a small flipper to tip the goal over and either sit the robot in front of the opening or aim it towards the human player station which could be loaded up with balls inside the scoring area.

With a well-controlled machine, knocking the opponent five-point balls off its starting position was fairly easy, especially with another large ball already in the machine's grasp to make it easier to hit and bounce off. Against machines that could not manipulate the large balls this was very effective, but against machines that could score large balls in the middle of the goal this potentially saves them some of the trouble of trying to pick up (or knock off and then pick up) the five point ball from the corner to score it for ten points in the center instead. Capturing an opponent's ball and holding it or passing it to the human player was also a good way to reduce an opponent's maximum score.

<gallery perrow=34heights=220px widths=250px>
File:45689 - 1996 1996cmp frc141 frc73 match robot.png|Team [[frc73|73]] pins [[frc141|141]] in quarterfinals four match two of the [[1996cmp|National championship]] after scoring all their balls [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45689]
File:45646 - 1996 1996cmp frc100 frc121 match robot.gif|[[frc121|Team 121]] descores both opponent balls from the triangles before scoring their own ten point ball. Their three-point balls were previously scored low in the silver box [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45646]
File:45700 - 1996 1996cmp frc23 frc42 frc90 match robot video.gif|[[frc42|Team 42]] flips the goal at the National championship [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45700]
File:45638 - 1996 1996cmp frc-116 frc126 match robot team.gif|[[frc-116|Team -116]]'s human player descores a large ball at the National Championship [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/42680]
</gallery>

Human players could assist the robot in picking up balls or could take opponent balls from the robot and keep them to prevent them from being scored. Human players could also attempt to score in the goal or try to knock opponent five point balls off by throwing balls above the horizontal bar. Throwing a ball to scatter the starting configuration of the small balls on the field was also a common move.

During the later one-on-one playoff rounds, robots that could score either the maximum score or a very high score quickly could shift into playing defense for more of the round. With only one opponent to worry about, and no penalties for pinning indefinitely, some matches saw fast-scoring robots pinning their opponent for thirty seconds or more. [[frc73|Team 73]] scored several perfect rounds in a row at the [[1996 National Championship]] where they would pin their opponent for the rest of the match after scoring all their points.

==Robot construction==

<gallery perrow=2 heights=300px widths=350px>
File:45845 - 1996 kit of parts.png|Some of the materials available in the [[kit of parts#1996]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45845]
File:45648 - 1996 kickoff kit of parts.png|Teams inspecting kits of parts at the [[kickoff#1996|1996 kickoff event]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45648]
</gallery>

Similar to previous years, robots were primarily constructed from items included in the [[kit of parts]] and $425 worth of materials from the [[Small Parts]] catalog with a handful of outside allowances. Fasteners did not count against the price limit as long as they were actually being used as fasteners. Like in [[1995]], no more than four pulleys and/or sprockets and 10 feet of belt and/or chain from outside sources could be used, and these components had to be used in the drivetrain. Building custom "suction cup" devices to hold onto balls was allowed in the rules, although all other pneumatic components had to come from the kit and could not be modified.

The kit included a variety of raw materials and components such as several types of shaft, aluminum, wood, polycarbonate and rubber sheets, four small wheelchair wheels, a selection of hinges, pivots, and magnetic catches, ball bearings, and springs. Allowed outside materials included some additional sheets of aluminum, polycarbonate, and a few varieties of pipe.

Robots had to display their sponsor and school name so that judges and referees could identify them during a match. Canonical team numbers were assigned, but were only used to order from Small Parts and pick up kits of parts.

Robots must fit unconstrained in a 36 inch cube at the start of a match and weigh no more than 120 pounds including batteries, almost doubling the 70 pound weight limit from [[1995]].

===Control system===

<gallery perrow=2 heights=270px widths=350px>
File:4744 - 1996 control system kickoff.jpg|The receiver and relay box (center), with RNET radio (above), drill motor and cooling fan (upper right) and Tekin speed controller (right), batteries and battery holders (below), pneumatic pump (lower left), and Delco seat motors (upper left) [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/4744]
File:3827 - 1996 build control system frc171 robot.jpg|The receiver and relay box, Tekin speed controllers, and drill motors on [[frc171|team 171]]'s 1996 robot [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3441]
</gallery>
Two off-the-shelf PC flight sticks from CH Products were included in the [[kit of parts]]. These plugged into the bespoke Transmit Box and allowed for three axis of proportional control from each joystick (two for the joystick itself and a third for a thumb wheel) with two digital buttons on each joystick. An additional port on the transmit box could be used to wire in an additional custom controller at the expense of some of the controls on the joysticks.

The receiver and relay box functioned similar to the individual receive and relay boxes used in [[1995]], with relays being used to control the Delco seat motors and air pumps and PWM outputs driving the Tekin speed controllers.

The transmit and receive boxes contained no software-programmable hardware, with joystick and button inputs just passing directly to the robot where the signals could be wired to speed controllers or relays. As in previous years, DIP switches allowed different buttons to control different outputs from the receive/relay box and limit switches could be wired in to automatically turn a motor on or off when hit or released.

The transmit and receive boxes could communicate wirelessly using a pair of [[RNET]] radios or a tether cable and adaptor plugged directly between the two boxes. RNETs would be surrendered before competition began and operating in the pits required use of the tether and tether adaptor.

Four Delco [[seat motors]] and two Milwaukee drill motors with gearboxes were included as well as two Tekin reversing speed controllers. Two Textron pneumatic pumps and a selection of pneumatic hardware including two pistons and two solenoid valves were also included. A computer-style muffin fan was provided to blow cool air over, typically, the drivetrain drill motors.

If used, drill motors had to be paired with a Tekin speed controller. Drills could not be plugged directly into the receiver or relay box and the seat motors, air pumps and valves, and muffin fan could not be plugged into the speed controllers.

==Team list==
{{TeamEventListHeader
|lowerCaption =
}}
{{1996frc-65|event=y}}
{{1996frc-116|event=y}}
{{1996frc98|event=y}}
{{1996frc6|event=y}}
{{1996frc83|event=y}}
{{1996frc8|event=y}}
{{1996frc-43|event=y}}
{{1996frc12|event=y}}
{{1996frc13|event=y}}
{{1996frc16|event=y}}
{{1996frc71|event=y}}
{{1996frc-108|event=y}}
{{1996frc23|event=y}}
{{1996frc33|event=y}}
{{1996frc36|event=y}}
{{1996frc42|event=y}}
{{1996frc43|event=y}}
{{1996frc45|event=y}}
{{1996frc-14|event=y}}
{{1996frc47|event=y}}
{{1996frc85|event=y}}
{{1996frc148|event=y}}
{{1996frc-114|event=y}}
{{1996frc28|event=y}}
{{1996frc-96|event=y}}
{{1996frc-71|event=y}}
{{1996frc75|event=y}}
{{1996frc166|event=y}}
{{1996frc61|event=y}}
{{1996frc-84|event=y}}
{{1996frc86|event=y}}
{{1996frc26|event=y}}
{{1996frc176|event=y}}
{{1996frc175|event=y}}
{{1996frc73|event=y}}
{{1996frc74|event=y}}
{{1996frc80|event=y}}
{{1996frc-110|event=y}}
{{1996frc81|event=y}}
{{1996frc177|event=y}}
{{1996frc88|event=y}}
{{1996frc90|event=y}}
{{1996frc99|event=y}}
{{1996frc-68|event=y}}
{{1996frc-97|event=y}}
{{1996frc105|event=y}}
{{1996frc97|event=y}}
{{1996frc-83|event=y}}
{{1996frc110|event=y}}
{{1996frc111|event=y}}
{{1996frc108|event=y}}
{{1996frc116|event=y}}
{{1996frc120|event=y}}
{{1996frc58|event=y}}
{{1996frc121|event=y}}
{{1996frc-36|event=y}}
{{1996frc124|event=y}}
{{1996frc69|event=y}}
{{1996frc126|event=y}}
{{1996frc-67|event=y}}
{{1996frc129|event=y}}
{{1996frc131|event=y}}
{{1996frc130|event=y}}
{{1996frc138|event=y}}
{{1996frc141|event=y}}
{{1996frc144|event=y}}
{{1996frc146|event=y}}
{{1996frc100|event=y}}
{{1996frc-70|event=y}}
{{1996frc20|event=y}}
{{1996frc151|event=y}}
{{1996frc72|event=y}}
{{1996frc-115|event=y}}
{{1996frc155|event=y}}
{{1996frc155star|event=y}}
{{1996frc157|event=y}}
{{1996frc158|event=y}}
{{1996frc55|event=y}}
{{1996frc-112|event=y}}
{{1996frc161|event=y}}
{{1996frc-82|event=y}}
{{1996frc173|event=y}}
{{1996frc-30|event=y}}
{{1996frc140|event=y}}
{{1996frc37|event=y}}
{{1996frc-54|event=y}}
{{1996frc171|event=y}}
{{1996frc172|event=y}}
{{1996frc153|event=y}}
{{1996frc-76|event=y}}
{{1996frc200|event=y}}
{{1996frc190|event=y}}
{{1996frc191|event=y}}
{{TeamListFooter}}

==Official events==
[[1996nh|1996 New England Tournament]] (March 28-30) 
[[1996cmp|National Championship]] (April 18-20)

==Unofficial events==

[[Scrimmage#1996|Baxter Chicago scrimmage]] 
[[1996ratr|Rumble at the Rock]] (July 13, 1996) 
[[Demo#1996|DePaul University demo]] (October 1996)

==News and unofficial media==
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1996_March_11_Kokomo_Tribune.pdf Kokomo Tribune (March 11 1996)]{{TKHref}} 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:ASME_News_June_1996.pdf ASME News (June 1996)]<ref name=tkh /> 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1996_June_Circuit.pdf Circuit (June 1996)]<ref name=tkh /> 
[https://books.google.com/books?id=Av8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24&lpg=PA24&dq=hexagon+havoc&source=bl&ots=ZnyaF9__Iy&sig=ACfU3U3j4k5tVgMQRVpnDC6Ok_ldtkbm5w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjVhamls4mAAxUmmGoFHZc2C3w4KBDoAXoECAIQAw#v=onepage&q=hexagon%20havoc&f=false Boys Life (December 1996)] 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1996_Forbes.PDF Forbes (1996)]<ref name=tkh /> 
[https://web.archive.org/web/19961220201116/http://www.autodesk.com/ebd/fall96/ebdf9601.htm A Techno-Age Tale of Three Teams and the Transforming Effect of FIRST]

==Notes==
<references />

1996

2026-03-18T16:00:42Z

Fallinsideahole: /* Documentation */

{{Infobox Year
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| year = 1996
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44957 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/44957/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1996/1 1996]

| header20 = Game Information

| game_name = Hexagon Havoc

| number_teams = 93

| number_events = 2

| header70 = {{#if:{{{winners|}}}|Awards}}

| chairman_winner = [[frc144|144]]
| champions = [[frc73|73]]
| finalists = [[frc-114|-114]]

| prevyear = [[1995]]
| nextyear = [[1997]]

| image2 = {{{altlogo|}}}
| caption2 = {{{altlogocaption|}}}

}}

The 1996 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began on February 10, 1996 at the [[kickoff#1996|kickoff]] event in Nashua, New Hampshire. Attendees were introduced to Hexagon Havoc, the [[kit of parts]] materials, some of the rules, and the playing field. Competition season consisted of the [[1996nh|1996 New England Tournament]] in Nashua, New Hampshire and the [[1996cmp|National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World. Teams did not need to qualify for the Championship and could participate in the New Hampshire Tournament, Nationals, or both.

After the 1996 season, FIRST dropped the "U.S." in the U.S. FIRST name that they had operated under since being founded in 1989<ref name="name">[https://web.archive.org/web/19961125044045/http://usfirst.org/news/960905.html Our name has changed!]</ref>.

The [[Woodie Flowers Award]] was introduced in 1996 and was first awarded to [[Woodie Flowers]] himself. 1996 also saw the introduction of the modern black and clear acrylic trophies with FIRST logo on top and round medals for the event winners, while other awards were an acrylic plate in a wooden frame.

==Documentation==
===Game manual===
<pdf>File:1996 Game Manual (partial).PDF</pdf>{{358ref}} 

==Playing field and scoring==
<gallery perrow=4 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:45839 - 1996 game materials.png|The playing field and starting positions in one-on-one-on-one rounds [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45839]
File:45840 - 1996 game materials.png|Side view of the goal [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45840]
File:45841 - 1996 game materials.png|Top-down view of the goal [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45841]
File:45842 - 1996 game materials.png|Rear view of the human player station [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45842]
</gallery>

The field is a carpeted hexagon with 16 foot long sides rimmed with 4 by 4 lumber. As in [[1995]], a plastic-covered cable fence surrounded the field.

The central goal is hexagonal with 25-3/4 inch long sides with an upper and lower section surrounded by wooden posts. A triangular frame forms three overhanging triangles where three of the large balls begin the match. A 24 inch wide circular hole in the top surface of the goal allows access to the lower area of the goal, as does the exposed portion of the lower goal itself. The goal is constructed from 2 by 4 lumber, 3/4 inch plywood, and 1-1/2 inch dowels. Other than the downwards force from the weight of the goal, the goal was not affixed to the carpet and could be pushed around the field or even tipped over by a strong enough machine.

The human player area consisted of a 3 foot 7 inch wide by 3 foot long 3/4 inch thick plywood ramp angled away from the playing field where it meets the base plate. The base plate is another 3 foot 7 inch wide by 3 foot deep piece of 3/4 inch plywood sitting flat on the carpet. The boarder lumber and fence extend along the sides of the ramp and base plates. Two vertical 2 inch diameter PVC pipes extend upwards from the bottom corners of the ramp with an 8 foot long horizontal pipe located so that the top of the pipe sits 60-3/4 inches off the carpet across them.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:1254 - 1996 1996cmp frc141 match robot.jpg|[[frc141|Team 141]] ready for a match in the red position at the [[1996cmp|National championship]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/1254]
</gallery>

Three robots in the red, yellow, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with two on two matches later on. Each team has two large and twelve small matching color balls. One of each color of large ball starts scored on the triangular corners of the goal directly in front of the robot in its colored position. The second large ball of each color begins the match 1/3rd of a clockwise rotation around the hexagon away from the robot in that position. A large ball that ends the match on or above the triangles is worth five points (regardless of which color the triangle is), while a large ball inside or above the main portion of the goal is worth ten points. Eight small balls start in a somewhat diamond-like configuration on the field 1/6th of a counterclockwise rotation from the robot in their colored position and four more start at the bottom of their matching ramp. Small balls scored inside or above the goal are worth three points. The scoring area is defined as the extension of the hexagonal profile of the goal (or the triangles, for scoring large balls on the triangles). The maximum possible score is 56 points.

1996 also marked the introduction of the human player. Human players were seatbelted down in the base plate and could remove balls from the field from under the horizontal PVC bar between the base plate and ramp or around the upright supports but could only get them back into play on the field by throwing them up and over the horizontal bar. Human players could not make contact with robots.

Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end. At the end of the match, referees score the balls in the goal. In seeding matches, winners receive three seeding points, runners-up receive one seeding point, and losers receive no seeding points. At the end of seeding rounds, teams are ranked and play in a double-elimination tournament until eight teams remain, at which point a one-on-one best-two-out-of-three series begins with quarterfinals.

===Game strategy===

Most simply, matches involved collecting balls and scoring them as quickly as possible. Because of the positioning of the balls at the beginning of a match, some teams would scatter an opponent's cluster of small balls on the way to pick up their own. Generally, small balls were scored by aligning a portion of the robot with the wooden support structure of the upper goal and ejecting balls over the lower fence structure. Some robots collected the small balls into a box which could be pushed into the bottom of the goal and take up space, potentially blocking other teams from scoring. Covering or blocking the top of the goal with netting was also somewhat effective, assuming your robot could get into position and block before another robot began to score (and ideally be able to also score your own balls at some point as well). Because balls are considered scored when their geometric center is inside or above the goal, blockers were more ineffective against robots which could lift the large balls particularly high above the goal. The goal filling up with small and large balls (and lower goal blockers) was very possible and being able to hold on to a ball high above the goal was advantageous in general, especially because the first match tiebreaker was decided by the large ball in the highest position.

Because of the way that the scoring area was defined, and the overall construction of the goal, a completely legal strategy was to tip over the goal and score balls in the now closer-to-horizontal scoring area. Teams like [[frc42|team 42]] used a small flipper to tip the goal over and either sit the robot in front of the opening or aim it towards the human player station which could be loaded up with balls inside the scoring area.

With a well-controlled machine, knocking the opponent five-point balls off its starting position was fairly easy, especially with another large ball already in the machine's grasp to make it easier to hit and bounce off. Against machines that could not manipulate the large balls this was very effective, but against machines that could score large balls in the middle of the goal this potentially saves them some of the trouble of trying to pick up (or knock off and then pick up) the five point ball from the corner to score it for ten points in the center instead. Capturing an opponent's ball and holding it or passing it to the human player was also a good way to reduce an opponent's maximum score.

<gallery perrow=34heights=220px widths=250px>
File:45689 - 1996 1996cmp frc141 frc73 match robot.png|Team [[frc73|73]] pins [[frc141|141]] in quarterfinals four match two of the [[1996cmp|National championship]] after scoring all their balls [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45689]
File:45646 - 1996 1996cmp frc100 frc121 match robot.gif|[[frc121|Team 121]] descores both opponent balls from the triangles before scoring their own ten point ball. Their three-point balls were previously scored low in the silver box [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45646]
File:45700 - 1996 1996cmp frc23 frc42 frc90 match robot video.gif|[[frc42|Team 42]] flips the goal at the National championship [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45700]
File:45638 - 1996 1996cmp frc-116 frc126 match robot team.gif|[[frc-116|Team -116]]'s human player descores a large ball at the National Championship [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/42680]
</gallery>

Human players could assist the robot in picking up balls or could take opponent balls from the robot and keep them to prevent them from being scored. Human players could also attempt to score in the goal or try to knock opponent five point balls off by throwing balls above the horizontal bar. Throwing a ball to scatter the starting configuration of the small balls on the field was also a common move.

During the later one-on-one playoff rounds, robots that could score either the maximum score or a very high score quickly could shift into playing defense for more of the round. With only one opponent to worry about, and no penalties for pinning indefinitely, some matches saw fast-scoring robots pinning their opponent for thirty seconds or more. [[frc73|Team 73]] scored several perfect rounds in a row at the [[1996 National Championship]] where they would pin their opponent for the rest of the match after scoring all their points.

==Robot construction==

<gallery perrow=2 heights=300px widths=350px>
File:45845 - 1996 kit of parts.png|Some of the materials available in the [[kit of parts#1996]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45845]
File:45648 - 1996 kickoff kit of parts.png|Teams inspecting kits of parts at the [[kickoff#1996|1996 kickoff event]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45648]
</gallery>

Similar to previous years, robots were primarily constructed from items included in the [[kit of parts]] and $425 worth of materials from the [[Small Parts]] catalog with a handful of outside allowances. Fasteners did not count against the price limit as long as they were actually being used as fasteners. Like in [[1995]], no more than four pulleys and/or sprockets and 10 feet of belt and/or chain from outside sources could be used, and these components had to be used in the drivetrain. Building custom "suction cup" devices to hold onto balls was allowed in the rules, although all other pneumatic components had to come from the kit and could not be modified.

The kit included a variety of raw materials and components such as several types of shaft, aluminum, wood, polycarbonate and rubber sheets, four small wheelchair wheels, a selection of hinges, pivots, and magnetic catches, ball bearings, and springs. Allowed outside materials included some additional sheets of aluminum, polycarbonate, and a few varieties of pipe.

Robots had to display their sponsor and school name so that judges and referees could identify them during a match. Canonical team numbers were assigned, but were only used to order from Small Parts and pick up kits of parts.

Robots must fit unconstrained in a 36 inch cube at the start of a match and weigh no more than 120 pounds including batteries, almost doubling the 70 pound weight limit from [[1995]].

===Control system===

<gallery perrow=2 heights=270px widths=350px>
File:4744 - 1996 control system kickoff.jpg|The receiver and relay box (center), with RNET radio (above), drill motor and cooling fan (upper right) and Tekin speed controller (right), batteries and battery holders (below), pneumatic pump (lower left), and Delco seat motors (upper left) [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/4744]
File:3827 - 1996 build control system frc171 robot.jpg|The receiver and relay box, Tekin speed controllers, and drill motors on [[frc171|team 171]]'s 1996 robot [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3441]
</gallery>
Two off-the-shelf PC flight sticks from CH Products were included in the [[kit of parts]]. These plugged into the bespoke Transmit Box and allowed for three axis of proportional control from each joystick (two for the joystick itself and a third for a thumb wheel) with two digital buttons on each joystick. An additional port on the transmit box could be used to wire in an additional custom controller at the expense of some of the controls on the joysticks.

The receiver and relay box functioned similar to the individual receive and relay boxes used in [[1995]], with relays being used to control the Delco seat motors and air pumps and PWM outputs driving the Tekin speed controllers.

The transmit and receive boxes contained no software-programmable hardware, with joystick and button inputs just passing directly to the robot where the signals could be wired to speed controllers or relays. As in previous years, DIP switches allowed different buttons to control different outputs from the receive/relay box and limit switches could be wired in to automatically turn a motor on or off when hit or released.

The transmit and receive boxes could communicate wirelessly using a pair of [[RNET]] radios or a tether cable and adaptor plugged directly between the two boxes. RNETs would be surrendered before competition began and operating in the pits required use of the tether and tether adaptor.

Four Delco [[seat motors]] and two Milwaukee drill motors with gearboxes were included as well as two Tekin reversing speed controllers. Two Textron pneumatic pumps and a selection of pneumatic hardware including two pistons and two solenoid valves were also included. A computer-style muffin fan was provided to blow cool air over, typically, the drivetrain drill motors.

If used, drill motors had to be paired with a Tekin speed controller. Drills could not be plugged directly into the receiver or relay box and the seat motors, air pumps and valves, and muffin fan could not be plugged into the speed controllers.

==Team list==
{{TeamEventListHeader
|lowerCaption =
}}
{{1996frc-65|event=y}}
{{1996frc-116|event=y}}
{{1996frc98|event=y}}
{{1996frc6|event=y}}
{{1996frc83|event=y}}
{{1996frc8|event=y}}
{{1996frc-43|event=y}}
{{1996frc12|event=y}}
{{1996frc13|event=y}}
{{1996frc16|event=y}}
{{1996frc71|event=y}}
{{1996frc-108|event=y}}
{{1996frc23|event=y}}
{{1996frc33|event=y}}
{{1996frc36|event=y}}
{{1996frc42|event=y}}
{{1996frc43|event=y}}
{{1996frc45|event=y}}
{{1996frc-14|event=y}}
{{1996frc47|event=y}}
{{1996frc85|event=y}}
{{1996frc148|event=y}}
{{1996frc-114|event=y}}
{{1996frc28|event=y}}
{{1996frc-96|event=y}}
{{1996frc-71|event=y}}
{{1996frc75|event=y}}
{{1996frc166|event=y}}
{{1996frc61|event=y}}
{{1996frc-84|event=y}}
{{1996frc86|event=y}}
{{1996frc26|event=y}}
{{1996frc176|event=y}}
{{1996frc175|event=y}}
{{1996frc73|event=y}}
{{1996frc74|event=y}}
{{1996frc80|event=y}}
{{1996frc-110|event=y}}
{{1996frc81|event=y}}
{{1996frc177|event=y}}
{{1996frc88|event=y}}
{{1996frc90|event=y}}
{{1996frc99|event=y}}
{{1996frc-68|event=y}}
{{1996frc-97|event=y}}
{{1996frc105|event=y}}
{{1996frc97|event=y}}
{{1996frc-83|event=y}}
{{1996frc110|event=y}}
{{1996frc111|event=y}}
{{1996frc108|event=y}}
{{1996frc116|event=y}}
{{1996frc120|event=y}}
{{1996frc58|event=y}}
{{1996frc121|event=y}}
{{1996frc-36|event=y}}
{{1996frc124|event=y}}
{{1996frc69|event=y}}
{{1996frc126|event=y}}
{{1996frc-67|event=y}}
{{1996frc129|event=y}}
{{1996frc131|event=y}}
{{1996frc130|event=y}}
{{1996frc138|event=y}}
{{1996frc141|event=y}}
{{1996frc144|event=y}}
{{1996frc146|event=y}}
{{1996frc100|event=y}}
{{1996frc-70|event=y}}
{{1996frc20|event=y}}
{{1996frc151|event=y}}
{{1996frc72|event=y}}
{{1996frc-115|event=y}}
{{1996frc155|event=y}}
{{1996frc155star|event=y}}
{{1996frc157|event=y}}
{{1996frc158|event=y}}
{{1996frc55|event=y}}
{{1996frc-112|event=y}}
{{1996frc161|event=y}}
{{1996frc-82|event=y}}
{{1996frc173|event=y}}
{{1996frc-30|event=y}}
{{1996frc140|event=y}}
{{1996frc37|event=y}}
{{1996frc-54|event=y}}
{{1996frc171|event=y}}
{{1996frc172|event=y}}
{{1996frc153|event=y}}
{{1996frc-76|event=y}}
{{1996frc200|event=y}}
{{1996frc190|event=y}}
{{1996frc191|event=y}}
{{TeamListFooter}}

==Official events==
[[1996nh|1996 New England Tournament]] (March 28-30) 
[[1996cmp|National Championship]] (April 18-20)

==Unofficial events==

[[Scrimmage#1996|Baxter Chicago scrimmage]] 
[[1996ratr|Rumble at the Rock]] (July 13, 1996) 
[[Demo#1996|DePaul University demo]] (October 1996)

==News and unofficial media==
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1996_March_11_Kokomo_Tribune.pdf Kokomo Tribune (March 11 1996)]<ref name=tkh /> 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:ASME_News_June_1996.pdf ASME News (June 1996)]<ref name=tkh /> 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1996_June_Circuit.pdf Circuit (June 1996)]<ref name=tkh /> 
[https://books.google.com/books?id=Av8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24&lpg=PA24&dq=hexagon+havoc&source=bl&ots=ZnyaF9__Iy&sig=ACfU3U3j4k5tVgMQRVpnDC6Ok_ldtkbm5w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjVhamls4mAAxUmmGoFHZc2C3w4KBDoAXoECAIQAw#v=onepage&q=hexagon%20havoc&f=false Boys Life (December 1996)] 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1996_Forbes.PDF Forbes (1996)]<ref name=tkh /> 
[https://web.archive.org/web/19961220201116/http://www.autodesk.com/ebd/fall96/ebdf9601.htm A Techno-Age Tale of Three Teams and the Transforming Effect of FIRST]

==Notes==
<references />

File:1996 Game Manual.PDF

2026-03-18T15:59:59Z

Fallinsideahole: /* Summary */

== Summary ==
From [https://team358.org/history/1992-1999/1996HexagonHavoc.php Team 358]

File:1996 Game Manual (partial).PDF

2026-03-18T15:58:45Z

Fallinsideahole: Fallinsideahole moved page File:1996 Game Manual (partial).PDF to File:1996 Game Manual.PDF

#REDIRECT [[File:1996 Game Manual.PDF]]

File:1996 Game Manual.PDF

2026-03-18T15:58:45Z

Fallinsideahole: Fallinsideahole moved page File:1996 Game Manual (partial).PDF to File:1996 Game Manual.PDF

== Summary ==
From the [https://web.archive.org/web/20170121072536/http://www.technokats.org/history-project/ TechnoKats History Project]

File:1996 Game Manual.PDF

2026-03-18T15:58:26Z

Fallinsideahole: Fallinsideahole uploaded a new version of File:1996 Game Manual (partial).PDF

== Summary ==
From the [https://web.archive.org/web/20170121072536/http://www.technokats.org/history-project/ TechnoKats History Project]

1998

2026-03-07T01:50:35Z

Fallinsideahole: /* Official events */

{{Infobox Year
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| year = 1998
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44959 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/44959/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1998/1 1998]

| header20 = Game Information

| game_name = Ladder Logic

| number_teams = 199

| number_events = 6

| header70 = {{#if:{{{winners|}}}|Awards}}

| chairman_winner =
| champions = [[frc45|45]]
| finalists = [[frc121|121]]

| prevyear = [[1997]]
| nextyear = [[1999]]

| image2 = {{{altlogo|}}}
| caption2 = {{{altlogocaption|}}}

}}

The 1998 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began on January 10, 1998 with the [[kickoff]] in Nashua, New Hampshire.
Competition season consisted of five regional events, the [[1998tx|1998 Southwest Regional]] in Houston, Texas, [[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] in Hooksett, New Hampshire, the [[1998il|1998 Motorola Midwest Regional]] in Palatine, Illinois, the [[1998mi|1998 Great Lakes Regional]] in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and the [[1998nj|1998 Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] in New Brunswick, New Jersey as well as the [[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World.

Like in 1997, early promotional material referred to the game as simply "The Competition" or "The Competition 1998," and the first team update asked for game name suggestions. The "Ladder Logic" name was unveiled in team update #9 on February 21.

A [[Test_games#1998_Test_Game|test game]] for Ladder Logic was carried out in the fall of 1997, with some teams that had competed in [[1997]] building test robots for the game<ref>[https://www.chiefdelphi.com/t/what-is-first-s-plan-for-team-10000/436312/71?u=duckgwr What is FIRST's plan for Team 10000?]</ref>.

==Documentation==
===Game manual and team updates===
<pdf>File:1998 Game Manual (partial).pdf</pdf>{{TKHref}} 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1998_Team_Updates.pdf Team Updates]<ref name=tkh />

===Kickoff===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44347 Footage on the FRC Archive] <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVpF1arncGM 1998 FIRST Ladder Logic Kickoff]</ref>

===Other official documents===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:98_FIRSTinfo1.PDF FIRST The Competition 1998 pre-registration information]<ref name=tkh />

==Playing field and scoring==
<gallery perrow=4 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:46318 - 1998 game materials.png|Top-down view of the field before a match [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/46318]
File:46319 - 1998 game materials.png|Field setup for the one-on-one rounds [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/46319]
</gallery>

The field is a carpeted hexagon.

In the center of the field is an 8 foot hexagonal Central Goal. Extending outwards and upwards from the Central Goal are the ladder-like Rail Goals. The rail has two pipe dividers that divide it into thirds.

Centered on the sides of the field that are not supporting the outer end of the Rail Goals are the 5 foot wide Interaction Zones and Human Player Areas. The Interaction Zone is the three foot deep area where both robots and human players can interact with balls. Human players could not apply weight to this area but could reach or lean over it to grab balls in the interaction zone or load them into a robot. The Human Player Area behind the interaction zone and extending another three feet is where human players are allowed to stand and throw or load balls. Human players must wear safety helmets with attached face shields. Only three balls of any color can be kept in the player station at one time (although a robot can be holding additional balls inside the volume of the Interaction Zone).

Driver stations are positioned off-center on the Rail Goal sides of the field near their corresponding human player areas.

Three robots in the red, white, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with one on one matches later on. Robots can start in any orientation within the designated 4' by 4' starting area but cannot touch the center goal, rails, or field border. Each team has nine matching color balls. Three balls begin in the team's Interaction Zone with three more of each color on the floor forming three lines of three, one of each color, between where the robots begin. One ball of each color begins scored on each of the three different levels of the Rail Goals, with one ball of each color on each of the three Rail Goal "ladders". The Rail Goal extending over each team's starting are begins with one of their balls in the lowest section, with the rail counterclockwise around the field starting with one of their balls in the middle section, and their third pre-scored ball in the highest position of the Rail Goal clockwise around the field. In one-on-one playoff matches, robots play in the red and blue positions, with no white balls on the field.

Scoring begins when all balls in motion when a match ends have come to a rest (or upon a referees' decision). Balls in the highest third of the Rail Goals closest to the outside of the field are worth three points. Balls on the middle "rung" are worth two points, and balls in the central third of the Rail Goals are worth one point. A ball must be contacting both side rails of a Rail Goal with the center point of the ball above the place of the upper edge of the rails to be counted. Balls scored in the central goal are worth no points themselves but each ball doubles the score from the balls on the Rail Goals. A ball is considered scored in the central goal if the central plane of the ball is below the top rim of the goal and within the outside edge of the goal.

Tiebreaks are determined first by the team with the least penalties or warnings during the match, then the team with the most balls on the Rail Goals, then the team with the highest (or next highest, in the case of a tie) ball on the ladders, then by number of balls in the central goal, then the team with the highest ball in the central goal, and finally the team with the most opponent balls in their player station.

Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end.

===Game strategy===

Because robots started under the three-point ball of one of their opponents (or their only opponent in the 1 on 1 matches), a common opening move was to extend upwards and knock the three-point ball off the rungs. The bulk of match play often focused on human players and robots trying to get as many point doublers into the center goal as possible to ensure a good stackup of doublers before worrying about the balls on the point rungs which were more vulnerable than balls scored in the goal.

Robots could pass balls of an opponent's color to their human player both to take them out of play and to give the human player ammunition to toss at opponent's balls on the rungs to try to descore them. Some robots were built to squeeze the balls between the rungs of the goal and ladders to make it harder to knock them out of position, and some human players got good enough at throwing the balls with enough force that they could shoot them in through the pipes forming the sides of the goal.

Towards the end of the match, play would shift towards more offense on the rungs, with robots often adding a ball to a three-point rung and then camping over it to protect it from the human players or other robots. Human players would also shift focus towards throwing any remaining balls at high-value opponent balls on the rungs, trying to knock them off and leave them with zero points to double from the center goal.

Because of the way the double elimination tournament was structured, the one on one on one elimination rounds would sometimes see two teams focusing on a single harder opponent to try to knock them out before the one on one playoffs began. This two-on-one strategy is what caused [[frc47|team 47]], heavily favored to win the championship after three regional wins with the first swerve drive, to be eliminated at [[1998cmp|Nationals]].

==Robot construction==
As was the norm for the era, the majority of robot components came from the [[kit of parts]] or [[Small Parts]] catalog. The Small Parts allowance for 1998 was $425. Some components, like fasteners, lubrication, and some pipe fittings, could be used in unlimited quantities.

Robots must sit unconstrained inside a 36" by 30" rectangle and be no more than 48" tall. Like in [[1997]], a [[sizing cube]] was used as part of the inspection process. Robot weight, including battery, could not exceed 130lbs.

No (intentionally) detaching robot components were allowed in 1998. Robots must display their team company and school names and logos, as well as their team number on at least two opposite sides of the robot. Numbers must be at least five inches tall.

===Control system===

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44337 - 1998 control system kickoff.png|The transmit side of the control system at [[kickoff]], with two PC flight sticks, button box, and RNET radio [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44337]
File:44338 - 1998 control system kickoff.png|The BASIC Stamp controller (center) with Tekin speed controllers and several motors included in the kit [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44338]
File:45583 - 1998 control system.jpg|The 1998 transmit board [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45583]
</gallery>

The 1998 control system consisted of a Transmitter and Receiver pair. The transmit side of the control system was similar to the 1997 and previous control systems and had ports for PC joysticks and custom button controllers with DIP switches inside to change which controls were routed to with outputs. The Receiver box included a BASIC Stamp II and could be programmed using PBASIC. Any sensors used had to be connected back to the Receiver.

Available motors include drill motors, van door motors, car seat motors, and the "tape drive" motors used to drive car windows up and down. Drill and van door motors must be connected to the Tekin speed controllers. Instead of drill batteries, 12 volt gel-cell batteries were first used this year. A team update allowed for a modification to the speed controllers that bypassed the current limiting function.

Like many other years before and after, [[RNet]] radios were used to establish wireless communication between the robot and driver stations. Teams were supplied RNets in the kit but had to surrender them before competitions and use a tether cable to control their robots instead, with RNets being supplied to teams before upcoming matches to use for that match.

==Team list==
{{TeamEventListHeader
|lowerCaption =
}}
{{1998frc1|event=y}}
{{1998frc2|event=y}}
{{1998frc3|event=y}}
{{1998frc5|event=y}}
{{1998frc6|event=y}}
{{1998frc7|event=y}}
{{1998frc8|event=y}}
{{1998frc9|event=y}}
{{1998frc10|event=y}}
{{1998frc11|event=y}}
{{1998frc12|event=y}}
{{1998frc13|event=y}}
{{1998frc14|event=y}}
{{1998frc15|event=y}}
{{1998frc16|event=y}}
{{1998frc17|event=y}}
{{1998frc18|event=y}}
{{1998frc19|event=y}}
{{1998frc20|event=y}}
{{1998frc21|event=y}}
{{1998frc22|event=y}}
{{1998frc23|event=y}}
{{1998frc24|event=y}}
{{1998frc25|event=y}}
{{1998frc26|event=y}}
{{1998frc27|event=y}}
{{1998frc28|event=y}}
{{1998frc29|event=y}}
{{1998frc30|event=y}}
{{1998frc31|event=y}}
{{1998frc32|event=y}}
{{1998frc33|event=y}}
{{1998frc34|event=y}}
{{1998frc35|event=y}}
{{1998frc36|event=y}}
{{1998frc37|event=y}}
{{1998frc38|event=y}}
{{1998frc40|event=y}}
{{1998frc41|event=y}}
{{1998frc42|event=y}}
{{1998frc43|event=y}}
{{1998frc44|event=y}}
{{1998frc45|event=y}}
{{1998frc46|event=y}}
{{1998frc47|event=y}}
{{1998frc48|event=y}}
{{1998frc49|event=y}}
{{1998frc50|event=y}}
{{1998frc52|event=y}}
{{1998frc53|event=y}}
{{1998frc54|event=y}}
{{1998frc55|event=y}}
{{1998frc56|event=y}}
{{1998frc57|event=y}}
{{1998frc58|event=y}}
{{1998frc59|event=y}}
{{1998frc60|event=y}}
{{1998frc61|event=y}}
{{1998frc62|event=y}}
{{1998frc63|event=y}}
{{1998frc64|event=y}}
{{1998frc65|event=y}}
{{1998frc66|event=y}}
{{1998frc67|event=y}}
{{1998frc68|event=y}}
{{1998frc69|event=y}}
{{1998frc70|event=y}}
{{1998frc71|event=y}}
{{1998frc72|event=y}}
{{1998frc73|event=y}}
{{1998frc74|event=y}}
{{1998frc75|event=y}}
{{1998frc76|event=y}}
{{1998frc77|event=y}}
{{1998frc79|event=y}}
{{1998frc80|event=y}}
{{1998frc81|event=y}}
{{1998frc82|event=y}}
{{1998frc83|event=y}}
{{1998frc84|event=y}}
{{1998frc85|event=y}}
{{1998frc86|event=y}}
{{1998frc87|event=y}}
{{1998frc88|event=y}}
{{1998frc89|event=y}}
{{1998frc90|event=y}}
{{1998frc91|event=y}}
{{1998frc92|event=y}}
{{1998frc93|event=y}}
{{1998frc94|event=y}}
{{1998frc95|event=y}}
{{1998frc96|event=y}}
{{1998frc97|event=y}}
{{1998frc98|event=y}}
{{1998frc99|event=y}}
{{1998frc100|event=y}}
{{1998frc101|event=y}}
{{1998frc102|event=y}}
{{1998frc103|event=y}}
{{1998frc104|event=y}}
{{1998frc105|event=y}}
{{1998frc106|event=y}}
{{1998frc107|event=y}}
{{1998frc108|event=y}}
{{1998frc109|event=y}}
{{1998frc110|event=y}}
{{1998frc111|event=y}}
{{1998frc112|event=y}}
{{1998frc113|event=y}}
{{1998frc114|event=y}}
{{1998frc115|event=y}}
{{1998frc116|event=y}}
{{1998frc117|event=y}}
{{1998frc118|event=y}}
{{1998frc119|event=y}}
{{1998frc120|event=y}}
{{1998frc121|event=y}}
{{1998frc122|event=y}}
{{1998frc123|event=y}}
{{1998frc124|event=y}}
{{1998frc125|event=y}}
{{1998frc126|event=y}}
{{1998frc127|event=y}}
{{1998frc128|event=y}}
{{1998frc129|event=y}}
{{1998frc130|event=y}}
{{1998frc131|event=y}}
{{1998frc132|event=y}}
{{1998frc133|event=y}}
{{1998frc134|event=y}}
{{1998frc135|event=y}}
{{1998frc136|event=y}}
{{1998frc137|event=y}}
{{1998frc138|event=y}}
{{1998frc139|event=y}}
{{1998frc140|event=y}}
{{1998frc141|event=y}}
{{1998frc142|event=y}}
{{1998frc143|event=y}}
{{1998frc144|event=y}}
{{1998frc145|event=y}}
{{1998frc146|event=y}}
{{1998frc147|event=y}}
{{1998frc148|event=y}}
{{1998frc149|event=y}}
{{1998frc150|event=y}}
{{1998frc151|event=y}}
{{1998frc152|event=y}}
{{1998frc153|event=y}}
{{1998frc154|event=y}}
{{1998frc155|event=y}}
{{1998frc157|event=y}}
{{1998frc158|event=y}}
{{1998frc159|event=y}}
{{1998frc160|event=y}}
{{1998frc161|event=y}}
{{1998frc162|event=y}}
{{1998frc163|event=y}}
{{1998frc164|event=y}}
{{1998frc165|event=y}}
{{1998frc166|event=y}}
{{1998frc167|event=y}}
{{1998frc168|event=y}}
{{1998frc169|event=y}}
{{1998frc170|event=y}}
{{1998frc171|event=y}}
{{1998frc172|event=y}}
{{1998frc173|event=y}}
{{1998frc174|event=y}}
{{1998frc175|event=y}}
{{1998frc176|event=y}}
{{1998frc177|event=y}}
{{1998frc178|event=y}}
{{1998frc179|event=y}}
{{1998frc180|event=y}}
{{1998frc181|event=y}}
{{1998frc182|event=y}}
{{1998frc183|event=y}}
{{1998frc184|event=y}}
{{1998frc185|event=y}}
{{1998frc186|event=y}}
{{1998frc187|event=y}}
{{1998frc188|event=y}}
{{1998frc189|event=y}}
{{1998frc190|event=y}}
{{1998frc191|event=y}}
{{1998frc192|event=y}}
{{1998frc194|event=y}}
{{1998frc195|event=y}}
{{1998frc196|event=y}}
{{1998frc197|event=y}}
{{1998frc198|event=y}}
{{1998frc200|event=y}}
{{1998frc201|event=y}}
{{1998frc202|event=y}}
{{1998frc203|event=y}}
{{1998frc204|event=y}}
{{1998frc205|event=y}}
{{1998frc206|event=y}}
{{TeamListFooter}}

==Official events==
[[1998tx|1998 Southwest Regional]] (March 5-7, 1998) 
[[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] (March 12-14, 1998) 
[[1998il|1998 Motorola Midwest Regional]] (March 12-14, 1998) 
[[1998mi|1998 Great Lakes Regional]] (March 19-21, 1998) 
[[1998nj|1998 Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] (March 19-21, 1998) 
[[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]] (April 2-4, 1998)

==Unofficial events==
[[1998utcrc|1998 UTC Robot Challenge]] (February 21, 1998) 
[[1998aroz|1998 Baxter Ozark Mountain Brawl]] (May 15, 1998) 
[[1998wmri|1998 West Michigan Robotics Invitational]] (June 6, 1998) 
[[havoc_on_the_hill|Havoc on the Hill]] (June 18, 1998) 
[[1998ratr|Rumble at the Rock III]] (June 10-11, 1998) 
[[1998parc|1998 Pennsylvania Robot Challenge]]

==Team Forum==
A team forum was held August 12, 1998 at the FIRST offices in Manchester. Over 50 team representatives, FIRST staff members, and invited guests attended, including [[Dean Kamen]] and [[Woodie Flowers]]. Topics discussed included the possibility of playing the same game or modifications of a similar game for several years in a row, the role of the human player and how much impact they should have on the match, and the role of professional engineers in the teams.

A more complete summary of the team forum can be found below.

<pdf>File:98 teamforum summary.pdf</pdf>

===Unofficial team survey===
[[frc190|Team 190]] surveyed 168 teams that attended the [[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] and/or the [[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991008151339/http://www.wpi.edu:80/~sullivan/robot/IQP_First/survey_results.html Results of the 1998 FIRST Competition Survey]</ref>. The survey asked about the team's work time, mentor and student numbers, and how much they spent on the robot, amongst other questions. The numerical results of the survey were:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991008143625/http://www.wpi.edu/~sullivan/robot/IQP_First/survey_numbers.html Numerical Results of the 1998 FIRST Competition Survey]</ref>

How early did your team start preparing for FIRST, relative to the kickoff? 
more than one month in advance: 53% 
At the kickoff: 28% 
1 month or less in advance: 14% 
1 week in advance: 5%

How long before the shipping date did you have a completed robot? 
at/after the deadline: 57% 
less than a week before: 20% 
1 week before: 17% 
more than 2 weeks before: 6%

How early did you start driver training? 
5-6 weeks after the kickoff: 35% 
1-2 weeks after the kickoff: 31% 
3-4 weeks after the kickoff: 27% 
before the kickoff: 7%

How far along into the competition did you begin the robot's construction? 
1-2 weeks after the kickoff: 43% 
almost immediately: 33% 
3-4 weeks after the kickoff: 20% 
5-6 weeks after the kickoff: 4%

How much use did you make of the FIRST web site? 
moderate use (6-20 times) 42% 
heavily (20+ times) 34% 
a little (1-5 times) 20% 
not at all 4%

How many times did you contact FIRST (via phone, fax, email) for assistance or rules clarifications? 
1-5 times: 43% 
6-20 times: 43% 
20+ times: 10% 
not at all: 4%

How many hours a week did you meet as a team? 
10+ hours: 75% 
6-10 hours: 15% 
3-5 hours: 7% 
0-2 hours: 3%

Did you divide your team into sub-groups working on different elements of the competition? 
yes: 96% 
no: 4%

Team sponsored by: 
Corporation: 71% 
Corporation and University: 14% 
Other: 13% 
University: 2%

Number of years your team has participated in FIRST: 
3 or more years: 42% 
first year participating: 31% 
second year: 27%

Approximate budget spent on prototypes, materials, machining and supplies (optional): 
less than $5,000: 52% 
$5,000 - $10,000: 24% 
$20,000+: 13% 
$10,000 - $20,000: 11%

Number of high school students participating 
20-40: 45% 
10-20: 39% 
more than 40: 12% 
fewer than 10: 4%

Number of engineers: 
more than 5: 50% 
3-5 engineers: 34% 
1-2 engineers: 16%

Number of non-technical advisors (e.g. high school teachers, parents): 
1-5: 64% 
5-20: 31% 
none: 3% 
more than 20: 2%

==Notes==
<references />

1998 Pennsylvania Robot Challenge

2026-03-06T23:57:09Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Infobox EventNoAlliance
| name = 1998 Pennsylvania Robot Challenge
| image =
| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1998parc/1 1998parc]
| number_teams = 6
| location =
| venue =
| date =
| chairman_winner =
| impact_winner =
| champions = [[frc175|175]]
| finalists = [[frc103|103]]
| host = [[frc143|143]]
| altlogo =
| altlogocaption =
| below =
| prevevent =
| nextevent = [[1999parc]]
}}

The first Pennsylvania Robot Challenge was held in [[1998]]. Six teams participated with the Hamilton Standard/Enrico Fermi High School [[frc175|BUZZ]] team winning the event<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19990420112642/http://usfirst.org:80/teamevents/teamevents.html Team Sponsored Public Events]</ref>.

==Team list<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010119110000/http://tahsroboticsteam.org/1998competition.htm 1998 Pennsylvania Robot Challenge]</ref>==
{{TeamListHeader
|lowerCaption =
}}
{{1998frc84}}
{{1998frc103}}
{{1998frc143}}
{{1998frc145}}
{{1998frc175}}
{{1998frc185}}
{{OldTeamListFooter}}

==Notes==
<references />

1998

2026-03-06T23:53:40Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Infobox Year
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| year = 1998
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44959 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/44959/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1998/1 1998]

| header20 = Game Information

| game_name = Ladder Logic

| number_teams = 199

| number_events = 6

| header70 = {{#if:{{{winners|}}}|Awards}}

| chairman_winner =
| champions = [[frc45|45]]
| finalists = [[frc121|121]]

| prevyear = [[1997]]
| nextyear = [[1999]]

| image2 = {{{altlogo|}}}
| caption2 = {{{altlogocaption|}}}

}}

The 1998 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began on January 10, 1998 with the [[kickoff]] in Nashua, New Hampshire.
Competition season consisted of five regional events, the [[1998tx|1998 Southwest Regional]] in Houston, Texas, [[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] in Hooksett, New Hampshire, the [[1998il|1998 Motorola Midwest Regional]] in Palatine, Illinois, the [[1998mi|1998 Great Lakes Regional]] in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and the [[1998nj|1998 Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] in New Brunswick, New Jersey as well as the [[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World.

Like in 1997, early promotional material referred to the game as simply "The Competition" or "The Competition 1998," and the first team update asked for game name suggestions. The "Ladder Logic" name was unveiled in team update #9 on February 21.

A [[Test_games#1998_Test_Game|test game]] for Ladder Logic was carried out in the fall of 1997, with some teams that had competed in [[1997]] building test robots for the game<ref>[https://www.chiefdelphi.com/t/what-is-first-s-plan-for-team-10000/436312/71?u=duckgwr What is FIRST's plan for Team 10000?]</ref>.

==Documentation==
===Game manual and team updates===
<pdf>File:1998 Game Manual (partial).pdf</pdf>{{TKHref}} 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1998_Team_Updates.pdf Team Updates]<ref name=tkh />

===Kickoff===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44347 Footage on the FRC Archive] <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVpF1arncGM 1998 FIRST Ladder Logic Kickoff]</ref>

===Other official documents===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:98_FIRSTinfo1.PDF FIRST The Competition 1998 pre-registration information]<ref name=tkh />

==Playing field and scoring==
<gallery perrow=4 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:46318 - 1998 game materials.png|Top-down view of the field before a match [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/46318]
File:46319 - 1998 game materials.png|Field setup for the one-on-one rounds [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/46319]
</gallery>

The field is a carpeted hexagon.

In the center of the field is an 8 foot hexagonal Central Goal. Extending outwards and upwards from the Central Goal are the ladder-like Rail Goals. The rail has two pipe dividers that divide it into thirds.

Centered on the sides of the field that are not supporting the outer end of the Rail Goals are the 5 foot wide Interaction Zones and Human Player Areas. The Interaction Zone is the three foot deep area where both robots and human players can interact with balls. Human players could not apply weight to this area but could reach or lean over it to grab balls in the interaction zone or load them into a robot. The Human Player Area behind the interaction zone and extending another three feet is where human players are allowed to stand and throw or load balls. Human players must wear safety helmets with attached face shields. Only three balls of any color can be kept in the player station at one time (although a robot can be holding additional balls inside the volume of the Interaction Zone).

Driver stations are positioned off-center on the Rail Goal sides of the field near their corresponding human player areas.

Three robots in the red, white, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with one on one matches later on. Robots can start in any orientation within the designated 4' by 4' starting area but cannot touch the center goal, rails, or field border. Each team has nine matching color balls. Three balls begin in the team's Interaction Zone with three more of each color on the floor forming three lines of three, one of each color, between where the robots begin. One ball of each color begins scored on each of the three different levels of the Rail Goals, with one ball of each color on each of the three Rail Goal "ladders". The Rail Goal extending over each team's starting are begins with one of their balls in the lowest section, with the rail counterclockwise around the field starting with one of their balls in the middle section, and their third pre-scored ball in the highest position of the Rail Goal clockwise around the field. In one-on-one playoff matches, robots play in the red and blue positions, with no white balls on the field.

Scoring begins when all balls in motion when a match ends have come to a rest (or upon a referees' decision). Balls in the highest third of the Rail Goals closest to the outside of the field are worth three points. Balls on the middle "rung" are worth two points, and balls in the central third of the Rail Goals are worth one point. A ball must be contacting both side rails of a Rail Goal with the center point of the ball above the place of the upper edge of the rails to be counted. Balls scored in the central goal are worth no points themselves but each ball doubles the score from the balls on the Rail Goals. A ball is considered scored in the central goal if the central plane of the ball is below the top rim of the goal and within the outside edge of the goal.

Tiebreaks are determined first by the team with the least penalties or warnings during the match, then the team with the most balls on the Rail Goals, then the team with the highest (or next highest, in the case of a tie) ball on the ladders, then by number of balls in the central goal, then the team with the highest ball in the central goal, and finally the team with the most opponent balls in their player station.

Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end.

===Game strategy===

Because robots started under the three-point ball of one of their opponents (or their only opponent in the 1 on 1 matches), a common opening move was to extend upwards and knock the three-point ball off the rungs. The bulk of match play often focused on human players and robots trying to get as many point doublers into the center goal as possible to ensure a good stackup of doublers before worrying about the balls on the point rungs which were more vulnerable than balls scored in the goal.

Robots could pass balls of an opponent's color to their human player both to take them out of play and to give the human player ammunition to toss at opponent's balls on the rungs to try to descore them. Some robots were built to squeeze the balls between the rungs of the goal and ladders to make it harder to knock them out of position, and some human players got good enough at throwing the balls with enough force that they could shoot them in through the pipes forming the sides of the goal.

Towards the end of the match, play would shift towards more offense on the rungs, with robots often adding a ball to a three-point rung and then camping over it to protect it from the human players or other robots. Human players would also shift focus towards throwing any remaining balls at high-value opponent balls on the rungs, trying to knock them off and leave them with zero points to double from the center goal.

Because of the way the double elimination tournament was structured, the one on one on one elimination rounds would sometimes see two teams focusing on a single harder opponent to try to knock them out before the one on one playoffs began. This two-on-one strategy is what caused [[frc47|team 47]], heavily favored to win the championship after three regional wins with the first swerve drive, to be eliminated at [[1998cmp|Nationals]].

==Robot construction==
As was the norm for the era, the majority of robot components came from the [[kit of parts]] or [[Small Parts]] catalog. The Small Parts allowance for 1998 was $425. Some components, like fasteners, lubrication, and some pipe fittings, could be used in unlimited quantities.

Robots must sit unconstrained inside a 36" by 30" rectangle and be no more than 48" tall. Like in [[1997]], a [[sizing cube]] was used as part of the inspection process. Robot weight, including battery, could not exceed 130lbs.

No (intentionally) detaching robot components were allowed in 1998. Robots must display their team company and school names and logos, as well as their team number on at least two opposite sides of the robot. Numbers must be at least five inches tall.

===Control system===

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44337 - 1998 control system kickoff.png|The transmit side of the control system at [[kickoff]], with two PC flight sticks, button box, and RNET radio [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44337]
File:44338 - 1998 control system kickoff.png|The BASIC Stamp controller (center) with Tekin speed controllers and several motors included in the kit [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44338]
File:45583 - 1998 control system.jpg|The 1998 transmit board [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45583]
</gallery>

The 1998 control system consisted of a Transmitter and Receiver pair. The transmit side of the control system was similar to the 1997 and previous control systems and had ports for PC joysticks and custom button controllers with DIP switches inside to change which controls were routed to with outputs. The Receiver box included a BASIC Stamp II and could be programmed using PBASIC. Any sensors used had to be connected back to the Receiver.

Available motors include drill motors, van door motors, car seat motors, and the "tape drive" motors used to drive car windows up and down. Drill and van door motors must be connected to the Tekin speed controllers. Instead of drill batteries, 12 volt gel-cell batteries were first used this year. A team update allowed for a modification to the speed controllers that bypassed the current limiting function.

Like many other years before and after, [[RNet]] radios were used to establish wireless communication between the robot and driver stations. Teams were supplied RNets in the kit but had to surrender them before competitions and use a tether cable to control their robots instead, with RNets being supplied to teams before upcoming matches to use for that match.

==Team list==
{{TeamEventListHeader
|lowerCaption =
}}
{{1998frc1|event=y}}
{{1998frc2|event=y}}
{{1998frc3|event=y}}
{{1998frc5|event=y}}
{{1998frc6|event=y}}
{{1998frc7|event=y}}
{{1998frc8|event=y}}
{{1998frc9|event=y}}
{{1998frc10|event=y}}
{{1998frc11|event=y}}
{{1998frc12|event=y}}
{{1998frc13|event=y}}
{{1998frc14|event=y}}
{{1998frc15|event=y}}
{{1998frc16|event=y}}
{{1998frc17|event=y}}
{{1998frc18|event=y}}
{{1998frc19|event=y}}
{{1998frc20|event=y}}
{{1998frc21|event=y}}
{{1998frc22|event=y}}
{{1998frc23|event=y}}
{{1998frc24|event=y}}
{{1998frc25|event=y}}
{{1998frc26|event=y}}
{{1998frc27|event=y}}
{{1998frc28|event=y}}
{{1998frc29|event=y}}
{{1998frc30|event=y}}
{{1998frc31|event=y}}
{{1998frc32|event=y}}
{{1998frc33|event=y}}
{{1998frc34|event=y}}
{{1998frc35|event=y}}
{{1998frc36|event=y}}
{{1998frc37|event=y}}
{{1998frc38|event=y}}
{{1998frc40|event=y}}
{{1998frc41|event=y}}
{{1998frc42|event=y}}
{{1998frc43|event=y}}
{{1998frc44|event=y}}
{{1998frc45|event=y}}
{{1998frc46|event=y}}
{{1998frc47|event=y}}
{{1998frc48|event=y}}
{{1998frc49|event=y}}
{{1998frc50|event=y}}
{{1998frc52|event=y}}
{{1998frc53|event=y}}
{{1998frc54|event=y}}
{{1998frc55|event=y}}
{{1998frc56|event=y}}
{{1998frc57|event=y}}
{{1998frc58|event=y}}
{{1998frc59|event=y}}
{{1998frc60|event=y}}
{{1998frc61|event=y}}
{{1998frc62|event=y}}
{{1998frc63|event=y}}
{{1998frc64|event=y}}
{{1998frc65|event=y}}
{{1998frc66|event=y}}
{{1998frc67|event=y}}
{{1998frc68|event=y}}
{{1998frc69|event=y}}
{{1998frc70|event=y}}
{{1998frc71|event=y}}
{{1998frc72|event=y}}
{{1998frc73|event=y}}
{{1998frc74|event=y}}
{{1998frc75|event=y}}
{{1998frc76|event=y}}
{{1998frc77|event=y}}
{{1998frc79|event=y}}
{{1998frc80|event=y}}
{{1998frc81|event=y}}
{{1998frc82|event=y}}
{{1998frc83|event=y}}
{{1998frc84|event=y}}
{{1998frc85|event=y}}
{{1998frc86|event=y}}
{{1998frc87|event=y}}
{{1998frc88|event=y}}
{{1998frc89|event=y}}
{{1998frc90|event=y}}
{{1998frc91|event=y}}
{{1998frc92|event=y}}
{{1998frc93|event=y}}
{{1998frc94|event=y}}
{{1998frc95|event=y}}
{{1998frc96|event=y}}
{{1998frc97|event=y}}
{{1998frc98|event=y}}
{{1998frc99|event=y}}
{{1998frc100|event=y}}
{{1998frc101|event=y}}
{{1998frc102|event=y}}
{{1998frc103|event=y}}
{{1998frc104|event=y}}
{{1998frc105|event=y}}
{{1998frc106|event=y}}
{{1998frc107|event=y}}
{{1998frc108|event=y}}
{{1998frc109|event=y}}
{{1998frc110|event=y}}
{{1998frc111|event=y}}
{{1998frc112|event=y}}
{{1998frc113|event=y}}
{{1998frc114|event=y}}
{{1998frc115|event=y}}
{{1998frc116|event=y}}
{{1998frc117|event=y}}
{{1998frc118|event=y}}
{{1998frc119|event=y}}
{{1998frc120|event=y}}
{{1998frc121|event=y}}
{{1998frc122|event=y}}
{{1998frc123|event=y}}
{{1998frc124|event=y}}
{{1998frc125|event=y}}
{{1998frc126|event=y}}
{{1998frc127|event=y}}
{{1998frc128|event=y}}
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{{1998frc134|event=y}}
{{1998frc135|event=y}}
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{{1998frc138|event=y}}
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{{1998frc140|event=y}}
{{1998frc141|event=y}}
{{1998frc142|event=y}}
{{1998frc143|event=y}}
{{1998frc144|event=y}}
{{1998frc145|event=y}}
{{1998frc146|event=y}}
{{1998frc147|event=y}}
{{1998frc148|event=y}}
{{1998frc149|event=y}}
{{1998frc150|event=y}}
{{1998frc151|event=y}}
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{{1998frc153|event=y}}
{{1998frc154|event=y}}
{{1998frc155|event=y}}
{{1998frc157|event=y}}
{{1998frc158|event=y}}
{{1998frc159|event=y}}
{{1998frc160|event=y}}
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{{1998frc162|event=y}}
{{1998frc163|event=y}}
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{{1998frc165|event=y}}
{{1998frc166|event=y}}
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{{1998frc168|event=y}}
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{{1998frc170|event=y}}
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{{1998frc174|event=y}}
{{1998frc175|event=y}}
{{1998frc176|event=y}}
{{1998frc177|event=y}}
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{{1998frc180|event=y}}
{{1998frc181|event=y}}
{{1998frc182|event=y}}
{{1998frc183|event=y}}
{{1998frc184|event=y}}
{{1998frc185|event=y}}
{{1998frc186|event=y}}
{{1998frc187|event=y}}
{{1998frc188|event=y}}
{{1998frc189|event=y}}
{{1998frc190|event=y}}
{{1998frc191|event=y}}
{{1998frc192|event=y}}
{{1998frc194|event=y}}
{{1998frc195|event=y}}
{{1998frc196|event=y}}
{{1998frc197|event=y}}
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{{1998frc200|event=y}}
{{1998frc201|event=y}}
{{1998frc202|event=y}}
{{1998frc203|event=y}}
{{1998frc204|event=y}}
{{1998frc205|event=y}}
{{1998frc206|event=y}}
{{TeamListFooter}}

==Official events==
[[1998tx|1998 Southwest Regional]] (March 5-7, 1998) 
[[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] (March 12-14, 1998) 
[[1998il|1998 Motorola Midwest Regional]] (March 12-14, 1998) 
[[1998mi|1998 Great Lakes Regional]] (March 19-21, 1998) 
[[1998nj|1998 Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]](March 19-21, 1998) 
[[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]] (April 2-4, 1998)

==Unofficial events==
[[1998utcrc|1998 UTC Robot Challenge]] (February 21, 1998) 
[[1998aroz|1998 Baxter Ozark Mountain Brawl]] (May 15, 1998) 
[[1998wmri|1998 West Michigan Robotics Invitational]] (June 6, 1998) 
[[havoc_on_the_hill|Havoc on the Hill]] (June 18, 1998) 
[[1998ratr|Rumble at the Rock III]] (June 10-11, 1998) 
[[1998parc|1998 Pennsylvania Robot Challenge]]

==Team Forum==
A team forum was held August 12, 1998 at the FIRST offices in Manchester. Over 50 team representatives, FIRST staff members, and invited guests attended, including [[Dean Kamen]] and [[Woodie Flowers]]. Topics discussed included the possibility of playing the same game or modifications of a similar game for several years in a row, the role of the human player and how much impact they should have on the match, and the role of professional engineers in the teams.

A more complete summary of the team forum can be found below.

<pdf>File:98 teamforum summary.pdf</pdf>

===Unofficial team survey===
[[frc190|Team 190]] surveyed 168 teams that attended the [[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] and/or the [[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991008151339/http://www.wpi.edu:80/~sullivan/robot/IQP_First/survey_results.html Results of the 1998 FIRST Competition Survey]</ref>. The survey asked about the team's work time, mentor and student numbers, and how much they spent on the robot, amongst other questions. The numerical results of the survey were:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991008143625/http://www.wpi.edu/~sullivan/robot/IQP_First/survey_numbers.html Numerical Results of the 1998 FIRST Competition Survey]</ref>

How early did your team start preparing for FIRST, relative to the kickoff? 
more than one month in advance: 53% 
At the kickoff: 28% 
1 month or less in advance: 14% 
1 week in advance: 5%

How long before the shipping date did you have a completed robot? 
at/after the deadline: 57% 
less than a week before: 20% 
1 week before: 17% 
more than 2 weeks before: 6%

How early did you start driver training? 
5-6 weeks after the kickoff: 35% 
1-2 weeks after the kickoff: 31% 
3-4 weeks after the kickoff: 27% 
before the kickoff: 7%

How far along into the competition did you begin the robot's construction? 
1-2 weeks after the kickoff: 43% 
almost immediately: 33% 
3-4 weeks after the kickoff: 20% 
5-6 weeks after the kickoff: 4%

How much use did you make of the FIRST web site? 
moderate use (6-20 times) 42% 
heavily (20+ times) 34% 
a little (1-5 times) 20% 
not at all 4%

How many times did you contact FIRST (via phone, fax, email) for assistance or rules clarifications? 
1-5 times: 43% 
6-20 times: 43% 
20+ times: 10% 
not at all: 4%

How many hours a week did you meet as a team? 
10+ hours: 75% 
6-10 hours: 15% 
3-5 hours: 7% 
0-2 hours: 3%

Did you divide your team into sub-groups working on different elements of the competition? 
yes: 96% 
no: 4%

Team sponsored by: 
Corporation: 71% 
Corporation and University: 14% 
Other: 13% 
University: 2%

Number of years your team has participated in FIRST: 
3 or more years: 42% 
first year participating: 31% 
second year: 27%

Approximate budget spent on prototypes, materials, machining and supplies (optional): 
less than $5,000: 52% 
$5,000 - $10,000: 24% 
$20,000+: 13% 
$10,000 - $20,000: 11%

Number of high school students participating 
20-40: 45% 
10-20: 39% 
more than 40: 12% 
fewer than 10: 4%

Number of engineers: 
more than 5: 50% 
3-5 engineers: 34% 
1-2 engineers: 16%

Number of non-technical advisors (e.g. high school teachers, parents): 
1-5: 64% 
5-20: 31% 
none: 3% 
more than 20: 2%

==Notes==
<references />

1997 Rumble at the Rock

2026-03-06T23:49:01Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Infobox EventNoAlliance
| name = Rumble at the Rock II
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/15465 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/15465/thumb.jpg]
| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1997ratr/1 1997ratr]
| number_teams = 22
| location = Plymouth, Massachusetts
| venue =
| date = July 18 - 19, 1997
| chairman_winner =
| impact_winner =
| champions = [[frc121|121]]
| finalists = [[frc88|88]]
| host = [[frc23|23]]
| altlogo =
| altlogocaption =
| below =
| prevevent = [[1996ratr]]
| nextevent = [[1998ratr]]
}}

Rumble at the Rock II was the second Rumble at the Rock event held by [[frc23|team 23]] in Plymouth, Massachusetts on July 18 and 19, [[1997]] as a part of the annual Plymouth Waterfront Festival. The first day was used for setup and grudge matches, and the competition was held on the 19th. Overnight, a thunderstorm knocked over signs and stands and the playing field was still wet during early matches. An Elvis impersonator sang the National Anthem<ref name="rumble">[https://web.archive.org/web/19991011115236/http://pages.prodigy.com/pnta/rumble2.htm Rumble at the Rock II Awards]</ref>. [[frc131|Team 131]] constructed the award trophies and [[frc126|team 126]] provided some of the referees for the event<ref name="ratr">[https://web.archive.org/web/19991006143529/http://members.aol.com/TBurris269/future97.htm Rumble at the Rock II]</ref>.

==Team list<ref name=ratr />==
{{OldTeamListHeader
|lowerCaption = Season numbers for 1997 are canonical.‎ 
More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available [[Old team numbers|here]].
}}
{{1997frc128}}
{{1997frc23}}
{{1997frc42}}
{{1997frc47}}
{{1997frc56}}
{{1997frc175}}
{{1997frc176}}
{{1997frc177}}
{{1997frc88}}
{{1997frc90}}
{{1997frc99}}
{{1997frc121}}
{{1997frc69}}
{{1997frc20}}
{{1997frc126}}
{{1997frc131}}
{{1997frc178}}
{{1997frc138}}
{{1997frc140}}
{{1997frc151}}
{{1997frc155}}
{{1997frc173}}
{{1997frc95}}
{{OldTeamListFooter}}

==Award list<ref name=rumble />==
{{OldTeamListHeader
|lowerCaption=}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Winner|Tournament Champion]]}}
{{1997frc121}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Finalist]]}}
{{1997frc88}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Semifinalist]]}}
{{1997frc151}}
{{1997frc178}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Best Offensive Round]]}}
{{1997frc126}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Best Play of the Day]]}}
{{1997frc175}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[People's Choice]]}}
{{1997frc23}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Dead Ringer]]}}
{{1997frc69}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Outstanding Defense]]}}
{{1997frc176}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Best Team Effort]]}}
{{1997frc47}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Best Sportsmanship]]}}
{{1997frc155}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[The Judges Award]]}}
{{1997frc173}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|1997 Osram Sylvania Award}}
{{1997frc23}}
{{OldTeamListFooter}}

==Gallery==
<gallery caption="Additional photos on the [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1997ratr/1 FRC Archive]" perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:15653 - 1997 1997frc94 1997ratr frc121 match offseason robot rumble at the rock.jpg|[[frc121|Team 121]]'s robot Aquatread on the field [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/15653]
File:32256.png|[[frc151|Team 151]]'s Best Sportsmanship award [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/32256]
File:15624 - 1997 1997frc94 1997ratr award frc121 offseason rumble at the rock team.jpg|[[frc121|Team 121]]'s drive team with Winner award and driver station number sign [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/15624]
</gallery>

==Notes==
<references />

1997 Rumble at the Rock

2026-03-06T21:42:12Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Infobox EventNoAlliance
| name = Rumble at the Rock II
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/15465 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/15465/thumb.jpg]
| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1997ratr/1 1997ratr]
| number_teams = 22
| location = Plymouth, Massachusetts
| venue =
| date = July 18 - 19, 1997
| chairman_winner =
| impact_winner =
| champions = [[frc121|121]]
| finalists = [[frc88|88]]
| host = [[frc23|23]]
| altlogo =
| altlogocaption =
| below =
| prevevent = [[1996ratr]]
| nextevent = [[1998ratr]]
}}

Rumble at the Rock II was the second Rumble at the Rock event held by [[frc23|team 23]] in Plymouth, Massachusetts on July 18 and 19, [[1997]] as a part of the annual Plymouth Waterfront Festival. The first day was used for setup and grudge matches, and the competition was held on the 19th. Overnight, a thunderstorm knocked over signs and stands and the playing field was still wet during early matches. An Elvis impersonator sang the National Anthem<ref name="rumble">[https://web.archive.org/web/19991011115236/http://pages.prodigy.com/pnta/rumble2.htm Rumble at the Rock II Awards]</ref>. [[frc131|Team 131]] constructed the award trophies and [[frc126|team 126]] provided some of the referees for the event.

==Team list <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991006143529/http://members.aol.com/TBurris269/future97.htm Rumble at the Rock II]</ref>==
{{OldTeamListHeader
|lowerCaption = Season numbers for 1997 are canonical.‎ 
More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available [[Old team numbers|here]].
}}
{{1997frc128}}
{{1997frc23}}
{{1997frc42}}
{{1997frc47}}
{{1997frc56}}
{{1997frc175}}
{{1997frc176}}
{{1997frc177}}
{{1997frc88}}
{{1997frc90}}
{{1997frc99}}
{{1997frc121}}
{{1997frc69}}
{{1997frc20}}
{{1997frc126}}
{{1997frc131}}
{{1997frc178}}
{{1997frc138}}
{{1997frc140}}
{{1997frc151}}
{{1997frc155}}
{{1997frc173}}
{{1997frc95}}
{{OldTeamListFooter}}

==Award list<ref name=rumble />==
{{OldTeamListHeader
|lowerCaption=}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Winner|Tournament Champion]]}}
{{1997frc121}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Finalist]]}}
{{1997frc88}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Semifinalist]]}}
{{1997frc151}}
{{1997frc178}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Best Offensive Round]]}}
{{1997frc126}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Best Play of the Day]]}}
{{1997frc175}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[People's Choice]]}}
{{1997frc23}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Dead Ringer]]}}
{{1997frc69}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Outstanding Defense]]}}
{{1997frc176}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Best Team Effort]]}}
{{1997frc47}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[Best Sportsmanship]]}}
{{1997frc155}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|[[The Judges Award]]}}
{{1997frc173}}
{{OldAwardListSubheader|1997 Osram Sylvania Award}}
{{1997frc23}}
{{OldTeamListFooter}}

==Gallery==
<gallery caption="Additional photos on the [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1997ratr/1 FRC Archive]" perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:15653 - 1997 1997frc94 1997ratr frc121 match offseason robot rumble at the rock.jpg|[[frc121|Team 121]]'s robot Aquatread on the field [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/15653]
File:32256.png|[[frc151|Team 151]]'s Best Sportsmanship award [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/32256]
File:15624 - 1997 1997frc94 1997ratr award frc121 offseason rumble at the rock team.jpg|[[frc121|Team 121]]'s drive team with Winner award and driver station number sign [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/15624]
</gallery>

==Notes==
<references />

Template:1997frc99

2026-03-06T21:33:57Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{OldTeam
|teamNumber=[[frc99|99]]
|seasonNumber=[[1997Frc69|69]]
|teamName=Light Machines Corporation & Memorial High School
|teamNickname=The BLITZ
|teamLocation=Manchester, NH
|photoId=
|robotName=
|archiveLink=[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1997frc69/1 1997frc69]
|events=[[1997nh]], [[1997cmp]], [[1997ratr]]
|passEvent={{{event|}}}
}}

Template:1997frc123

2026-03-06T21:33:49Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{OldTeam
|teamNumber=[[frc123|123]]
|seasonNumber=[[1997Frc96|96]]
|teamName=New Venture Gear, Inc. & Hamtramck High School
|teamNickname=Cosmo Force
|teamLocation=Troy, MI
|photoId=3585
|robotName=
|archiveLink=[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1997frc96/1 1997frc96]
|events=[[1997il]], [[1997cmp]]
|passEvent={{{event|}}}
}}

1997

2026-03-06T21:28:05Z

Fallinsideahole: /* Game manual and team updates */

{{Infobox Year
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| year = 1997
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44958 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/44958/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1997/1 1997]

| header20 = Game Information

| game_name = Toroid Terror

| number_teams = 155

| number_events = 4

| header70 = {{#if:{{{winners|}}}|Awards}}

| chairman_winner = [[frc47|47]]
| champions = [[frc71|71]]
| finalists = [[frc47|47]]

| prevyear = [[1996]]
| nextyear = [[1998]]

| image2 = {{{altlogo|}}}
| caption2 = {{{altlogocaption|}}}

}}

The 1997 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began with the [[kickoff#1997|kickoff]] event on Saturday, January 11, 1997.
Competition season consisted of three regional events, the [[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] in Chicago, Illinois, [[1997nh|1997 DEKA New England Regional]] in Manchester, New Hampshire, and the [[1997nj|1997 Johnson and Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] in New Brunswick, New Jersey as well as the [[1997cmp|1997 National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World. Promotional material often referred to the game as simply "The Competition" or "The Competition 1997," and the first team update asked for game name suggestions. A second regional in New England had also been considered this year<ref name="autodesk">[https://web.archive.org/web/19961220201136/http://www.autodesk.com/ebd/fall96/ebdf9602.htm Calling All Teams: FIRST Is Just Around the Corner]</ref>.

This year was the first year that teams were required to display their team number on their robot. Team numbers for 1997 were generated by alphabetizing the list of teams by sponsor and school and assigning them in order. The same process was done again in [[1998]] but then locked in for those teams going forward, meaning many teams competed under different numbers in 1997. More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available [[Old team numbers|here]].

==Documentation==
===Game manual and team updates===
<pdf>File:1997 Game Manual.pdf</pdf>{{358ref}} 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1997_Team_Updates.pdf Team Updates]{{TKHref}}

===Other official documents===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1997_Building_Your_Team.PDF Building Your Team]<ref name=tkh />

==Playing field and scoring==
<gallery perrow=4 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:44944 - 1997 game materials.png|Top-down view of the playing field before the start of a match [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44944]
File:45134 - 1997 game materials.png|Scoring rules for tubes as clarified in team update one [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45134]
</gallery>

The playing field is a carpeted hexagon with a 4x4 lumber border wall. The freely rotating goal sits in the middle of the field and includes three levels of scoring pegs and an upper scoring area. The base of the goal is a triangular wooden base measuring 48" on each side that sits on three fixed caster wheels in a track with a wooden protective skirt extending downwards from the base.

The three driver stations are located outside of the playing field at three adjacent corners on one half of the field with Lexan walls shielding drivers from the field, and three human player stations are centered along the walls of the playing field next to the corresponding driver station. The human player stations are five feet wide and extended away from the field for six feet and are split into two areas. The interaction zone is the first three feet of the human player station and is where the human player is expected to interact directly with the robot to load or unload tubes, while the remaining three feet is where the human player is expected to normally sit or stand. Human players could not directly contact robots (except if contact occurs for reasons of personal safety).

Each team has nine 25 3/4" outer diameter inner tubes of their color. Three tubes start outside the field with the human player which can be loaded onto the robot or thrown. Six tubes start one each in the six stacks of tubes distributed around the field. Tubes need the pegs of the scoring tower to pass through the center of the open middle to count as scored. Tubes above the scoring tower are scored if the rotational axes of the goal passes through the open middle of the tube. Each tube scored anywhere on the goal is worth one point. Each tube on top of the goal doubles the current score, as does each vertical row of three tubes. Vertical rows may be completed on different sides of the goal or on a single side by scoring two or three tubes on each peg. The maximum score of 4608 points is achieved by scoring all nine of your matching tubes on top of the goal (9 points for scoring nine tubes times 2^9 for having nine tubes doubling your score).

Although intentionally damaging an opponent's robot by stabbing or cutting it was not allowed, tipping was still allowed. The rules updates also clarified specific rules for allowing the human player to walk over to a robot that went out of bounds or applied power to an out of bounds surface and was disabled and return it to the playing field during a match. After returning to the human player station, the robot was re-enabled. If a robot pushed against the floor of the interaction zone, the human player could immediately return it to the field, but the control system would remain deactivated for 20 seconds after it was originally disabled. The human player could not interact with tubes during this time, but could interact with the tubes if they chose to not return the robot to the field.

Three robots in the red, white, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with two on two matches later on. Robots begin on the opposite side of the field from their matching human player station. At the beginning of each match, the goal is spun (typically by the emcee) in a random direction. Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end.

Winning a match earns a team three seeding points. Second place receives one point, and coming third earns no seeding points. At the end of seeding rounds, teams are ranked by place totals.

===Game strategy===

Because higher multipliers could be achieved easier by scoring tubes on the top of the goal, many teams focused on being able to score multiple tubes quickly on the top of the goal. Goal "cappers," which were typically detachable, were a common offensive and defensive strategy that allowed a team to score several tubes on top of the goal and prevent additional tubes from being added unless an opposing robot could successfully remove the capper or reach tall enough to score over it, like [[frc111|team 111]] was able to do.

Like in [[1998]], [[human players]] could contribute significantly to a match's outcome. With some practice, human players could toss and score tubes on any of the three levels of the goal, and many matches were determined by human player tubes. In some matches, a single tube thrown by a human player could be the only score for the entire match. Additionally, many teams found it much easier to load tubes into their robot from the human player than picking them up from the field, particularly when the color tube they wanted was buried in one of the stacks. Some human players would toss a tube at one of the stacks to disrupt them and make it easier for a robot to pick up a particular color tube. Some robots would immediately load the human player's three tubes on a goal capper to be placed on the goal.

Pushing the stacks of tubes over towards the human player station allowed the human player to pick up the tubes and more easily load them into a claw or grabber. Opponent's tubes could be held on to to prevent them from being scored, or thrown at other robots or tubes to try to prevent them from scoring.

Because the goal spun freely, one defensive maneuver was to grab the goal or run the robot's base up against one of the sides of the goal's base and then spin it around to make it harder for other robots and human players to score. [[frc148|Team 148]] built a grabbing mechanism and drivetrain that allowed them to grab the goal and spin it at a decent speed, with their robot spinning with the goal. When playoff rounds changed to the one-on-one format, defense involving the robot became a larger focus as teams did not have to worry about the third team scoring unchecked while they defended against the second. In the [[1997cmp|championship]] finals, [[frc71|team 71]] and [[frc47|47]]'s robots spent much of each match sitting in front of the opposing team's human player to prevent them from throwing tubes or loading up their robot.

Some teams built tipping devices that would tip over opponent robots. This maneuver earned the nickname "death from below." The relative prevalence of these devices, in particular [[frc121|team 121]]'s tipper, led to intentional tipping being forbidden by the rules in 1998 and beyond.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44942 - 1997 1997frc81 1997il frc111 practice robot.png|[[frc111|Team 111]] descores [[frc144|144]]'s capper and three tubes in a practice match at [[1997il|Motorola Midwest]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44942]
File:44611 - 1997 1997frc35 1997frc47 1997il frc148 frc67 match q26 robot video.gif|[[frc148|Team 148]] swings the goal back and forth while both opposing human players throw tubes at their capper [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44611]
File:44687 - 1997 1997cmp 1997frc14 1997frc32 f2 frc47 frc71 match robot score team video woodie flowers.gif|[[frc47|Team 47]] sits in front of [[frc71|team 71]]'s human player while team 71's robot sits in front of theirs in match two of the finals at [[1997cmp|the national championship]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44943]
</gallery>

==Robot construction==

Robots were constructed from materials in the [[kit of parts]], $425 worth of parts from the [[Small Parts]] catalog, and a limited quantity of additional hardware from other sources. Fasteners, spade connectors, pipe fittings, shrink wrap, and similar materials could be used in unlimited quantity as long as they were used for their intended purpose. No more than four sprockets and/or pulleys and no more than 10 feet of chain and/or belt could be purchased and used from sources other than Small Parts.

Robots must fit within a 36 inch long by 36 inch wide by 48 inch high area at the start of the match. Part of the inspection process included putting the robot into a large clear [[sizing cube|sizing box]] to show that it was under these dimensions. Robots could not weigh more than 120 pounds including the two drill batteries.

Like previous years, robots needed to clearly display their school and sponsor names. Additionally, the team numbers assigned in 1997 had to be displayed on robots. Numbers needed to be at least three inches tall and displayed on at least two opposite sides of the robot.

Machines competing in regional events had to be out of team's hands and shipped by Tuesday February 25th, regardless of which regional they were attending. Machines only competing in the National Championship had to be shipped by February 28th.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44515 - 1997 1997frc155 1997il frc-49 inspection pit robot sizing cube.png|[[frc-49|Team -49]]'s robot in the sizing box at the [[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44515]
</gallery>

===Control system===

<gallery perrow=4 heights=200px widths=230px>
File:44428 - 1997 control system kit of parts.png|The robot controller with [[BASIC Stamp]] in the 1997 [[kit of parts]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44428]
File:3660 - 1997 control system dean kamen kickoff woodie flowers.jpg|[[Dean Kamen]] and [[Woodie Flowers]] with the control system at [[kickoff]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3660]
File:3637 - 1997 1997frc31 build control system frc45 robot.jpg|[[frc45|Team 45]] wiring the 1997 control system, showing an [[RNet]] radio plugged into the BASIC Stamp receiver box, two drill battery holders, two drill motors, and two Tekin speed controllers [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3441]
File:45584 - 1997 control system.jpg|1997 transmit board [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45584]
</gallery>
As in several previous years, robots were powered by two 12 volt drill batteries. For the first time, the control system included a software-programmable microcontroller and programming software. The robot side of the control system included the receive box which contained a [[BASIC Stamp]] microcontroller and hardware to output PWM and relay controls. The kit of parts included software to program the controller in PBASIC. One 2048 byte EEPROM in the receive box contained the default program which would output controller buttons right to PWM outputs like some previous control systems with a second EEPROM which could be selected and programmed with custom code. 26 bytes of RAM were available to user programs. This increased the potential complexity of mechanisms and automated control and allowed for more complex driver control.

The driver station side of the control system includes the transmit box with ports for two PC joysticks, with CH Products joysticks once again included in the [[kit of parts]]. An array of switches and potentiometers was included in the kit to build a third custom controller. 16 digital switch signals and 8 channels of proportional output can be sent from the joysticks and custom control box. All custom controls are subject to the same parts rules as the components of the robot, although custom controls are not counted in the weight of the robot itself.

The kit of parts included two Hitec servos, four Tekin REBEL reversing speed controllers, two drill motors and mating gearboxes, four Delco seat motors, two Delphi tape drive window motors, two McCord-Winn Textron air pumps, and two Numatics valves. The two drill motors had to be controlled by the Tekin speed controllers and would typically be used in the drivetrain, leaving two controllers free for proportional control of seat or window motors.

The pneumatic accumulator could be charged before a match as long as it was filled by the pumps provided in the kit. The compressor did not need to be mounted to the robot but did still need to be powered from two 12 volt drill batteries.

==Team list<ref name="97tl">[https://web.archive.org/web/20010709070558/http://www.usfirst.org/1997comp/teamlist.html List of Teams in the 1997 FIRST Robotics Competition]</ref>==
{{OldTeamEventListHeader
|lowerCaption = 1997 team numbers are canonical.
More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available [[Old team numbers|here]].
}}
{{1997frc1 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-116 |event=y}}
{{1997frc83 |event=y}}
{{1997frc6 |event=y}}
{{1997frc7 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-67 |event=y}}
{{1997frc128 |event=y}}
{{1997frc11 |event=y}}
{{1997frc12 |event=y}}
{{1997frc14 |event=y}}
{{1997frc16 |event=y}}
{{1997frc15 |event=y}}
{{1997frc13 |event=y}}
{{1997frc71 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-117 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-54 |event=y}}
{{1997frc23 |event=y}}
{{1997frc24 |event=y}}
{{1997frc25 |event=y}}
{{1997frc26 |event=y}}
{{1997frc27 |event=y}}
{{1997frc31 |event=y}}
{{1997frc33 |event=y}}
{{1997frc34 |event=y}}
{{1997frc36 |event=y}}
{{1997frc41 |event=y}}
{{1997frc42 |event=y}}
{{1997frc43 |event=y}}
{{1997frc18 |event=y}}
{{1997frc44 |event=y}}
{{1997frc45 |event=y}}
{{1997frc47 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-80 |event=y}}
{{1997frc85 |event=y}}
{{1997frc148 |event=y}}
{{1997frc52 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-96 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-71 |event=y}}
{{1997frc55 |event=y}}
{{1997frc76 |event=y}}
{{1997frc56 |event=y}}
{{1997frc59 |event=y}}
{{1997frc60 |event=y}}
{{1997frc61 |event=y}}
{{1997frc62 |event=y}}
{{1997frc65 |event=y}}
{{1997frc67 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-48 |event=y}}
{{1997frc63 |event=y}}
{{1997frc137 |event=y}}
{{1997frc175 |event=y}}
{{1997frc176 |event=y}}
{{1997frc73 |event=y}}
{{1997frc74 |event=y}}
{{1997frc92 |event=y}}
{{1997frc80 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-110 |event=y}}
{{1997frc81 |event=y}}
{{1997frc177 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-45 |event=y}}
{{1997frc82 |event=y}}
{{1997frc87 |event=y}}
{{1997frc88 |event=y}}
{{1997frc90 |event=y}}
{{1997frc91 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-65 |event=y}}
{{1997frc96 |event=y}}
{{1997frc98 |event=y}}
{{1997frc99 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-22 |event=y}}
{{1997frc101 |event=y}}
{{1997frc103 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-97 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-83 |event=y}}
{{1997frc105 |event=y}}
{{1997frc97 |event=y}}
{{1997frc106 |event=y}}
{{1997frc107 |event=y}}
{{1997frc108 |event=y}}
{{1997frc110 |event=y}}
{{1997frc111 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-87 |event=y}}
{{1997frc192 |event=y}}
{{1997frc114 |event=y}}
{{1997frc8 |event=y}}
{{1997frc100 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-93 |event=y}}
{{1997frc116 |event=y}}
{{1997frc118 |event=y}}
{{1997frc119 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-119 |event=y}}
{{1997frc120 |event=y}}
{{1997frc58 |event=y}}
{{1997frc121 |event=y}}
{{1997frc134 |event=y}}
{{1997frc123 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-58 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-75 |event=y}}
{{1997frc133 |event=y}}
{{1997frc124 |event=y}}
{{1997frc69 |event=y}}
{{1997frc20 |event=y}}
{{1997frc126 |event=y}}
{{1997frc93 |event=y}}
{{1997frc75 |event=y}}
{{1997frc129 |event=y}}
{{1997frc130 |event=y}}
{{1997frc131 |event=y}}
{{1997frc178 |event=y}}
{{1997frc138 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-73 |event=y}}
{{1997frc28 |event=y}}
{{1997frc179 |event=y}}
{{1997frc140 |event=y}}
{{1997frc141 |event=y}}
{{1997frc142 |event=y}}
{{1997frc35 |event=y}}
{{1997frc143 |event=y}}
{{1997frc144 |event=y}}
{{1997frc145 |event=y}}
{{1997frc146 |event=y}}
{{1997frc147 |event=y}}
{{1997frc22 |event=y}}
{{1997frc136 |event=y}}
{{1997frc153 |event=y}}
{{1997frc150 |event=y}}
{{1997frc86 |event=y}}
{{1997frc151 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-62 |event=y}}
{{1997frc3 |event=y}}
{{1997frc152 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-115 |event=y}}
{{1997frc155 |event=y}}
{{1997frc157 |event=y}}
{{1997frc158 |event=y}}
{{1997frc160 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-29 |event=y}}
{{1997frc161 |event=y}}
{{1997frc162 |event=y}}
{{1997frc173 |event=y}}
{{1997frc166 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-30 |event=y}}
{{1997frc37 |event=y}}
{{1997frc72 |event=y}}
{{1997frc89 |event=y}}
{{1997frc171 |event=y}}
{{1997frc172 |event=y}}
{{1997frc95 |event=y}}
{{1997frc183 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-64 |event=y}}
{{1997frc200 |event=y}}
{{1997frc187 |event=y}}
{{1997frc190 |event=y}}
{{1997frc191 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-49 |event=y}}
{{TeamListFooter}}
*[[frc88|Team 88]] does not appear in the [https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:97_eventprog_natls.PDF 1997 championship event program] and is not shown as attending the championship on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20010709070558/http://www.usfirst.org/1997comp/teamlist.html 1997 team list], but they did compete at the National Championship and they appear on the seeding list.
*Although it appears that [[frc110|team 110]] was registered for the [[1997cmp|1997 championship]], the seeding list implies they did not compete, and no record of them competing at a regional event exists.

==Official events==

[[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] (March 6-8, 1997) 
[[1997nh|1997 DEKA New England Regional]] (March 13-15, 1997) 
[[1997nj|1997 Johnson and Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] (March 20-22, 1997) 
[[1997cmp|1997 National Championship]] (April 10-12, 1997)

==Unofficial events==
[[1997_UTC_Scrimmage|1997 UTC Scrimmage]] 
[[1997ratr|Rumble at the Rock II]] (July 18-19, 1997) 
[[1997nhrr|1997 River Rage]] (September 6-7, 1997)

==Notes==
<references />

File:1997 Game Manual.pdf

2026-03-06T21:27:19Z

Fallinsideahole:

== Summary ==
From [https://team358.org/history/1992-1999/1997ToroidTerror.php Team 358]

File:1997 Game Manual (partial).pdf

2026-03-06T21:26:56Z

Fallinsideahole: Fallinsideahole moved page File:1997 Game Manual (partial).pdf to File:1997 Game Manual.pdf

#REDIRECT [[File:1997 Game Manual.pdf]]

File:1997 Game Manual.pdf

2026-03-06T21:26:56Z

Fallinsideahole: Fallinsideahole moved page File:1997 Game Manual (partial).pdf to File:1997 Game Manual.pdf

== Summary ==
Compiled from the [https://web.archive.org/web/20170121072536/http://www.technokats.org/history-project/ TechnoKats History Project] and [https://team358.org/history/1992-1999/1997ToroidTerror.php Team 358]

1997

2026-03-06T21:26:39Z

Fallinsideahole: /* Partial game manual and team updates */

{{Infobox Year
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| year = 1997
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44958 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/44958/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1997/1 1997]

| header20 = Game Information

| game_name = Toroid Terror

| number_teams = 155

| number_events = 4

| header70 = {{#if:{{{winners|}}}|Awards}}

| chairman_winner = [[frc47|47]]
| champions = [[frc71|71]]
| finalists = [[frc47|47]]

| prevyear = [[1996]]
| nextyear = [[1998]]

| image2 = {{{altlogo|}}}
| caption2 = {{{altlogocaption|}}}

}}

The 1997 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began with the [[kickoff#1997|kickoff]] event on Saturday, January 11, 1997.
Competition season consisted of three regional events, the [[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] in Chicago, Illinois, [[1997nh|1997 DEKA New England Regional]] in Manchester, New Hampshire, and the [[1997nj|1997 Johnson and Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] in New Brunswick, New Jersey as well as the [[1997cmp|1997 National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World. Promotional material often referred to the game as simply "The Competition" or "The Competition 1997," and the first team update asked for game name suggestions. A second regional in New England had also been considered this year<ref name="autodesk">[https://web.archive.org/web/19961220201136/http://www.autodesk.com/ebd/fall96/ebdf9602.htm Calling All Teams: FIRST Is Just Around the Corner]</ref>.

This year was the first year that teams were required to display their team number on their robot. Team numbers for 1997 were generated by alphabetizing the list of teams by sponsor and school and assigning them in order. The same process was done again in [[1998]] but then locked in for those teams going forward, meaning many teams competed under different numbers in 1997. More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available [[Old team numbers|here]].

==Documentation==
===Game manual and team updates===
<pdf>File:1997 Game Manual.pdf</pdf>{{358ref}} 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1997_Team_Updates.pdf Team Updates]<ref name=tkh />

===Other official documents===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1997_Building_Your_Team.PDF Building Your Team]<ref name=tkh />

==Playing field and scoring==
<gallery perrow=4 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:44944 - 1997 game materials.png|Top-down view of the playing field before the start of a match [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44944]
File:45134 - 1997 game materials.png|Scoring rules for tubes as clarified in team update one [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45134]
</gallery>

The playing field is a carpeted hexagon with a 4x4 lumber border wall. The freely rotating goal sits in the middle of the field and includes three levels of scoring pegs and an upper scoring area. The base of the goal is a triangular wooden base measuring 48" on each side that sits on three fixed caster wheels in a track with a wooden protective skirt extending downwards from the base.

The three driver stations are located outside of the playing field at three adjacent corners on one half of the field with Lexan walls shielding drivers from the field, and three human player stations are centered along the walls of the playing field next to the corresponding driver station. The human player stations are five feet wide and extended away from the field for six feet and are split into two areas. The interaction zone is the first three feet of the human player station and is where the human player is expected to interact directly with the robot to load or unload tubes, while the remaining three feet is where the human player is expected to normally sit or stand. Human players could not directly contact robots (except if contact occurs for reasons of personal safety).

Each team has nine 25 3/4" outer diameter inner tubes of their color. Three tubes start outside the field with the human player which can be loaded onto the robot or thrown. Six tubes start one each in the six stacks of tubes distributed around the field. Tubes need the pegs of the scoring tower to pass through the center of the open middle to count as scored. Tubes above the scoring tower are scored if the rotational axes of the goal passes through the open middle of the tube. Each tube scored anywhere on the goal is worth one point. Each tube on top of the goal doubles the current score, as does each vertical row of three tubes. Vertical rows may be completed on different sides of the goal or on a single side by scoring two or three tubes on each peg. The maximum score of 4608 points is achieved by scoring all nine of your matching tubes on top of the goal (9 points for scoring nine tubes times 2^9 for having nine tubes doubling your score).

Although intentionally damaging an opponent's robot by stabbing or cutting it was not allowed, tipping was still allowed. The rules updates also clarified specific rules for allowing the human player to walk over to a robot that went out of bounds or applied power to an out of bounds surface and was disabled and return it to the playing field during a match. After returning to the human player station, the robot was re-enabled. If a robot pushed against the floor of the interaction zone, the human player could immediately return it to the field, but the control system would remain deactivated for 20 seconds after it was originally disabled. The human player could not interact with tubes during this time, but could interact with the tubes if they chose to not return the robot to the field.

Three robots in the red, white, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with two on two matches later on. Robots begin on the opposite side of the field from their matching human player station. At the beginning of each match, the goal is spun (typically by the emcee) in a random direction. Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end.

Winning a match earns a team three seeding points. Second place receives one point, and coming third earns no seeding points. At the end of seeding rounds, teams are ranked by place totals.

===Game strategy===

Because higher multipliers could be achieved easier by scoring tubes on the top of the goal, many teams focused on being able to score multiple tubes quickly on the top of the goal. Goal "cappers," which were typically detachable, were a common offensive and defensive strategy that allowed a team to score several tubes on top of the goal and prevent additional tubes from being added unless an opposing robot could successfully remove the capper or reach tall enough to score over it, like [[frc111|team 111]] was able to do.

Like in [[1998]], [[human players]] could contribute significantly to a match's outcome. With some practice, human players could toss and score tubes on any of the three levels of the goal, and many matches were determined by human player tubes. In some matches, a single tube thrown by a human player could be the only score for the entire match. Additionally, many teams found it much easier to load tubes into their robot from the human player than picking them up from the field, particularly when the color tube they wanted was buried in one of the stacks. Some human players would toss a tube at one of the stacks to disrupt them and make it easier for a robot to pick up a particular color tube. Some robots would immediately load the human player's three tubes on a goal capper to be placed on the goal.

Pushing the stacks of tubes over towards the human player station allowed the human player to pick up the tubes and more easily load them into a claw or grabber. Opponent's tubes could be held on to to prevent them from being scored, or thrown at other robots or tubes to try to prevent them from scoring.

Because the goal spun freely, one defensive maneuver was to grab the goal or run the robot's base up against one of the sides of the goal's base and then spin it around to make it harder for other robots and human players to score. [[frc148|Team 148]] built a grabbing mechanism and drivetrain that allowed them to grab the goal and spin it at a decent speed, with their robot spinning with the goal. When playoff rounds changed to the one-on-one format, defense involving the robot became a larger focus as teams did not have to worry about the third team scoring unchecked while they defended against the second. In the [[1997cmp|championship]] finals, [[frc71|team 71]] and [[frc47|47]]'s robots spent much of each match sitting in front of the opposing team's human player to prevent them from throwing tubes or loading up their robot.

Some teams built tipping devices that would tip over opponent robots. This maneuver earned the nickname "death from below." The relative prevalence of these devices, in particular [[frc121|team 121]]'s tipper, led to intentional tipping being forbidden by the rules in 1998 and beyond.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44942 - 1997 1997frc81 1997il frc111 practice robot.png|[[frc111|Team 111]] descores [[frc144|144]]'s capper and three tubes in a practice match at [[1997il|Motorola Midwest]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44942]
File:44611 - 1997 1997frc35 1997frc47 1997il frc148 frc67 match q26 robot video.gif|[[frc148|Team 148]] swings the goal back and forth while both opposing human players throw tubes at their capper [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44611]
File:44687 - 1997 1997cmp 1997frc14 1997frc32 f2 frc47 frc71 match robot score team video woodie flowers.gif|[[frc47|Team 47]] sits in front of [[frc71|team 71]]'s human player while team 71's robot sits in front of theirs in match two of the finals at [[1997cmp|the national championship]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44943]
</gallery>

==Robot construction==

Robots were constructed from materials in the [[kit of parts]], $425 worth of parts from the [[Small Parts]] catalog, and a limited quantity of additional hardware from other sources. Fasteners, spade connectors, pipe fittings, shrink wrap, and similar materials could be used in unlimited quantity as long as they were used for their intended purpose. No more than four sprockets and/or pulleys and no more than 10 feet of chain and/or belt could be purchased and used from sources other than Small Parts.

Robots must fit within a 36 inch long by 36 inch wide by 48 inch high area at the start of the match. Part of the inspection process included putting the robot into a large clear [[sizing cube|sizing box]] to show that it was under these dimensions. Robots could not weigh more than 120 pounds including the two drill batteries.

Like previous years, robots needed to clearly display their school and sponsor names. Additionally, the team numbers assigned in 1997 had to be displayed on robots. Numbers needed to be at least three inches tall and displayed on at least two opposite sides of the robot.

Machines competing in regional events had to be out of team's hands and shipped by Tuesday February 25th, regardless of which regional they were attending. Machines only competing in the National Championship had to be shipped by February 28th.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44515 - 1997 1997frc155 1997il frc-49 inspection pit robot sizing cube.png|[[frc-49|Team -49]]'s robot in the sizing box at the [[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44515]
</gallery>

===Control system===

<gallery perrow=4 heights=200px widths=230px>
File:44428 - 1997 control system kit of parts.png|The robot controller with [[BASIC Stamp]] in the 1997 [[kit of parts]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44428]
File:3660 - 1997 control system dean kamen kickoff woodie flowers.jpg|[[Dean Kamen]] and [[Woodie Flowers]] with the control system at [[kickoff]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3660]
File:3637 - 1997 1997frc31 build control system frc45 robot.jpg|[[frc45|Team 45]] wiring the 1997 control system, showing an [[RNet]] radio plugged into the BASIC Stamp receiver box, two drill battery holders, two drill motors, and two Tekin speed controllers [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3441]
File:45584 - 1997 control system.jpg|1997 transmit board [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45584]
</gallery>
As in several previous years, robots were powered by two 12 volt drill batteries. For the first time, the control system included a software-programmable microcontroller and programming software. The robot side of the control system included the receive box which contained a [[BASIC Stamp]] microcontroller and hardware to output PWM and relay controls. The kit of parts included software to program the controller in PBASIC. One 2048 byte EEPROM in the receive box contained the default program which would output controller buttons right to PWM outputs like some previous control systems with a second EEPROM which could be selected and programmed with custom code. 26 bytes of RAM were available to user programs. This increased the potential complexity of mechanisms and automated control and allowed for more complex driver control.

The driver station side of the control system includes the transmit box with ports for two PC joysticks, with CH Products joysticks once again included in the [[kit of parts]]. An array of switches and potentiometers was included in the kit to build a third custom controller. 16 digital switch signals and 8 channels of proportional output can be sent from the joysticks and custom control box. All custom controls are subject to the same parts rules as the components of the robot, although custom controls are not counted in the weight of the robot itself.

The kit of parts included two Hitec servos, four Tekin REBEL reversing speed controllers, two drill motors and mating gearboxes, four Delco seat motors, two Delphi tape drive window motors, two McCord-Winn Textron air pumps, and two Numatics valves. The two drill motors had to be controlled by the Tekin speed controllers and would typically be used in the drivetrain, leaving two controllers free for proportional control of seat or window motors.

The pneumatic accumulator could be charged before a match as long as it was filled by the pumps provided in the kit. The compressor did not need to be mounted to the robot but did still need to be powered from two 12 volt drill batteries.

==Team list<ref name="97tl">[https://web.archive.org/web/20010709070558/http://www.usfirst.org/1997comp/teamlist.html List of Teams in the 1997 FIRST Robotics Competition]</ref>==
{{OldTeamEventListHeader
|lowerCaption = 1997 team numbers are canonical.
More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available [[Old team numbers|here]].
}}
{{1997frc1 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-116 |event=y}}
{{1997frc83 |event=y}}
{{1997frc6 |event=y}}
{{1997frc7 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-67 |event=y}}
{{1997frc128 |event=y}}
{{1997frc11 |event=y}}
{{1997frc12 |event=y}}
{{1997frc14 |event=y}}
{{1997frc16 |event=y}}
{{1997frc15 |event=y}}
{{1997frc13 |event=y}}
{{1997frc71 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-117 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-54 |event=y}}
{{1997frc23 |event=y}}
{{1997frc24 |event=y}}
{{1997frc25 |event=y}}
{{1997frc26 |event=y}}
{{1997frc27 |event=y}}
{{1997frc31 |event=y}}
{{1997frc33 |event=y}}
{{1997frc34 |event=y}}
{{1997frc36 |event=y}}
{{1997frc41 |event=y}}
{{1997frc42 |event=y}}
{{1997frc43 |event=y}}
{{1997frc18 |event=y}}
{{1997frc44 |event=y}}
{{1997frc45 |event=y}}
{{1997frc47 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-80 |event=y}}
{{1997frc85 |event=y}}
{{1997frc148 |event=y}}
{{1997frc52 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-96 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-71 |event=y}}
{{1997frc55 |event=y}}
{{1997frc76 |event=y}}
{{1997frc56 |event=y}}
{{1997frc59 |event=y}}
{{1997frc60 |event=y}}
{{1997frc61 |event=y}}
{{1997frc62 |event=y}}
{{1997frc65 |event=y}}
{{1997frc67 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-48 |event=y}}
{{1997frc63 |event=y}}
{{1997frc137 |event=y}}
{{1997frc175 |event=y}}
{{1997frc176 |event=y}}
{{1997frc73 |event=y}}
{{1997frc74 |event=y}}
{{1997frc92 |event=y}}
{{1997frc80 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-110 |event=y}}
{{1997frc81 |event=y}}
{{1997frc177 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-45 |event=y}}
{{1997frc82 |event=y}}
{{1997frc87 |event=y}}
{{1997frc88 |event=y}}
{{1997frc90 |event=y}}
{{1997frc91 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-65 |event=y}}
{{1997frc96 |event=y}}
{{1997frc98 |event=y}}
{{1997frc99 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-22 |event=y}}
{{1997frc101 |event=y}}
{{1997frc103 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-97 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-83 |event=y}}
{{1997frc105 |event=y}}
{{1997frc97 |event=y}}
{{1997frc106 |event=y}}
{{1997frc107 |event=y}}
{{1997frc108 |event=y}}
{{1997frc110 |event=y}}
{{1997frc111 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-87 |event=y}}
{{1997frc192 |event=y}}
{{1997frc114 |event=y}}
{{1997frc8 |event=y}}
{{1997frc100 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-93 |event=y}}
{{1997frc116 |event=y}}
{{1997frc118 |event=y}}
{{1997frc119 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-119 |event=y}}
{{1997frc120 |event=y}}
{{1997frc58 |event=y}}
{{1997frc121 |event=y}}
{{1997frc134 |event=y}}
{{1997frc123 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-58 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-75 |event=y}}
{{1997frc133 |event=y}}
{{1997frc124 |event=y}}
{{1997frc69 |event=y}}
{{1997frc20 |event=y}}
{{1997frc126 |event=y}}
{{1997frc93 |event=y}}
{{1997frc75 |event=y}}
{{1997frc129 |event=y}}
{{1997frc130 |event=y}}
{{1997frc131 |event=y}}
{{1997frc178 |event=y}}
{{1997frc138 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-73 |event=y}}
{{1997frc28 |event=y}}
{{1997frc179 |event=y}}
{{1997frc140 |event=y}}
{{1997frc141 |event=y}}
{{1997frc142 |event=y}}
{{1997frc35 |event=y}}
{{1997frc143 |event=y}}
{{1997frc144 |event=y}}
{{1997frc145 |event=y}}
{{1997frc146 |event=y}}
{{1997frc147 |event=y}}
{{1997frc22 |event=y}}
{{1997frc136 |event=y}}
{{1997frc153 |event=y}}
{{1997frc150 |event=y}}
{{1997frc86 |event=y}}
{{1997frc151 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-62 |event=y}}
{{1997frc3 |event=y}}
{{1997frc152 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-115 |event=y}}
{{1997frc155 |event=y}}
{{1997frc157 |event=y}}
{{1997frc158 |event=y}}
{{1997frc160 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-29 |event=y}}
{{1997frc161 |event=y}}
{{1997frc162 |event=y}}
{{1997frc173 |event=y}}
{{1997frc166 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-30 |event=y}}
{{1997frc37 |event=y}}
{{1997frc72 |event=y}}
{{1997frc89 |event=y}}
{{1997frc171 |event=y}}
{{1997frc172 |event=y}}
{{1997frc95 |event=y}}
{{1997frc183 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-64 |event=y}}
{{1997frc200 |event=y}}
{{1997frc187 |event=y}}
{{1997frc190 |event=y}}
{{1997frc191 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-49 |event=y}}
{{TeamListFooter}}
*[[frc88|Team 88]] does not appear in the [https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:97_eventprog_natls.PDF 1997 championship event program] and is not shown as attending the championship on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20010709070558/http://www.usfirst.org/1997comp/teamlist.html 1997 team list], but they did compete at the National Championship and they appear on the seeding list.
*Although it appears that [[frc110|team 110]] was registered for the [[1997cmp|1997 championship]], the seeding list implies they did not compete, and no record of them competing at a regional event exists.

==Official events==

[[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] (March 6-8, 1997) 
[[1997nh|1997 DEKA New England Regional]] (March 13-15, 1997) 
[[1997nj|1997 Johnson and Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] (March 20-22, 1997) 
[[1997cmp|1997 National Championship]] (April 10-12, 1997)

==Unofficial events==
[[1997_UTC_Scrimmage|1997 UTC Scrimmage]] 
[[1997ratr|Rumble at the Rock II]] (July 18-19, 1997) 
[[1997nhrr|1997 River Rage]] (September 6-7, 1997)

==Notes==
<references />

1997

2026-03-06T21:24:47Z

Fallinsideahole: /* Control system */

{{Infobox Year
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| year = 1997
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44958 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/44958/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1997/1 1997]

| header20 = Game Information

| game_name = Toroid Terror

| number_teams = 155

| number_events = 4

| header70 = {{#if:{{{winners|}}}|Awards}}

| chairman_winner = [[frc47|47]]
| champions = [[frc71|71]]
| finalists = [[frc47|47]]

| prevyear = [[1996]]
| nextyear = [[1998]]

| image2 = {{{altlogo|}}}
| caption2 = {{{altlogocaption|}}}

}}

The 1997 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began with the [[kickoff#1997|kickoff]] event on Saturday, January 11, 1997.
Competition season consisted of three regional events, the [[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] in Chicago, Illinois, [[1997nh|1997 DEKA New England Regional]] in Manchester, New Hampshire, and the [[1997nj|1997 Johnson and Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] in New Brunswick, New Jersey as well as the [[1997cmp|1997 National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World. Promotional material often referred to the game as simply "The Competition" or "The Competition 1997," and the first team update asked for game name suggestions. A second regional in New England had also been considered this year<ref name="autodesk">[https://web.archive.org/web/19961220201136/http://www.autodesk.com/ebd/fall96/ebdf9602.htm Calling All Teams: FIRST Is Just Around the Corner]</ref>.

This year was the first year that teams were required to display their team number on their robot. Team numbers for 1997 were generated by alphabetizing the list of teams by sponsor and school and assigning them in order. The same process was done again in [[1998]] but then locked in for those teams going forward, meaning many teams competed under different numbers in 1997. More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available [[Old team numbers|here]].

==Documentation==
===Partial game manual and team updates===
<pdf>File:1997 Game Manual (partial).pdf</pdf>{{TKHref}} 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1997_Team_Updates.pdf Team Updates]<ref name=tkh />

===Other official documents===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1997_Building_Your_Team.PDF Building Your Team]<ref name=tkh />

==Playing field and scoring==
<gallery perrow=4 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:44944 - 1997 game materials.png|Top-down view of the playing field before the start of a match [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44944]
File:45134 - 1997 game materials.png|Scoring rules for tubes as clarified in team update one [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45134]
</gallery>

The playing field is a carpeted hexagon with a 4x4 lumber border wall. The freely rotating goal sits in the middle of the field and includes three levels of scoring pegs and an upper scoring area. The base of the goal is a triangular wooden base measuring 48" on each side that sits on three fixed caster wheels in a track with a wooden protective skirt extending downwards from the base.

The three driver stations are located outside of the playing field at three adjacent corners on one half of the field with Lexan walls shielding drivers from the field, and three human player stations are centered along the walls of the playing field next to the corresponding driver station. The human player stations are five feet wide and extended away from the field for six feet and are split into two areas. The interaction zone is the first three feet of the human player station and is where the human player is expected to interact directly with the robot to load or unload tubes, while the remaining three feet is where the human player is expected to normally sit or stand. Human players could not directly contact robots (except if contact occurs for reasons of personal safety).

Each team has nine 25 3/4" outer diameter inner tubes of their color. Three tubes start outside the field with the human player which can be loaded onto the robot or thrown. Six tubes start one each in the six stacks of tubes distributed around the field. Tubes need the pegs of the scoring tower to pass through the center of the open middle to count as scored. Tubes above the scoring tower are scored if the rotational axes of the goal passes through the open middle of the tube. Each tube scored anywhere on the goal is worth one point. Each tube on top of the goal doubles the current score, as does each vertical row of three tubes. Vertical rows may be completed on different sides of the goal or on a single side by scoring two or three tubes on each peg. The maximum score of 4608 points is achieved by scoring all nine of your matching tubes on top of the goal (9 points for scoring nine tubes times 2^9 for having nine tubes doubling your score).

Although intentionally damaging an opponent's robot by stabbing or cutting it was not allowed, tipping was still allowed. The rules updates also clarified specific rules for allowing the human player to walk over to a robot that went out of bounds or applied power to an out of bounds surface and was disabled and return it to the playing field during a match. After returning to the human player station, the robot was re-enabled. If a robot pushed against the floor of the interaction zone, the human player could immediately return it to the field, but the control system would remain deactivated for 20 seconds after it was originally disabled. The human player could not interact with tubes during this time, but could interact with the tubes if they chose to not return the robot to the field.

Three robots in the red, white, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with two on two matches later on. Robots begin on the opposite side of the field from their matching human player station. At the beginning of each match, the goal is spun (typically by the emcee) in a random direction. Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end.

Winning a match earns a team three seeding points. Second place receives one point, and coming third earns no seeding points. At the end of seeding rounds, teams are ranked by place totals.

===Game strategy===

Because higher multipliers could be achieved easier by scoring tubes on the top of the goal, many teams focused on being able to score multiple tubes quickly on the top of the goal. Goal "cappers," which were typically detachable, were a common offensive and defensive strategy that allowed a team to score several tubes on top of the goal and prevent additional tubes from being added unless an opposing robot could successfully remove the capper or reach tall enough to score over it, like [[frc111|team 111]] was able to do.

Like in [[1998]], [[human players]] could contribute significantly to a match's outcome. With some practice, human players could toss and score tubes on any of the three levels of the goal, and many matches were determined by human player tubes. In some matches, a single tube thrown by a human player could be the only score for the entire match. Additionally, many teams found it much easier to load tubes into their robot from the human player than picking them up from the field, particularly when the color tube they wanted was buried in one of the stacks. Some human players would toss a tube at one of the stacks to disrupt them and make it easier for a robot to pick up a particular color tube. Some robots would immediately load the human player's three tubes on a goal capper to be placed on the goal.

Pushing the stacks of tubes over towards the human player station allowed the human player to pick up the tubes and more easily load them into a claw or grabber. Opponent's tubes could be held on to to prevent them from being scored, or thrown at other robots or tubes to try to prevent them from scoring.

Because the goal spun freely, one defensive maneuver was to grab the goal or run the robot's base up against one of the sides of the goal's base and then spin it around to make it harder for other robots and human players to score. [[frc148|Team 148]] built a grabbing mechanism and drivetrain that allowed them to grab the goal and spin it at a decent speed, with their robot spinning with the goal. When playoff rounds changed to the one-on-one format, defense involving the robot became a larger focus as teams did not have to worry about the third team scoring unchecked while they defended against the second. In the [[1997cmp|championship]] finals, [[frc71|team 71]] and [[frc47|47]]'s robots spent much of each match sitting in front of the opposing team's human player to prevent them from throwing tubes or loading up their robot.

Some teams built tipping devices that would tip over opponent robots. This maneuver earned the nickname "death from below." The relative prevalence of these devices, in particular [[frc121|team 121]]'s tipper, led to intentional tipping being forbidden by the rules in 1998 and beyond.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44942 - 1997 1997frc81 1997il frc111 practice robot.png|[[frc111|Team 111]] descores [[frc144|144]]'s capper and three tubes in a practice match at [[1997il|Motorola Midwest]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44942]
File:44611 - 1997 1997frc35 1997frc47 1997il frc148 frc67 match q26 robot video.gif|[[frc148|Team 148]] swings the goal back and forth while both opposing human players throw tubes at their capper [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44611]
File:44687 - 1997 1997cmp 1997frc14 1997frc32 f2 frc47 frc71 match robot score team video woodie flowers.gif|[[frc47|Team 47]] sits in front of [[frc71|team 71]]'s human player while team 71's robot sits in front of theirs in match two of the finals at [[1997cmp|the national championship]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44943]
</gallery>

==Robot construction==

Robots were constructed from materials in the [[kit of parts]], $425 worth of parts from the [[Small Parts]] catalog, and a limited quantity of additional hardware from other sources. Fasteners, spade connectors, pipe fittings, shrink wrap, and similar materials could be used in unlimited quantity as long as they were used for their intended purpose. No more than four sprockets and/or pulleys and no more than 10 feet of chain and/or belt could be purchased and used from sources other than Small Parts.

Robots must fit within a 36 inch long by 36 inch wide by 48 inch high area at the start of the match. Part of the inspection process included putting the robot into a large clear [[sizing cube|sizing box]] to show that it was under these dimensions. Robots could not weigh more than 120 pounds including the two drill batteries.

Like previous years, robots needed to clearly display their school and sponsor names. Additionally, the team numbers assigned in 1997 had to be displayed on robots. Numbers needed to be at least three inches tall and displayed on at least two opposite sides of the robot.

Machines competing in regional events had to be out of team's hands and shipped by Tuesday February 25th, regardless of which regional they were attending. Machines only competing in the National Championship had to be shipped by February 28th.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44515 - 1997 1997frc155 1997il frc-49 inspection pit robot sizing cube.png|[[frc-49|Team -49]]'s robot in the sizing box at the [[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44515]
</gallery>

===Control system===

<gallery perrow=4 heights=200px widths=230px>
File:44428 - 1997 control system kit of parts.png|The robot controller with [[BASIC Stamp]] in the 1997 [[kit of parts]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44428]
File:3660 - 1997 control system dean kamen kickoff woodie flowers.jpg|[[Dean Kamen]] and [[Woodie Flowers]] with the control system at [[kickoff]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3660]
File:3637 - 1997 1997frc31 build control system frc45 robot.jpg|[[frc45|Team 45]] wiring the 1997 control system, showing an [[RNet]] radio plugged into the BASIC Stamp receiver box, two drill battery holders, two drill motors, and two Tekin speed controllers [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3441]
File:45584 - 1997 control system.jpg|1997 transmit board [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45584]
</gallery>
As in several previous years, robots were powered by two 12 volt drill batteries. For the first time, the control system included a software-programmable microcontroller and programming software. The robot side of the control system included the receive box which contained a [[BASIC Stamp]] microcontroller and hardware to output PWM and relay controls. The kit of parts included software to program the controller in PBASIC. One 2048 byte EEPROM in the receive box contained the default program which would output controller buttons right to PWM outputs like some previous control systems with a second EEPROM which could be selected and programmed with custom code. 26 bytes of RAM were available to user programs. This increased the potential complexity of mechanisms and automated control and allowed for more complex driver control.

The driver station side of the control system includes the transmit box with ports for two PC joysticks, with CH Products joysticks once again included in the [[kit of parts]]. An array of switches and potentiometers was included in the kit to build a third custom controller. 16 digital switch signals and 8 channels of proportional output can be sent from the joysticks and custom control box. All custom controls are subject to the same parts rules as the components of the robot, although custom controls are not counted in the weight of the robot itself.

The kit of parts included two Hitec servos, four Tekin REBEL reversing speed controllers, two drill motors and mating gearboxes, four Delco seat motors, two Delphi tape drive window motors, two McCord-Winn Textron air pumps, and two Numatics valves. The two drill motors had to be controlled by the Tekin speed controllers and would typically be used in the drivetrain, leaving two controllers free for proportional control of seat or window motors.

The pneumatic accumulator could be charged before a match as long as it was filled by the pumps provided in the kit. The compressor did not need to be mounted to the robot but did still need to be powered from two 12 volt drill batteries.

==Team list<ref name="97tl">[https://web.archive.org/web/20010709070558/http://www.usfirst.org/1997comp/teamlist.html List of Teams in the 1997 FIRST Robotics Competition]</ref>==
{{OldTeamEventListHeader
|lowerCaption = 1997 team numbers are canonical.
More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available [[Old team numbers|here]].
}}
{{1997frc1 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-116 |event=y}}
{{1997frc83 |event=y}}
{{1997frc6 |event=y}}
{{1997frc7 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-67 |event=y}}
{{1997frc128 |event=y}}
{{1997frc11 |event=y}}
{{1997frc12 |event=y}}
{{1997frc14 |event=y}}
{{1997frc16 |event=y}}
{{1997frc15 |event=y}}
{{1997frc13 |event=y}}
{{1997frc71 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-117 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-54 |event=y}}
{{1997frc23 |event=y}}
{{1997frc24 |event=y}}
{{1997frc25 |event=y}}
{{1997frc26 |event=y}}
{{1997frc27 |event=y}}
{{1997frc31 |event=y}}
{{1997frc33 |event=y}}
{{1997frc34 |event=y}}
{{1997frc36 |event=y}}
{{1997frc41 |event=y}}
{{1997frc42 |event=y}}
{{1997frc43 |event=y}}
{{1997frc18 |event=y}}
{{1997frc44 |event=y}}
{{1997frc45 |event=y}}
{{1997frc47 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-80 |event=y}}
{{1997frc85 |event=y}}
{{1997frc148 |event=y}}
{{1997frc52 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-96 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-71 |event=y}}
{{1997frc55 |event=y}}
{{1997frc76 |event=y}}
{{1997frc56 |event=y}}
{{1997frc59 |event=y}}
{{1997frc60 |event=y}}
{{1997frc61 |event=y}}
{{1997frc62 |event=y}}
{{1997frc65 |event=y}}
{{1997frc67 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-48 |event=y}}
{{1997frc63 |event=y}}
{{1997frc137 |event=y}}
{{1997frc175 |event=y}}
{{1997frc176 |event=y}}
{{1997frc73 |event=y}}
{{1997frc74 |event=y}}
{{1997frc92 |event=y}}
{{1997frc80 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-110 |event=y}}
{{1997frc81 |event=y}}
{{1997frc177 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-45 |event=y}}
{{1997frc82 |event=y}}
{{1997frc87 |event=y}}
{{1997frc88 |event=y}}
{{1997frc90 |event=y}}
{{1997frc91 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-65 |event=y}}
{{1997frc96 |event=y}}
{{1997frc98 |event=y}}
{{1997frc99 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-22 |event=y}}
{{1997frc101 |event=y}}
{{1997frc103 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-97 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-83 |event=y}}
{{1997frc105 |event=y}}
{{1997frc97 |event=y}}
{{1997frc106 |event=y}}
{{1997frc107 |event=y}}
{{1997frc108 |event=y}}
{{1997frc110 |event=y}}
{{1997frc111 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-87 |event=y}}
{{1997frc192 |event=y}}
{{1997frc114 |event=y}}
{{1997frc8 |event=y}}
{{1997frc100 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-93 |event=y}}
{{1997frc116 |event=y}}
{{1997frc118 |event=y}}
{{1997frc119 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-119 |event=y}}
{{1997frc120 |event=y}}
{{1997frc58 |event=y}}
{{1997frc121 |event=y}}
{{1997frc134 |event=y}}
{{1997frc123 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-58 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-75 |event=y}}
{{1997frc133 |event=y}}
{{1997frc124 |event=y}}
{{1997frc69 |event=y}}
{{1997frc20 |event=y}}
{{1997frc126 |event=y}}
{{1997frc93 |event=y}}
{{1997frc75 |event=y}}
{{1997frc129 |event=y}}
{{1997frc130 |event=y}}
{{1997frc131 |event=y}}
{{1997frc178 |event=y}}
{{1997frc138 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-73 |event=y}}
{{1997frc28 |event=y}}
{{1997frc179 |event=y}}
{{1997frc140 |event=y}}
{{1997frc141 |event=y}}
{{1997frc142 |event=y}}
{{1997frc35 |event=y}}
{{1997frc143 |event=y}}
{{1997frc144 |event=y}}
{{1997frc145 |event=y}}
{{1997frc146 |event=y}}
{{1997frc147 |event=y}}
{{1997frc22 |event=y}}
{{1997frc136 |event=y}}
{{1997frc153 |event=y}}
{{1997frc150 |event=y}}
{{1997frc86 |event=y}}
{{1997frc151 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-62 |event=y}}
{{1997frc3 |event=y}}
{{1997frc152 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-115 |event=y}}
{{1997frc155 |event=y}}
{{1997frc157 |event=y}}
{{1997frc158 |event=y}}
{{1997frc160 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-29 |event=y}}
{{1997frc161 |event=y}}
{{1997frc162 |event=y}}
{{1997frc173 |event=y}}
{{1997frc166 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-30 |event=y}}
{{1997frc37 |event=y}}
{{1997frc72 |event=y}}
{{1997frc89 |event=y}}
{{1997frc171 |event=y}}
{{1997frc172 |event=y}}
{{1997frc95 |event=y}}
{{1997frc183 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-64 |event=y}}
{{1997frc200 |event=y}}
{{1997frc187 |event=y}}
{{1997frc190 |event=y}}
{{1997frc191 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-49 |event=y}}
{{TeamListFooter}}
*[[frc88|Team 88]] does not appear in the [https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:97_eventprog_natls.PDF 1997 championship event program] and is not shown as attending the championship on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20010709070558/http://www.usfirst.org/1997comp/teamlist.html 1997 team list], but they did compete at the National Championship and they appear on the seeding list.
*Although it appears that [[frc110|team 110]] was registered for the [[1997cmp|1997 championship]], the seeding list implies they did not compete, and no record of them competing at a regional event exists.

==Official events==

[[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] (March 6-8, 1997) 
[[1997nh|1997 DEKA New England Regional]] (March 13-15, 1997) 
[[1997nj|1997 Johnson and Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] (March 20-22, 1997) 
[[1997cmp|1997 National Championship]] (April 10-12, 1997)

==Unofficial events==
[[1997_UTC_Scrimmage|1997 UTC Scrimmage]] 
[[1997ratr|Rumble at the Rock II]] (July 18-19, 1997) 
[[1997nhrr|1997 River Rage]] (September 6-7, 1997)

==Notes==
<references />

1997

2026-03-06T21:24:28Z

Fallinsideahole: /* Control system */

{{Infobox Year
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| year = 1997
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44958 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/44958/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1997/1 1997]

| header20 = Game Information

| game_name = Toroid Terror

| number_teams = 155

| number_events = 4

| header70 = {{#if:{{{winners|}}}|Awards}}

| chairman_winner = [[frc47|47]]
| champions = [[frc71|71]]
| finalists = [[frc47|47]]

| prevyear = [[1996]]
| nextyear = [[1998]]

| image2 = {{{altlogo|}}}
| caption2 = {{{altlogocaption|}}}

}}

The 1997 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began with the [[kickoff#1997|kickoff]] event on Saturday, January 11, 1997.
Competition season consisted of three regional events, the [[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] in Chicago, Illinois, [[1997nh|1997 DEKA New England Regional]] in Manchester, New Hampshire, and the [[1997nj|1997 Johnson and Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] in New Brunswick, New Jersey as well as the [[1997cmp|1997 National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World. Promotional material often referred to the game as simply "The Competition" or "The Competition 1997," and the first team update asked for game name suggestions. A second regional in New England had also been considered this year<ref name="autodesk">[https://web.archive.org/web/19961220201136/http://www.autodesk.com/ebd/fall96/ebdf9602.htm Calling All Teams: FIRST Is Just Around the Corner]</ref>.

This year was the first year that teams were required to display their team number on their robot. Team numbers for 1997 were generated by alphabetizing the list of teams by sponsor and school and assigning them in order. The same process was done again in [[1998]] but then locked in for those teams going forward, meaning many teams competed under different numbers in 1997. More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available [[Old team numbers|here]].

==Documentation==
===Partial game manual and team updates===
<pdf>File:1997 Game Manual (partial).pdf</pdf>{{TKHref}} 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1997_Team_Updates.pdf Team Updates]<ref name=tkh />

===Other official documents===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1997_Building_Your_Team.PDF Building Your Team]<ref name=tkh />

==Playing field and scoring==
<gallery perrow=4 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:44944 - 1997 game materials.png|Top-down view of the playing field before the start of a match [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44944]
File:45134 - 1997 game materials.png|Scoring rules for tubes as clarified in team update one [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45134]
</gallery>

The playing field is a carpeted hexagon with a 4x4 lumber border wall. The freely rotating goal sits in the middle of the field and includes three levels of scoring pegs and an upper scoring area. The base of the goal is a triangular wooden base measuring 48" on each side that sits on three fixed caster wheels in a track with a wooden protective skirt extending downwards from the base.

The three driver stations are located outside of the playing field at three adjacent corners on one half of the field with Lexan walls shielding drivers from the field, and three human player stations are centered along the walls of the playing field next to the corresponding driver station. The human player stations are five feet wide and extended away from the field for six feet and are split into two areas. The interaction zone is the first three feet of the human player station and is where the human player is expected to interact directly with the robot to load or unload tubes, while the remaining three feet is where the human player is expected to normally sit or stand. Human players could not directly contact robots (except if contact occurs for reasons of personal safety).

Each team has nine 25 3/4" outer diameter inner tubes of their color. Three tubes start outside the field with the human player which can be loaded onto the robot or thrown. Six tubes start one each in the six stacks of tubes distributed around the field. Tubes need the pegs of the scoring tower to pass through the center of the open middle to count as scored. Tubes above the scoring tower are scored if the rotational axes of the goal passes through the open middle of the tube. Each tube scored anywhere on the goal is worth one point. Each tube on top of the goal doubles the current score, as does each vertical row of three tubes. Vertical rows may be completed on different sides of the goal or on a single side by scoring two or three tubes on each peg. The maximum score of 4608 points is achieved by scoring all nine of your matching tubes on top of the goal (9 points for scoring nine tubes times 2^9 for having nine tubes doubling your score).

Although intentionally damaging an opponent's robot by stabbing or cutting it was not allowed, tipping was still allowed. The rules updates also clarified specific rules for allowing the human player to walk over to a robot that went out of bounds or applied power to an out of bounds surface and was disabled and return it to the playing field during a match. After returning to the human player station, the robot was re-enabled. If a robot pushed against the floor of the interaction zone, the human player could immediately return it to the field, but the control system would remain deactivated for 20 seconds after it was originally disabled. The human player could not interact with tubes during this time, but could interact with the tubes if they chose to not return the robot to the field.

Three robots in the red, white, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with two on two matches later on. Robots begin on the opposite side of the field from their matching human player station. At the beginning of each match, the goal is spun (typically by the emcee) in a random direction. Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end.

Winning a match earns a team three seeding points. Second place receives one point, and coming third earns no seeding points. At the end of seeding rounds, teams are ranked by place totals.

===Game strategy===

Because higher multipliers could be achieved easier by scoring tubes on the top of the goal, many teams focused on being able to score multiple tubes quickly on the top of the goal. Goal "cappers," which were typically detachable, were a common offensive and defensive strategy that allowed a team to score several tubes on top of the goal and prevent additional tubes from being added unless an opposing robot could successfully remove the capper or reach tall enough to score over it, like [[frc111|team 111]] was able to do.

Like in [[1998]], [[human players]] could contribute significantly to a match's outcome. With some practice, human players could toss and score tubes on any of the three levels of the goal, and many matches were determined by human player tubes. In some matches, a single tube thrown by a human player could be the only score for the entire match. Additionally, many teams found it much easier to load tubes into their robot from the human player than picking them up from the field, particularly when the color tube they wanted was buried in one of the stacks. Some human players would toss a tube at one of the stacks to disrupt them and make it easier for a robot to pick up a particular color tube. Some robots would immediately load the human player's three tubes on a goal capper to be placed on the goal.

Pushing the stacks of tubes over towards the human player station allowed the human player to pick up the tubes and more easily load them into a claw or grabber. Opponent's tubes could be held on to to prevent them from being scored, or thrown at other robots or tubes to try to prevent them from scoring.

Because the goal spun freely, one defensive maneuver was to grab the goal or run the robot's base up against one of the sides of the goal's base and then spin it around to make it harder for other robots and human players to score. [[frc148|Team 148]] built a grabbing mechanism and drivetrain that allowed them to grab the goal and spin it at a decent speed, with their robot spinning with the goal. When playoff rounds changed to the one-on-one format, defense involving the robot became a larger focus as teams did not have to worry about the third team scoring unchecked while they defended against the second. In the [[1997cmp|championship]] finals, [[frc71|team 71]] and [[frc47|47]]'s robots spent much of each match sitting in front of the opposing team's human player to prevent them from throwing tubes or loading up their robot.

Some teams built tipping devices that would tip over opponent robots. This maneuver earned the nickname "death from below." The relative prevalence of these devices, in particular [[frc121|team 121]]'s tipper, led to intentional tipping being forbidden by the rules in 1998 and beyond.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44942 - 1997 1997frc81 1997il frc111 practice robot.png|[[frc111|Team 111]] descores [[frc144|144]]'s capper and three tubes in a practice match at [[1997il|Motorola Midwest]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44942]
File:44611 - 1997 1997frc35 1997frc47 1997il frc148 frc67 match q26 robot video.gif|[[frc148|Team 148]] swings the goal back and forth while both opposing human players throw tubes at their capper [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44611]
File:44687 - 1997 1997cmp 1997frc14 1997frc32 f2 frc47 frc71 match robot score team video woodie flowers.gif|[[frc47|Team 47]] sits in front of [[frc71|team 71]]'s human player while team 71's robot sits in front of theirs in match two of the finals at [[1997cmp|the national championship]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44943]
</gallery>

==Robot construction==

Robots were constructed from materials in the [[kit of parts]], $425 worth of parts from the [[Small Parts]] catalog, and a limited quantity of additional hardware from other sources. Fasteners, spade connectors, pipe fittings, shrink wrap, and similar materials could be used in unlimited quantity as long as they were used for their intended purpose. No more than four sprockets and/or pulleys and no more than 10 feet of chain and/or belt could be purchased and used from sources other than Small Parts.

Robots must fit within a 36 inch long by 36 inch wide by 48 inch high area at the start of the match. Part of the inspection process included putting the robot into a large clear [[sizing cube|sizing box]] to show that it was under these dimensions. Robots could not weigh more than 120 pounds including the two drill batteries.

Like previous years, robots needed to clearly display their school and sponsor names. Additionally, the team numbers assigned in 1997 had to be displayed on robots. Numbers needed to be at least three inches tall and displayed on at least two opposite sides of the robot.

Machines competing in regional events had to be out of team's hands and shipped by Tuesday February 25th, regardless of which regional they were attending. Machines only competing in the National Championship had to be shipped by February 28th.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44515 - 1997 1997frc155 1997il frc-49 inspection pit robot sizing cube.png|[[frc-49|Team -49]]'s robot in the sizing box at the [[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44515]
</gallery>

===Control system===

<gallery perrow=4 heights=200px widths=230px>
File:44428 - 1997 control system kit of parts.png|The robot controller with [[BASIC Stamp]] in the 1997 [[kit of parts]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44428]
File:3660 - 1997 control system dean kamen kickoff woodie flowers.jpg|[[Dean Kamen]] and [[Woodie Flowers]] with the control system at [[kickoff]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3660]
File:3637 - 1997 1997frc31 build control system frc45 robot.jpg|[[frc45|Team 45]] wiring the 1997 control system, showing an RNet radio plugged into the BASIC Stamp receiver box, two drill battery holders, two drill motors, and two Tekin speed controllers [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3441]
File:45584 - 1997 control system.jpg|1997 transmit board [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45584]
</gallery>
As in several previous years, robots were powered by two 12 volt drill batteries. For the first time, the control system included a software-programmable microcontroller and programming software. The robot side of the control system included the receive box which contained a [[BASIC Stamp]] microcontroller and hardware to output PWM and relay controls. The kit of parts included software to program the controller in PBASIC. One 2048 byte EEPROM in the receive box contained the default program which would output controller buttons right to PWM outputs like some previous control systems with a second EEPROM which could be selected and programmed with custom code. 26 bytes of RAM were available to user programs. This increased the potential complexity of mechanisms and automated control and allowed for more complex driver control.

The driver station side of the control system includes the transmit box with ports for two PC joysticks, with CH Products joysticks once again included in the [[kit of parts]]. An array of switches and potentiometers was included in the kit to build a third custom controller. 16 digital switch signals and 8 channels of proportional output can be sent from the joysticks and custom control box. All custom controls are subject to the same parts rules as the components of the robot, although custom controls are not counted in the weight of the robot itself.

The kit of parts included two Hitec servos, four Tekin REBEL reversing speed controllers, two drill motors and mating gearboxes, four Delco seat motors, two Delphi tape drive window motors, two McCord-Winn Textron air pumps, and two Numatics valves. The two drill motors had to be controlled by the Tekin speed controllers and would typically be used in the drivetrain, leaving two controllers free for proportional control of seat or window motors.

The pneumatic accumulator could be charged before a match as long as it was filled by the pumps provided in the kit. The compressor did not need to be mounted to the robot but did still need to be powered from two 12 volt drill batteries.

==Team list<ref name="97tl">[https://web.archive.org/web/20010709070558/http://www.usfirst.org/1997comp/teamlist.html List of Teams in the 1997 FIRST Robotics Competition]</ref>==
{{OldTeamEventListHeader
|lowerCaption = 1997 team numbers are canonical.
More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available [[Old team numbers|here]].
}}
{{1997frc1 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-116 |event=y}}
{{1997frc83 |event=y}}
{{1997frc6 |event=y}}
{{1997frc7 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-67 |event=y}}
{{1997frc128 |event=y}}
{{1997frc11 |event=y}}
{{1997frc12 |event=y}}
{{1997frc14 |event=y}}
{{1997frc16 |event=y}}
{{1997frc15 |event=y}}
{{1997frc13 |event=y}}
{{1997frc71 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-117 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-54 |event=y}}
{{1997frc23 |event=y}}
{{1997frc24 |event=y}}
{{1997frc25 |event=y}}
{{1997frc26 |event=y}}
{{1997frc27 |event=y}}
{{1997frc31 |event=y}}
{{1997frc33 |event=y}}
{{1997frc34 |event=y}}
{{1997frc36 |event=y}}
{{1997frc41 |event=y}}
{{1997frc42 |event=y}}
{{1997frc43 |event=y}}
{{1997frc18 |event=y}}
{{1997frc44 |event=y}}
{{1997frc45 |event=y}}
{{1997frc47 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-80 |event=y}}
{{1997frc85 |event=y}}
{{1997frc148 |event=y}}
{{1997frc52 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-96 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-71 |event=y}}
{{1997frc55 |event=y}}
{{1997frc76 |event=y}}
{{1997frc56 |event=y}}
{{1997frc59 |event=y}}
{{1997frc60 |event=y}}
{{1997frc61 |event=y}}
{{1997frc62 |event=y}}
{{1997frc65 |event=y}}
{{1997frc67 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-48 |event=y}}
{{1997frc63 |event=y}}
{{1997frc137 |event=y}}
{{1997frc175 |event=y}}
{{1997frc176 |event=y}}
{{1997frc73 |event=y}}
{{1997frc74 |event=y}}
{{1997frc92 |event=y}}
{{1997frc80 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-110 |event=y}}
{{1997frc81 |event=y}}
{{1997frc177 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-45 |event=y}}
{{1997frc82 |event=y}}
{{1997frc87 |event=y}}
{{1997frc88 |event=y}}
{{1997frc90 |event=y}}
{{1997frc91 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-65 |event=y}}
{{1997frc96 |event=y}}
{{1997frc98 |event=y}}
{{1997frc99 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-22 |event=y}}
{{1997frc101 |event=y}}
{{1997frc103 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-97 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-83 |event=y}}
{{1997frc105 |event=y}}
{{1997frc97 |event=y}}
{{1997frc106 |event=y}}
{{1997frc107 |event=y}}
{{1997frc108 |event=y}}
{{1997frc110 |event=y}}
{{1997frc111 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-87 |event=y}}
{{1997frc192 |event=y}}
{{1997frc114 |event=y}}
{{1997frc8 |event=y}}
{{1997frc100 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-93 |event=y}}
{{1997frc116 |event=y}}
{{1997frc118 |event=y}}
{{1997frc119 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-119 |event=y}}
{{1997frc120 |event=y}}
{{1997frc58 |event=y}}
{{1997frc121 |event=y}}
{{1997frc134 |event=y}}
{{1997frc123 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-58 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-75 |event=y}}
{{1997frc133 |event=y}}
{{1997frc124 |event=y}}
{{1997frc69 |event=y}}
{{1997frc20 |event=y}}
{{1997frc126 |event=y}}
{{1997frc93 |event=y}}
{{1997frc75 |event=y}}
{{1997frc129 |event=y}}
{{1997frc130 |event=y}}
{{1997frc131 |event=y}}
{{1997frc178 |event=y}}
{{1997frc138 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-73 |event=y}}
{{1997frc28 |event=y}}
{{1997frc179 |event=y}}
{{1997frc140 |event=y}}
{{1997frc141 |event=y}}
{{1997frc142 |event=y}}
{{1997frc35 |event=y}}
{{1997frc143 |event=y}}
{{1997frc144 |event=y}}
{{1997frc145 |event=y}}
{{1997frc146 |event=y}}
{{1997frc147 |event=y}}
{{1997frc22 |event=y}}
{{1997frc136 |event=y}}
{{1997frc153 |event=y}}
{{1997frc150 |event=y}}
{{1997frc86 |event=y}}
{{1997frc151 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-62 |event=y}}
{{1997frc3 |event=y}}
{{1997frc152 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-115 |event=y}}
{{1997frc155 |event=y}}
{{1997frc157 |event=y}}
{{1997frc158 |event=y}}
{{1997frc160 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-29 |event=y}}
{{1997frc161 |event=y}}
{{1997frc162 |event=y}}
{{1997frc173 |event=y}}
{{1997frc166 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-30 |event=y}}
{{1997frc37 |event=y}}
{{1997frc72 |event=y}}
{{1997frc89 |event=y}}
{{1997frc171 |event=y}}
{{1997frc172 |event=y}}
{{1997frc95 |event=y}}
{{1997frc183 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-64 |event=y}}
{{1997frc200 |event=y}}
{{1997frc187 |event=y}}
{{1997frc190 |event=y}}
{{1997frc191 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-49 |event=y}}
{{TeamListFooter}}
*[[frc88|Team 88]] does not appear in the [https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:97_eventprog_natls.PDF 1997 championship event program] and is not shown as attending the championship on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20010709070558/http://www.usfirst.org/1997comp/teamlist.html 1997 team list], but they did compete at the National Championship and they appear on the seeding list.
*Although it appears that [[frc110|team 110]] was registered for the [[1997cmp|1997 championship]], the seeding list implies they did not compete, and no record of them competing at a regional event exists.

==Official events==

[[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] (March 6-8, 1997) 
[[1997nh|1997 DEKA New England Regional]] (March 13-15, 1997) 
[[1997nj|1997 Johnson and Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] (March 20-22, 1997) 
[[1997cmp|1997 National Championship]] (April 10-12, 1997)

==Unofficial events==
[[1997_UTC_Scrimmage|1997 UTC Scrimmage]] 
[[1997ratr|Rumble at the Rock II]] (July 18-19, 1997) 
[[1997nhrr|1997 River Rage]] (September 6-7, 1997)

==Notes==
<references />

1997

2026-03-06T21:18:56Z

Fallinsideahole: /* Control system */

{{Infobox Year
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| year = 1997
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44958 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/44958/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1997/1 1997]

| header20 = Game Information

| game_name = Toroid Terror

| number_teams = 155

| number_events = 4

| header70 = {{#if:{{{winners|}}}|Awards}}

| chairman_winner = [[frc47|47]]
| champions = [[frc71|71]]
| finalists = [[frc47|47]]

| prevyear = [[1996]]
| nextyear = [[1998]]

| image2 = {{{altlogo|}}}
| caption2 = {{{altlogocaption|}}}

}}

The 1997 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began with the [[kickoff#1997|kickoff]] event on Saturday, January 11, 1997.
Competition season consisted of three regional events, the [[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] in Chicago, Illinois, [[1997nh|1997 DEKA New England Regional]] in Manchester, New Hampshire, and the [[1997nj|1997 Johnson and Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] in New Brunswick, New Jersey as well as the [[1997cmp|1997 National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World. Promotional material often referred to the game as simply "The Competition" or "The Competition 1997," and the first team update asked for game name suggestions. A second regional in New England had also been considered this year<ref name="autodesk">[https://web.archive.org/web/19961220201136/http://www.autodesk.com/ebd/fall96/ebdf9602.htm Calling All Teams: FIRST Is Just Around the Corner]</ref>.

This year was the first year that teams were required to display their team number on their robot. Team numbers for 1997 were generated by alphabetizing the list of teams by sponsor and school and assigning them in order. The same process was done again in [[1998]] but then locked in for those teams going forward, meaning many teams competed under different numbers in 1997. More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available [[Old team numbers|here]].

==Documentation==
===Partial game manual and team updates===
<pdf>File:1997 Game Manual (partial).pdf</pdf>{{TKHref}} 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1997_Team_Updates.pdf Team Updates]<ref name=tkh />

===Other official documents===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1997_Building_Your_Team.PDF Building Your Team]<ref name=tkh />

==Playing field and scoring==
<gallery perrow=4 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:44944 - 1997 game materials.png|Top-down view of the playing field before the start of a match [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44944]
File:45134 - 1997 game materials.png|Scoring rules for tubes as clarified in team update one [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45134]
</gallery>

The playing field is a carpeted hexagon with a 4x4 lumber border wall. The freely rotating goal sits in the middle of the field and includes three levels of scoring pegs and an upper scoring area. The base of the goal is a triangular wooden base measuring 48" on each side that sits on three fixed caster wheels in a track with a wooden protective skirt extending downwards from the base.

The three driver stations are located outside of the playing field at three adjacent corners on one half of the field with Lexan walls shielding drivers from the field, and three human player stations are centered along the walls of the playing field next to the corresponding driver station. The human player stations are five feet wide and extended away from the field for six feet and are split into two areas. The interaction zone is the first three feet of the human player station and is where the human player is expected to interact directly with the robot to load or unload tubes, while the remaining three feet is where the human player is expected to normally sit or stand. Human players could not directly contact robots (except if contact occurs for reasons of personal safety).

Each team has nine 25 3/4" outer diameter inner tubes of their color. Three tubes start outside the field with the human player which can be loaded onto the robot or thrown. Six tubes start one each in the six stacks of tubes distributed around the field. Tubes need the pegs of the scoring tower to pass through the center of the open middle to count as scored. Tubes above the scoring tower are scored if the rotational axes of the goal passes through the open middle of the tube. Each tube scored anywhere on the goal is worth one point. Each tube on top of the goal doubles the current score, as does each vertical row of three tubes. Vertical rows may be completed on different sides of the goal or on a single side by scoring two or three tubes on each peg. The maximum score of 4608 points is achieved by scoring all nine of your matching tubes on top of the goal (9 points for scoring nine tubes times 2^9 for having nine tubes doubling your score).

Although intentionally damaging an opponent's robot by stabbing or cutting it was not allowed, tipping was still allowed. The rules updates also clarified specific rules for allowing the human player to walk over to a robot that went out of bounds or applied power to an out of bounds surface and was disabled and return it to the playing field during a match. After returning to the human player station, the robot was re-enabled. If a robot pushed against the floor of the interaction zone, the human player could immediately return it to the field, but the control system would remain deactivated for 20 seconds after it was originally disabled. The human player could not interact with tubes during this time, but could interact with the tubes if they chose to not return the robot to the field.

Three robots in the red, white, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with two on two matches later on. Robots begin on the opposite side of the field from their matching human player station. At the beginning of each match, the goal is spun (typically by the emcee) in a random direction. Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end.

Winning a match earns a team three seeding points. Second place receives one point, and coming third earns no seeding points. At the end of seeding rounds, teams are ranked by place totals.

===Game strategy===

Because higher multipliers could be achieved easier by scoring tubes on the top of the goal, many teams focused on being able to score multiple tubes quickly on the top of the goal. Goal "cappers," which were typically detachable, were a common offensive and defensive strategy that allowed a team to score several tubes on top of the goal and prevent additional tubes from being added unless an opposing robot could successfully remove the capper or reach tall enough to score over it, like [[frc111|team 111]] was able to do.

Like in [[1998]], [[human players]] could contribute significantly to a match's outcome. With some practice, human players could toss and score tubes on any of the three levels of the goal, and many matches were determined by human player tubes. In some matches, a single tube thrown by a human player could be the only score for the entire match. Additionally, many teams found it much easier to load tubes into their robot from the human player than picking them up from the field, particularly when the color tube they wanted was buried in one of the stacks. Some human players would toss a tube at one of the stacks to disrupt them and make it easier for a robot to pick up a particular color tube. Some robots would immediately load the human player's three tubes on a goal capper to be placed on the goal.

Pushing the stacks of tubes over towards the human player station allowed the human player to pick up the tubes and more easily load them into a claw or grabber. Opponent's tubes could be held on to to prevent them from being scored, or thrown at other robots or tubes to try to prevent them from scoring.

Because the goal spun freely, one defensive maneuver was to grab the goal or run the robot's base up against one of the sides of the goal's base and then spin it around to make it harder for other robots and human players to score. [[frc148|Team 148]] built a grabbing mechanism and drivetrain that allowed them to grab the goal and spin it at a decent speed, with their robot spinning with the goal. When playoff rounds changed to the one-on-one format, defense involving the robot became a larger focus as teams did not have to worry about the third team scoring unchecked while they defended against the second. In the [[1997cmp|championship]] finals, [[frc71|team 71]] and [[frc47|47]]'s robots spent much of each match sitting in front of the opposing team's human player to prevent them from throwing tubes or loading up their robot.

Some teams built tipping devices that would tip over opponent robots. This maneuver earned the nickname "death from below." The relative prevalence of these devices, in particular [[frc121|team 121]]'s tipper, led to intentional tipping being forbidden by the rules in 1998 and beyond.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44942 - 1997 1997frc81 1997il frc111 practice robot.png|[[frc111|Team 111]] descores [[frc144|144]]'s capper and three tubes in a practice match at [[1997il|Motorola Midwest]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44942]
File:44611 - 1997 1997frc35 1997frc47 1997il frc148 frc67 match q26 robot video.gif|[[frc148|Team 148]] swings the goal back and forth while both opposing human players throw tubes at their capper [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44611]
File:44687 - 1997 1997cmp 1997frc14 1997frc32 f2 frc47 frc71 match robot score team video woodie flowers.gif|[[frc47|Team 47]] sits in front of [[frc71|team 71]]'s human player while team 71's robot sits in front of theirs in match two of the finals at [[1997cmp|the national championship]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44943]
</gallery>

==Robot construction==

Robots were constructed from materials in the [[kit of parts]], $425 worth of parts from the [[Small Parts]] catalog, and a limited quantity of additional hardware from other sources. Fasteners, spade connectors, pipe fittings, shrink wrap, and similar materials could be used in unlimited quantity as long as they were used for their intended purpose. No more than four sprockets and/or pulleys and no more than 10 feet of chain and/or belt could be purchased and used from sources other than Small Parts.

Robots must fit within a 36 inch long by 36 inch wide by 48 inch high area at the start of the match. Part of the inspection process included putting the robot into a large clear [[sizing cube|sizing box]] to show that it was under these dimensions. Robots could not weigh more than 120 pounds including the two drill batteries.

Like previous years, robots needed to clearly display their school and sponsor names. Additionally, the team numbers assigned in 1997 had to be displayed on robots. Numbers needed to be at least three inches tall and displayed on at least two opposite sides of the robot.

Machines competing in regional events had to be out of team's hands and shipped by Tuesday February 25th, regardless of which regional they were attending. Machines only competing in the National Championship had to be shipped by February 28th.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44515 - 1997 1997frc155 1997il frc-49 inspection pit robot sizing cube.png|[[frc-49|Team -49]]'s robot in the sizing box at the [[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44515]
</gallery>

===Control system===

<gallery perrow=4 heights=200px widths=230px>
File:44428 - 1997 control system kit of parts.png|The robot controller with [[BASIC Stamp]] in the 1997 [[kit of parts]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44428]
File:3660 - 1997 control system dean kamen kickoff woodie flowers.jpg|[[Dean Kamen]] and [[Woodie Flowers]] with the control system at [[kickoff]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3660]
File:3637 - 1997 1997frc31 build control system frc45 robot.jpg|[[frc45|Team 45]] wiring the 1997 control system, showing an RNet radio plugged into the BASIC Stamp receiver box, two drill battery holders, two drill motors, and two Tekin speed controllers [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3441]
File:45584 - 1997 control system.jpg|1997 transmit board [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45584]
</gallery>
As in several previous years, robots were powered by two 12 volt drill batteries. For the first time, the control system included a software-programmable microcontroller and programming software. The robot side of the control system included the receive box which contained a [[BASIC Stamp]] microcontroller and hardware to output PWM and relay controls. The kit of parts included software to program the controller in PBASIC. One 2048 byte EEPROM in the receive box contained the default program which would output controller buttons right to PWM outputs like some previous control systems and while the other could be selected and programmed with custom code. 26 bytes of RAM were available to user programs. This increased the potential complexity of mechanisms and automated control and allowed for more complex driver control.

The driver station side of the control system includes the transmit box with ports for two PC joysticks, with CH Products joysticks once again included in the [[kit of parts]]. An array of switches and potentiometers was included in the kit to build a third custom controller. 16 digital switch signals and 8 channels of proportional output can be sent from the joysticks and custom control box. All custom controls are subject to the same parts rules as the components of the robot, although custom controls are not counted in the weight of the robot itself.

The kit of parts included two Hitec servos, four Tekin REBEL reversing speed controllers, two drill motors and mating gearboxes, four Delco seat motors, two Delphi tape drive window motors, two McCord-Winn Textron air pumps, and two Numatics valves. The two drill motors had to be controlled by the Tekin speed controllers and would typically be used in the drivetrain, leaving two controllers free for proportional control of seat or window motors.

The pneumatic accumulator could be charged before a match as long as it was filled by the pumps provided in the kit. The compressor did not need to be mounted to the robot but did still need to be powered from two 12 volt drill batteries.

==Team list<ref name="97tl">[https://web.archive.org/web/20010709070558/http://www.usfirst.org/1997comp/teamlist.html List of Teams in the 1997 FIRST Robotics Competition]</ref>==
{{OldTeamEventListHeader
|lowerCaption = 1997 team numbers are canonical.
More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available [[Old team numbers|here]].
}}
{{1997frc1 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-116 |event=y}}
{{1997frc83 |event=y}}
{{1997frc6 |event=y}}
{{1997frc7 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-67 |event=y}}
{{1997frc128 |event=y}}
{{1997frc11 |event=y}}
{{1997frc12 |event=y}}
{{1997frc14 |event=y}}
{{1997frc16 |event=y}}
{{1997frc15 |event=y}}
{{1997frc13 |event=y}}
{{1997frc71 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-117 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-54 |event=y}}
{{1997frc23 |event=y}}
{{1997frc24 |event=y}}
{{1997frc25 |event=y}}
{{1997frc26 |event=y}}
{{1997frc27 |event=y}}
{{1997frc31 |event=y}}
{{1997frc33 |event=y}}
{{1997frc34 |event=y}}
{{1997frc36 |event=y}}
{{1997frc41 |event=y}}
{{1997frc42 |event=y}}
{{1997frc43 |event=y}}
{{1997frc18 |event=y}}
{{1997frc44 |event=y}}
{{1997frc45 |event=y}}
{{1997frc47 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-80 |event=y}}
{{1997frc85 |event=y}}
{{1997frc148 |event=y}}
{{1997frc52 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-96 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-71 |event=y}}
{{1997frc55 |event=y}}
{{1997frc76 |event=y}}
{{1997frc56 |event=y}}
{{1997frc59 |event=y}}
{{1997frc60 |event=y}}
{{1997frc61 |event=y}}
{{1997frc62 |event=y}}
{{1997frc65 |event=y}}
{{1997frc67 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-48 |event=y}}
{{1997frc63 |event=y}}
{{1997frc137 |event=y}}
{{1997frc175 |event=y}}
{{1997frc176 |event=y}}
{{1997frc73 |event=y}}
{{1997frc74 |event=y}}
{{1997frc92 |event=y}}
{{1997frc80 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-110 |event=y}}
{{1997frc81 |event=y}}
{{1997frc177 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-45 |event=y}}
{{1997frc82 |event=y}}
{{1997frc87 |event=y}}
{{1997frc88 |event=y}}
{{1997frc90 |event=y}}
{{1997frc91 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-65 |event=y}}
{{1997frc96 |event=y}}
{{1997frc98 |event=y}}
{{1997frc99 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-22 |event=y}}
{{1997frc101 |event=y}}
{{1997frc103 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-97 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-83 |event=y}}
{{1997frc105 |event=y}}
{{1997frc97 |event=y}}
{{1997frc106 |event=y}}
{{1997frc107 |event=y}}
{{1997frc108 |event=y}}
{{1997frc110 |event=y}}
{{1997frc111 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-87 |event=y}}
{{1997frc192 |event=y}}
{{1997frc114 |event=y}}
{{1997frc8 |event=y}}
{{1997frc100 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-93 |event=y}}
{{1997frc116 |event=y}}
{{1997frc118 |event=y}}
{{1997frc119 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-119 |event=y}}
{{1997frc120 |event=y}}
{{1997frc58 |event=y}}
{{1997frc121 |event=y}}
{{1997frc134 |event=y}}
{{1997frc123 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-58 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-75 |event=y}}
{{1997frc133 |event=y}}
{{1997frc124 |event=y}}
{{1997frc69 |event=y}}
{{1997frc20 |event=y}}
{{1997frc126 |event=y}}
{{1997frc93 |event=y}}
{{1997frc75 |event=y}}
{{1997frc129 |event=y}}
{{1997frc130 |event=y}}
{{1997frc131 |event=y}}
{{1997frc178 |event=y}}
{{1997frc138 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-73 |event=y}}
{{1997frc28 |event=y}}
{{1997frc179 |event=y}}
{{1997frc140 |event=y}}
{{1997frc141 |event=y}}
{{1997frc142 |event=y}}
{{1997frc35 |event=y}}
{{1997frc143 |event=y}}
{{1997frc144 |event=y}}
{{1997frc145 |event=y}}
{{1997frc146 |event=y}}
{{1997frc147 |event=y}}
{{1997frc22 |event=y}}
{{1997frc136 |event=y}}
{{1997frc153 |event=y}}
{{1997frc150 |event=y}}
{{1997frc86 |event=y}}
{{1997frc151 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-62 |event=y}}
{{1997frc3 |event=y}}
{{1997frc152 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-115 |event=y}}
{{1997frc155 |event=y}}
{{1997frc157 |event=y}}
{{1997frc158 |event=y}}
{{1997frc160 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-29 |event=y}}
{{1997frc161 |event=y}}
{{1997frc162 |event=y}}
{{1997frc173 |event=y}}
{{1997frc166 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-30 |event=y}}
{{1997frc37 |event=y}}
{{1997frc72 |event=y}}
{{1997frc89 |event=y}}
{{1997frc171 |event=y}}
{{1997frc172 |event=y}}
{{1997frc95 |event=y}}
{{1997frc183 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-64 |event=y}}
{{1997frc200 |event=y}}
{{1997frc187 |event=y}}
{{1997frc190 |event=y}}
{{1997frc191 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-49 |event=y}}
{{TeamListFooter}}
*[[frc88|Team 88]] does not appear in the [https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:97_eventprog_natls.PDF 1997 championship event program] and is not shown as attending the championship on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20010709070558/http://www.usfirst.org/1997comp/teamlist.html 1997 team list], but they did compete at the National Championship and they appear on the seeding list.
*Although it appears that [[frc110|team 110]] was registered for the [[1997cmp|1997 championship]], the seeding list implies they did not compete, and no record of them competing at a regional event exists.

==Official events==

[[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] (March 6-8, 1997) 
[[1997nh|1997 DEKA New England Regional]] (March 13-15, 1997) 
[[1997nj|1997 Johnson and Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] (March 20-22, 1997) 
[[1997cmp|1997 National Championship]] (April 10-12, 1997)

==Unofficial events==
[[1997_UTC_Scrimmage|1997 UTC Scrimmage]] 
[[1997ratr|Rumble at the Rock II]] (July 18-19, 1997) 
[[1997nhrr|1997 River Rage]] (September 6-7, 1997)

==Notes==
<references />

1997

2026-03-06T21:18:28Z

Fallinsideahole: /* Control system */

{{Infobox Year
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| year = 1997
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44958 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/44958/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1997/1 1997]

| header20 = Game Information

| game_name = Toroid Terror

| number_teams = 155

| number_events = 4

| header70 = {{#if:{{{winners|}}}|Awards}}

| chairman_winner = [[frc47|47]]
| champions = [[frc71|71]]
| finalists = [[frc47|47]]

| prevyear = [[1996]]
| nextyear = [[1998]]

| image2 = {{{altlogo|}}}
| caption2 = {{{altlogocaption|}}}

}}

The 1997 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began with the [[kickoff#1997|kickoff]] event on Saturday, January 11, 1997.
Competition season consisted of three regional events, the [[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] in Chicago, Illinois, [[1997nh|1997 DEKA New England Regional]] in Manchester, New Hampshire, and the [[1997nj|1997 Johnson and Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] in New Brunswick, New Jersey as well as the [[1997cmp|1997 National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World. Promotional material often referred to the game as simply "The Competition" or "The Competition 1997," and the first team update asked for game name suggestions. A second regional in New England had also been considered this year<ref name="autodesk">[https://web.archive.org/web/19961220201136/http://www.autodesk.com/ebd/fall96/ebdf9602.htm Calling All Teams: FIRST Is Just Around the Corner]</ref>.

This year was the first year that teams were required to display their team number on their robot. Team numbers for 1997 were generated by alphabetizing the list of teams by sponsor and school and assigning them in order. The same process was done again in [[1998]] but then locked in for those teams going forward, meaning many teams competed under different numbers in 1997. More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available [[Old team numbers|here]].

==Documentation==
===Partial game manual and team updates===
<pdf>File:1997 Game Manual (partial).pdf</pdf>{{TKHref}} 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1997_Team_Updates.pdf Team Updates]<ref name=tkh />

===Other official documents===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1997_Building_Your_Team.PDF Building Your Team]<ref name=tkh />

==Playing field and scoring==
<gallery perrow=4 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:44944 - 1997 game materials.png|Top-down view of the playing field before the start of a match [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44944]
File:45134 - 1997 game materials.png|Scoring rules for tubes as clarified in team update one [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45134]
</gallery>

The playing field is a carpeted hexagon with a 4x4 lumber border wall. The freely rotating goal sits in the middle of the field and includes three levels of scoring pegs and an upper scoring area. The base of the goal is a triangular wooden base measuring 48" on each side that sits on three fixed caster wheels in a track with a wooden protective skirt extending downwards from the base.

The three driver stations are located outside of the playing field at three adjacent corners on one half of the field with Lexan walls shielding drivers from the field, and three human player stations are centered along the walls of the playing field next to the corresponding driver station. The human player stations are five feet wide and extended away from the field for six feet and are split into two areas. The interaction zone is the first three feet of the human player station and is where the human player is expected to interact directly with the robot to load or unload tubes, while the remaining three feet is where the human player is expected to normally sit or stand. Human players could not directly contact robots (except if contact occurs for reasons of personal safety).

Each team has nine 25 3/4" outer diameter inner tubes of their color. Three tubes start outside the field with the human player which can be loaded onto the robot or thrown. Six tubes start one each in the six stacks of tubes distributed around the field. Tubes need the pegs of the scoring tower to pass through the center of the open middle to count as scored. Tubes above the scoring tower are scored if the rotational axes of the goal passes through the open middle of the tube. Each tube scored anywhere on the goal is worth one point. Each tube on top of the goal doubles the current score, as does each vertical row of three tubes. Vertical rows may be completed on different sides of the goal or on a single side by scoring two or three tubes on each peg. The maximum score of 4608 points is achieved by scoring all nine of your matching tubes on top of the goal (9 points for scoring nine tubes times 2^9 for having nine tubes doubling your score).

Although intentionally damaging an opponent's robot by stabbing or cutting it was not allowed, tipping was still allowed. The rules updates also clarified specific rules for allowing the human player to walk over to a robot that went out of bounds or applied power to an out of bounds surface and was disabled and return it to the playing field during a match. After returning to the human player station, the robot was re-enabled. If a robot pushed against the floor of the interaction zone, the human player could immediately return it to the field, but the control system would remain deactivated for 20 seconds after it was originally disabled. The human player could not interact with tubes during this time, but could interact with the tubes if they chose to not return the robot to the field.

Three robots in the red, white, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with two on two matches later on. Robots begin on the opposite side of the field from their matching human player station. At the beginning of each match, the goal is spun (typically by the emcee) in a random direction. Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end.

Winning a match earns a team three seeding points. Second place receives one point, and coming third earns no seeding points. At the end of seeding rounds, teams are ranked by place totals.

===Game strategy===

Because higher multipliers could be achieved easier by scoring tubes on the top of the goal, many teams focused on being able to score multiple tubes quickly on the top of the goal. Goal "cappers," which were typically detachable, were a common offensive and defensive strategy that allowed a team to score several tubes on top of the goal and prevent additional tubes from being added unless an opposing robot could successfully remove the capper or reach tall enough to score over it, like [[frc111|team 111]] was able to do.

Like in [[1998]], [[human players]] could contribute significantly to a match's outcome. With some practice, human players could toss and score tubes on any of the three levels of the goal, and many matches were determined by human player tubes. In some matches, a single tube thrown by a human player could be the only score for the entire match. Additionally, many teams found it much easier to load tubes into their robot from the human player than picking them up from the field, particularly when the color tube they wanted was buried in one of the stacks. Some human players would toss a tube at one of the stacks to disrupt them and make it easier for a robot to pick up a particular color tube. Some robots would immediately load the human player's three tubes on a goal capper to be placed on the goal.

Pushing the stacks of tubes over towards the human player station allowed the human player to pick up the tubes and more easily load them into a claw or grabber. Opponent's tubes could be held on to to prevent them from being scored, or thrown at other robots or tubes to try to prevent them from scoring.

Because the goal spun freely, one defensive maneuver was to grab the goal or run the robot's base up against one of the sides of the goal's base and then spin it around to make it harder for other robots and human players to score. [[frc148|Team 148]] built a grabbing mechanism and drivetrain that allowed them to grab the goal and spin it at a decent speed, with their robot spinning with the goal. When playoff rounds changed to the one-on-one format, defense involving the robot became a larger focus as teams did not have to worry about the third team scoring unchecked while they defended against the second. In the [[1997cmp|championship]] finals, [[frc71|team 71]] and [[frc47|47]]'s robots spent much of each match sitting in front of the opposing team's human player to prevent them from throwing tubes or loading up their robot.

Some teams built tipping devices that would tip over opponent robots. This maneuver earned the nickname "death from below." The relative prevalence of these devices, in particular [[frc121|team 121]]'s tipper, led to intentional tipping being forbidden by the rules in 1998 and beyond.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44942 - 1997 1997frc81 1997il frc111 practice robot.png|[[frc111|Team 111]] descores [[frc144|144]]'s capper and three tubes in a practice match at [[1997il|Motorola Midwest]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44942]
File:44611 - 1997 1997frc35 1997frc47 1997il frc148 frc67 match q26 robot video.gif|[[frc148|Team 148]] swings the goal back and forth while both opposing human players throw tubes at their capper [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44611]
File:44687 - 1997 1997cmp 1997frc14 1997frc32 f2 frc47 frc71 match robot score team video woodie flowers.gif|[[frc47|Team 47]] sits in front of [[frc71|team 71]]'s human player while team 71's robot sits in front of theirs in match two of the finals at [[1997cmp|the national championship]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44943]
</gallery>

==Robot construction==

Robots were constructed from materials in the [[kit of parts]], $425 worth of parts from the [[Small Parts]] catalog, and a limited quantity of additional hardware from other sources. Fasteners, spade connectors, pipe fittings, shrink wrap, and similar materials could be used in unlimited quantity as long as they were used for their intended purpose. No more than four sprockets and/or pulleys and no more than 10 feet of chain and/or belt could be purchased and used from sources other than Small Parts.

Robots must fit within a 36 inch long by 36 inch wide by 48 inch high area at the start of the match. Part of the inspection process included putting the robot into a large clear [[sizing cube|sizing box]] to show that it was under these dimensions. Robots could not weigh more than 120 pounds including the two drill batteries.

Like previous years, robots needed to clearly display their school and sponsor names. Additionally, the team numbers assigned in 1997 had to be displayed on robots. Numbers needed to be at least three inches tall and displayed on at least two opposite sides of the robot.

Machines competing in regional events had to be out of team's hands and shipped by Tuesday February 25th, regardless of which regional they were attending. Machines only competing in the National Championship had to be shipped by February 28th.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44515 - 1997 1997frc155 1997il frc-49 inspection pit robot sizing cube.png|[[frc-49|Team -49]]'s robot in the sizing box at the [[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44515]
</gallery>

===Control system===

<gallery perrow=4 heights=200px widths=230px>
File:44428 - 1997 control system kit of parts.png|The robot controller with [[BASIC Stamp]] in the 1997 [[kit of parts]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44428]
File:3660 - 1997 control system dean kamen kickoff woodie flowers.jpg|[[Dean Kamen]] and [[Woodie Flowers]] with the control system at [[kickoff]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3660]
File:3637 - 1997 1997frc31 build control system frc45 robot.jpg|[[frc45|Team 45]] wiring the 1997 control system, showing an RNet radio plugged into the BASIC Stamp receiver box, two drill battery holders, two drill motors, and two Tekin speed controllers [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3441]
File:45584 - 1997 control system.jpg|1997 transmit board [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45584]
</gallery>
As in several previous years, robots were powered by two 12 volt drill batteries. For the first time, the control system included a software-programmable microcontroller and programming software. The robot side of the control system included the receive box which contained a BASIC Stamp microcontroller and hardware to output PWM and relay controls. The kit of parts included software to program the controller in PBASIC. One 2048 byte EEPROM in the receive box contained the default program which would output controller buttons right to PWM outputs like some previous control systems and while the other could be selected and programmed with custom code. 26 bytes of RAM were available to user programs. This increased the potential complexity of mechanisms and automated control and allowed for more complex driver control.

The driver station side of the control system includes the transmit box with ports for two PC joysticks, with CH Products joysticks once again included in the [[kit of parts]]. An array of switches and potentiometers was included in the kit to build a third custom controller. 16 digital switch signals and 8 channels of proportional output can be sent from the joysticks and custom control box. All custom controls are subject to the same parts rules as the components of the robot, although custom controls are not counted in the weight of the robot itself.

The kit of parts included two Hitec servos, four Tekin REBEL reversing speed controllers, two drill motors and mating gearboxes, four Delco seat motors, two Delphi tape drive window motors, two McCord-Winn Textron air pumps, and two Numatics valves. The two drill motors had to be controlled by the Tekin speed controllers and would typically be used in the drivetrain, leaving two controllers free for proportional control of seat or window motors.

The pneumatic accumulator could be charged before a match as long as it was filled by the pumps provided in the kit. The compressor did not need to be mounted to the robot but did still need to be powered from two 12 volt drill batteries.

==Team list<ref name="97tl">[https://web.archive.org/web/20010709070558/http://www.usfirst.org/1997comp/teamlist.html List of Teams in the 1997 FIRST Robotics Competition]</ref>==
{{OldTeamEventListHeader
|lowerCaption = 1997 team numbers are canonical.
More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available [[Old team numbers|here]].
}}
{{1997frc1 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-116 |event=y}}
{{1997frc83 |event=y}}
{{1997frc6 |event=y}}
{{1997frc7 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-67 |event=y}}
{{1997frc128 |event=y}}
{{1997frc11 |event=y}}
{{1997frc12 |event=y}}
{{1997frc14 |event=y}}
{{1997frc16 |event=y}}
{{1997frc15 |event=y}}
{{1997frc13 |event=y}}
{{1997frc71 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-117 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-54 |event=y}}
{{1997frc23 |event=y}}
{{1997frc24 |event=y}}
{{1997frc25 |event=y}}
{{1997frc26 |event=y}}
{{1997frc27 |event=y}}
{{1997frc31 |event=y}}
{{1997frc33 |event=y}}
{{1997frc34 |event=y}}
{{1997frc36 |event=y}}
{{1997frc41 |event=y}}
{{1997frc42 |event=y}}
{{1997frc43 |event=y}}
{{1997frc18 |event=y}}
{{1997frc44 |event=y}}
{{1997frc45 |event=y}}
{{1997frc47 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-80 |event=y}}
{{1997frc85 |event=y}}
{{1997frc148 |event=y}}
{{1997frc52 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-96 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-71 |event=y}}
{{1997frc55 |event=y}}
{{1997frc76 |event=y}}
{{1997frc56 |event=y}}
{{1997frc59 |event=y}}
{{1997frc60 |event=y}}
{{1997frc61 |event=y}}
{{1997frc62 |event=y}}
{{1997frc65 |event=y}}
{{1997frc67 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-48 |event=y}}
{{1997frc63 |event=y}}
{{1997frc137 |event=y}}
{{1997frc175 |event=y}}
{{1997frc176 |event=y}}
{{1997frc73 |event=y}}
{{1997frc74 |event=y}}
{{1997frc92 |event=y}}
{{1997frc80 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-110 |event=y}}
{{1997frc81 |event=y}}
{{1997frc177 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-45 |event=y}}
{{1997frc82 |event=y}}
{{1997frc87 |event=y}}
{{1997frc88 |event=y}}
{{1997frc90 |event=y}}
{{1997frc91 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-65 |event=y}}
{{1997frc96 |event=y}}
{{1997frc98 |event=y}}
{{1997frc99 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-22 |event=y}}
{{1997frc101 |event=y}}
{{1997frc103 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-97 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-83 |event=y}}
{{1997frc105 |event=y}}
{{1997frc97 |event=y}}
{{1997frc106 |event=y}}
{{1997frc107 |event=y}}
{{1997frc108 |event=y}}
{{1997frc110 |event=y}}
{{1997frc111 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-87 |event=y}}
{{1997frc192 |event=y}}
{{1997frc114 |event=y}}
{{1997frc8 |event=y}}
{{1997frc100 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-93 |event=y}}
{{1997frc116 |event=y}}
{{1997frc118 |event=y}}
{{1997frc119 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-119 |event=y}}
{{1997frc120 |event=y}}
{{1997frc58 |event=y}}
{{1997frc121 |event=y}}
{{1997frc134 |event=y}}
{{1997frc123 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-58 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-75 |event=y}}
{{1997frc133 |event=y}}
{{1997frc124 |event=y}}
{{1997frc69 |event=y}}
{{1997frc20 |event=y}}
{{1997frc126 |event=y}}
{{1997frc93 |event=y}}
{{1997frc75 |event=y}}
{{1997frc129 |event=y}}
{{1997frc130 |event=y}}
{{1997frc131 |event=y}}
{{1997frc178 |event=y}}
{{1997frc138 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-73 |event=y}}
{{1997frc28 |event=y}}
{{1997frc179 |event=y}}
{{1997frc140 |event=y}}
{{1997frc141 |event=y}}
{{1997frc142 |event=y}}
{{1997frc35 |event=y}}
{{1997frc143 |event=y}}
{{1997frc144 |event=y}}
{{1997frc145 |event=y}}
{{1997frc146 |event=y}}
{{1997frc147 |event=y}}
{{1997frc22 |event=y}}
{{1997frc136 |event=y}}
{{1997frc153 |event=y}}
{{1997frc150 |event=y}}
{{1997frc86 |event=y}}
{{1997frc151 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-62 |event=y}}
{{1997frc3 |event=y}}
{{1997frc152 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-115 |event=y}}
{{1997frc155 |event=y}}
{{1997frc157 |event=y}}
{{1997frc158 |event=y}}
{{1997frc160 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-29 |event=y}}
{{1997frc161 |event=y}}
{{1997frc162 |event=y}}
{{1997frc173 |event=y}}
{{1997frc166 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-30 |event=y}}
{{1997frc37 |event=y}}
{{1997frc72 |event=y}}
{{1997frc89 |event=y}}
{{1997frc171 |event=y}}
{{1997frc172 |event=y}}
{{1997frc95 |event=y}}
{{1997frc183 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-64 |event=y}}
{{1997frc200 |event=y}}
{{1997frc187 |event=y}}
{{1997frc190 |event=y}}
{{1997frc191 |event=y}}
{{1997frc-49 |event=y}}
{{TeamListFooter}}
*[[frc88|Team 88]] does not appear in the [https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:97_eventprog_natls.PDF 1997 championship event program] and is not shown as attending the championship on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20010709070558/http://www.usfirst.org/1997comp/teamlist.html 1997 team list], but they did compete at the National Championship and they appear on the seeding list.
*Although it appears that [[frc110|team 110]] was registered for the [[1997cmp|1997 championship]], the seeding list implies they did not compete, and no record of them competing at a regional event exists.

==Official events==

[[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] (March 6-8, 1997) 
[[1997nh|1997 DEKA New England Regional]] (March 13-15, 1997) 
[[1997nj|1997 Johnson and Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] (March 20-22, 1997) 
[[1997cmp|1997 National Championship]] (April 10-12, 1997)

==Unofficial events==
[[1997_UTC_Scrimmage|1997 UTC Scrimmage]] 
[[1997ratr|Rumble at the Rock II]] (July 18-19, 1997) 
[[1997nhrr|1997 River Rage]] (September 6-7, 1997)

==Notes==
<references />

1998

2026-03-06T02:09:14Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Infobox Year
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| year = 1998
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44959 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/44959/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1998/1 1998]

| header20 = Game Information

| game_name = Ladder Logic

| number_teams = 199

| number_events = 6

| header70 = {{#if:{{{winners|}}}|Awards}}

| chairman_winner =
| champions = [[frc45|45]]
| finalists = [[frc121|121]]

| prevyear = [[1997]]
| nextyear = [[1999]]

| image2 = {{{altlogo|}}}
| caption2 = {{{altlogocaption|}}}

}}

The 1998 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began on January 10, 1998 with the [[kickoff]] in Nashua, New Hampshire.
Competition season consisted of five regional events, the [[1998tx|1998 Southwest Regional]] in Houston, Texas, [[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] in Hooksett, New Hampshire, the [[1998il|1998 Motorola Midwest Regional]] in Palatine, Illinois, the [[1998mi|1998 Great Lakes Regional]] in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and the [[1998nj|1998 Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] in New Brunswick, New Jersey as well as the [[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World.

Like in 1997, early promotional material referred to the game as simply "The Competition" or "The Competition 1998," and the first team update asked for game name suggestions. The "Ladder Logic" name was unveiled in team update #9 on February 21.

A [[Test_games#1998_test_game|test game]] for Ladder Logic was carried out in the fall of 1997, with some teams that had competed in [[1997]] building test robots for the game<ref>[https://www.chiefdelphi.com/t/what-is-first-s-plan-for-team-10000/436312/71?u=duckgwr What is FIRST's plan for Team 10000?]</ref>.

==Documentation==
===Game manual and team updates===
<pdf>File:1998 Game Manual (partial).pdf</pdf>{{TKHref}} 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1998_Team_Updates.pdf Team Updates]<ref name=tkh />

===Kickoff===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44347 Footage on the FRC Archive] <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVpF1arncGM 1998 FIRST Ladder Logic Kickoff]</ref>

===Other official documents===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:98_FIRSTinfo1.PDF FIRST The Competition 1998 pre-registration information]<ref name=tkh />

==Playing field and scoring==
<gallery perrow=4 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:46318 - 1998 game materials.png|Top-down view of the field before a match [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/46318]
File:46319 - 1998 game materials.png|Field setup for the one-on-one rounds [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/46319]
</gallery>

The field is a carpeted hexagon.

In the center of the field is an 8 foot hexagonal Central Goal. Extending outwards and upwards from the Central Goal are the ladder-like Rail Goals. The rail has two pipe dividers that divide it into thirds.

Centered on the sides of the field that are not supporting the outer end of the Rail Goals are the 5 foot wide Interaction Zones and Human Player Areas. The Interaction Zone is the three foot deep area where both robots and human players can interact with balls. Human players could not apply weight to this area but could reach or lean over it to grab balls in the interaction zone or load them into a robot. The Human Player Area behind the interaction zone and extending another three feet is where human players are allowed to stand and throw or load balls. Human players must wear safety helmets with attached face shields. Only three balls of any color can be kept in the player station at one time (although a robot can be holding additional balls inside the volume of the Interaction Zone).

Driver stations are positioned off-center on the Rail Goal sides of the field near their corresponding human player areas.

Three robots in the red, white, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with one on one matches later on. Robots can start in any orientation within the designated 4' by 4' starting area but cannot touch the center goal, rails, or field border. Each team has nine matching color balls. Three balls begin in the team's Interaction Zone with three more of each color on the floor forming three lines of three, one of each color, between where the robots begin. One ball of each color begins scored on each of the three different levels of the Rail Goals, with one ball of each color on each of the three Rail Goal "ladders". The Rail Goal extending over each team's starting are begins with one of their balls in the lowest section, with the rail counterclockwise around the field starting with one of their balls in the middle section, and their third pre-scored ball in the highest position of the Rail Goal clockwise around the field. In one-on-one playoff matches, robots play in the red and blue positions, with no white balls on the field.

Scoring begins when all balls in motion when a match ends have come to a rest (or upon a referees' decision). Balls in the highest third of the Rail Goals closest to the outside of the field are worth three points. Balls on the middle "rung" are worth two points, and balls in the central third of the Rail Goals are worth one point. A ball must be contacting both side rails of a Rail Goal with the center point of the ball above the place of the upper edge of the rails to be counted. Balls scored in the central goal are worth no points themselves but each ball doubles the score from the balls on the Rail Goals. A ball is considered scored in the central goal if the central plane of the ball is below the top rim of the goal and within the outside edge of the goal.

Tiebreaks are determined first by the team with the least penalties or warnings during the match, then the team with the most balls on the Rail Goals, then the team with the highest (or next highest, in the case of a tie) ball on the ladders, then by number of balls in the central goal, then the team with the highest ball in the central goal, and finally the team with the most opponent balls in their player station.

Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end.

===Game strategy===

Because robots started under the three-point ball of one of their opponents (or their only opponent in the 1 on 1 matches), a common opening move was to extend upwards and knock the three-point ball off the rungs. The bulk of match play often focused on human players and robots trying to get as many point doublers into the center goal as possible to ensure a good stackup of doublers before worrying about the balls on the point rungs which were more vulnerable than balls scored in the goal.

Robots could pass balls of an opponent's color to their human player both to take them out of play and to give the human player ammunition to toss at opponent's balls on the rungs to try to descore them. Some robots were built to squeeze the balls between the rungs of the goal and ladders to make it harder to knock them out of position, and some human players got good enough at throwing the balls with enough force that they could shoot them in through the pipes forming the sides of the goal.

Towards the end of the match, play would shift towards more offense on the rungs, with robots often adding a ball to a three-point rung and then camping over it to protect it from the human players or other robots. Human players would also shift focus towards throwing any remaining balls at high-value opponent balls on the rungs, trying to knock them off and leave them with zero points to double from the center goal.

Because of the way the double elimination tournament was structured, the one on one on one elimination rounds would sometimes see two teams focusing on a single harder opponent to try to knock them out before the one on one playoffs began. This two-on-one strategy is what caused [[frc47|team 47]], heavily favored to win the championship after three regional wins with the first swerve drive, to be eliminated at [[1998cmp|Nationals]].

==Robot construction==
As was the norm for the era, the majority of robot components came from the [[kit of parts]] or [[Small Parts]] catalog. The Small Parts allowance for 1998 was $425. Some components, like fasteners, lubrication, and some pipe fittings, could be used in unlimited quantities.

Robots must sit unconstrained inside a 36" by 30" rectangle and be no more than 48" tall. Like in [[1997]], a [[sizing cube]] was used as part of the inspection process. Robot weight, including battery, could not exceed 130lbs.

No (intentionally) detaching robot components were allowed in 1998. Robots must display their team company and school names and logos, as well as their team number on at least two opposite sides of the robot. Numbers must be at least five inches tall.

===Control system===

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44337 - 1998 control system kickoff.png|The transmit side of the control system at [[kickoff]], with two PC flight sticks, button box, and RNET radio [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44337]
File:44338 - 1998 control system kickoff.png|The BASIC Stamp controller (center) with Tekin speed controllers and several motors included in the kit [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44338]
File:45583 - 1998 control system.jpg|The 1998 transmit board [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45583]
</gallery>

The 1998 control system consisted of a Transmitter and Receiver pair. The transmit side of the control system was similar to the 1997 and previous control systems and had ports for PC joysticks and custom button controllers with DIP switches inside to change which controls were routed to with outputs. The Receiver box included a BASIC Stamp II and could be programmed using PBASIC. Any sensors used had to be connected back to the Receiver.

Available motors include drill motors, van door motors, car seat motors, and the "tape drive" motors used to drive car windows up and down. Drill and van door motors must be connected to the Tekin speed controllers. Instead of drill batteries, 12 volt gel-cell batteries were first used this year. A team update allowed for a modification to the speed controllers that bypassed the current limiting function.

Like many other years before and after, [[RNet]] radios were used to establish wireless communication between the robot and driver stations. Teams were supplied RNets in the kit but had to surrender them before competitions and use a tether cable to control their robots instead, with RNets being supplied to teams before upcoming matches to use for that match.

==Team list==
{{TeamEventListHeader
|lowerCaption =
}}
{{1998frc1|event=y}}
{{1998frc2|event=y}}
{{1998frc3|event=y}}
{{1998frc5|event=y}}
{{1998frc6|event=y}}
{{1998frc7|event=y}}
{{1998frc8|event=y}}
{{1998frc9|event=y}}
{{1998frc10|event=y}}
{{1998frc11|event=y}}
{{1998frc12|event=y}}
{{1998frc13|event=y}}
{{1998frc14|event=y}}
{{1998frc15|event=y}}
{{1998frc16|event=y}}
{{1998frc17|event=y}}
{{1998frc18|event=y}}
{{1998frc19|event=y}}
{{1998frc20|event=y}}
{{1998frc21|event=y}}
{{1998frc22|event=y}}
{{1998frc23|event=y}}
{{1998frc24|event=y}}
{{1998frc25|event=y}}
{{1998frc26|event=y}}
{{1998frc27|event=y}}
{{1998frc28|event=y}}
{{1998frc29|event=y}}
{{1998frc30|event=y}}
{{1998frc31|event=y}}
{{1998frc32|event=y}}
{{1998frc33|event=y}}
{{1998frc34|event=y}}
{{1998frc35|event=y}}
{{1998frc36|event=y}}
{{1998frc37|event=y}}
{{1998frc38|event=y}}
{{1998frc40|event=y}}
{{1998frc41|event=y}}
{{1998frc42|event=y}}
{{1998frc43|event=y}}
{{1998frc44|event=y}}
{{1998frc45|event=y}}
{{1998frc46|event=y}}
{{1998frc47|event=y}}
{{1998frc48|event=y}}
{{1998frc49|event=y}}
{{1998frc50|event=y}}
{{1998frc52|event=y}}
{{1998frc53|event=y}}
{{1998frc54|event=y}}
{{1998frc55|event=y}}
{{1998frc56|event=y}}
{{1998frc57|event=y}}
{{1998frc58|event=y}}
{{1998frc59|event=y}}
{{1998frc60|event=y}}
{{1998frc61|event=y}}
{{1998frc62|event=y}}
{{1998frc63|event=y}}
{{1998frc64|event=y}}
{{1998frc65|event=y}}
{{1998frc66|event=y}}
{{1998frc67|event=y}}
{{1998frc68|event=y}}
{{1998frc69|event=y}}
{{1998frc70|event=y}}
{{1998frc71|event=y}}
{{1998frc72|event=y}}
{{1998frc73|event=y}}
{{1998frc74|event=y}}
{{1998frc75|event=y}}
{{1998frc76|event=y}}
{{1998frc77|event=y}}
{{1998frc79|event=y}}
{{1998frc80|event=y}}
{{1998frc81|event=y}}
{{1998frc82|event=y}}
{{1998frc83|event=y}}
{{1998frc84|event=y}}
{{1998frc85|event=y}}
{{1998frc86|event=y}}
{{1998frc87|event=y}}
{{1998frc88|event=y}}
{{1998frc89|event=y}}
{{1998frc90|event=y}}
{{1998frc91|event=y}}
{{1998frc92|event=y}}
{{1998frc93|event=y}}
{{1998frc94|event=y}}
{{1998frc95|event=y}}
{{1998frc96|event=y}}
{{1998frc97|event=y}}
{{1998frc98|event=y}}
{{1998frc99|event=y}}
{{1998frc100|event=y}}
{{1998frc101|event=y}}
{{1998frc102|event=y}}
{{1998frc103|event=y}}
{{1998frc104|event=y}}
{{1998frc105|event=y}}
{{1998frc106|event=y}}
{{1998frc107|event=y}}
{{1998frc108|event=y}}
{{1998frc109|event=y}}
{{1998frc110|event=y}}
{{1998frc111|event=y}}
{{1998frc112|event=y}}
{{1998frc113|event=y}}
{{1998frc114|event=y}}
{{1998frc115|event=y}}
{{1998frc116|event=y}}
{{1998frc117|event=y}}
{{1998frc118|event=y}}
{{1998frc119|event=y}}
{{1998frc120|event=y}}
{{1998frc121|event=y}}
{{1998frc122|event=y}}
{{1998frc123|event=y}}
{{1998frc124|event=y}}
{{1998frc125|event=y}}
{{1998frc126|event=y}}
{{1998frc127|event=y}}
{{1998frc128|event=y}}
{{1998frc129|event=y}}
{{1998frc130|event=y}}
{{1998frc131|event=y}}
{{1998frc132|event=y}}
{{1998frc133|event=y}}
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{{1998frc135|event=y}}
{{1998frc136|event=y}}
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{{1998frc138|event=y}}
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{{1998frc144|event=y}}
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{{1998frc146|event=y}}
{{1998frc147|event=y}}
{{1998frc148|event=y}}
{{1998frc149|event=y}}
{{1998frc150|event=y}}
{{1998frc151|event=y}}
{{1998frc152|event=y}}
{{1998frc153|event=y}}
{{1998frc154|event=y}}
{{1998frc155|event=y}}
{{1998frc157|event=y}}
{{1998frc158|event=y}}
{{1998frc159|event=y}}
{{1998frc160|event=y}}
{{1998frc161|event=y}}
{{1998frc162|event=y}}
{{1998frc163|event=y}}
{{1998frc164|event=y}}
{{1998frc165|event=y}}
{{1998frc166|event=y}}
{{1998frc167|event=y}}
{{1998frc168|event=y}}
{{1998frc169|event=y}}
{{1998frc170|event=y}}
{{1998frc171|event=y}}
{{1998frc172|event=y}}
{{1998frc173|event=y}}
{{1998frc174|event=y}}
{{1998frc175|event=y}}
{{1998frc176|event=y}}
{{1998frc177|event=y}}
{{1998frc178|event=y}}
{{1998frc179|event=y}}
{{1998frc180|event=y}}
{{1998frc181|event=y}}
{{1998frc182|event=y}}
{{1998frc183|event=y}}
{{1998frc184|event=y}}
{{1998frc185|event=y}}
{{1998frc186|event=y}}
{{1998frc187|event=y}}
{{1998frc188|event=y}}
{{1998frc189|event=y}}
{{1998frc190|event=y}}
{{1998frc191|event=y}}
{{1998frc192|event=y}}
{{1998frc194|event=y}}
{{1998frc195|event=y}}
{{1998frc196|event=y}}
{{1998frc197|event=y}}
{{1998frc198|event=y}}
{{1998frc200|event=y}}
{{1998frc201|event=y}}
{{1998frc202|event=y}}
{{1998frc203|event=y}}
{{1998frc204|event=y}}
{{1998frc205|event=y}}
{{1998frc206|event=y}}
{{TeamListFooter}}

==Official events==
[[1998tx|1998 Southwest Regional]] (March 5-7, 1998) 
[[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] (March 12-14, 1998) 
[[1998il|1998 Motorola Midwest Regional]] (March 12-14, 1998) 
[[1998mi|1998 Great Lakes Regional]] (March 19-21, 1998) 
[[1998nj|1998 Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]](March 19-21, 1998) 
[[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]] (April 2-4, 1998)

==Unofficial events==
[[1998utcrc|1998 UTC Robot Challenge]] (February 21, 1998) 
[[1998aroz|1998 Baxter Ozark Mountain Brawl]] (May 15, 1998) 
[[1998wmri|1998 West Michigan Robotics Invitational]] (June 6, 1998) 
[[havoc_on_the_hill|Havoc on the Hill]] (June 18, 1998) 
[[1998ratr|Rumble at the Rock III]] (June 10-11, 1998) 
[[1998parc|1998 Pennsylvania Robot Challenge]]

==Team Forum==
A team forum was held August 12, 1998 at the FIRST offices in Manchester. Over 50 team representatives, FIRST staff members, and invited guests attended, including [[Dean Kamen]] and [[Woodie Flowers]]. Topics discussed included the possibility of playing the same game or modifications of a similar game for several years in a row, the role of the human player and how much impact they should have on the match, and the role of professional engineers in the teams.

A more complete summary of the team forum can be found below.

<pdf>File:98 teamforum summary.pdf</pdf>

===Unofficial team survey===
[[frc190|Team 190]] surveyed 168 teams that attended the [[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] and/or the [[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991008151339/http://www.wpi.edu:80/~sullivan/robot/IQP_First/survey_results.html Results of the 1998 FIRST Competition Survey]</ref>. The survey asked about the team's work time, mentor and student numbers, and how much they spent on the robot, amongst other questions. The numerical results of the survey were:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991008143625/http://www.wpi.edu/~sullivan/robot/IQP_First/survey_numbers.html Numerical Results of the 1998 FIRST Competition Survey]</ref>

How early did your team start preparing for FIRST, relative to the kickoff? 
more than one month in advance: 53% 
At the kickoff: 28% 
1 month or less in advance: 14% 
1 week in advance: 5%

How long before the shipping date did you have a completed robot? 
at/after the deadline: 57% 
less than a week before: 20% 
1 week before: 17% 
more than 2 weeks before: 6%

How early did you start driver training? 
5-6 weeks after the kickoff: 35% 
1-2 weeks after the kickoff: 31% 
3-4 weeks after the kickoff: 27% 
before the kickoff: 7%

How far along into the competition did you begin the robot's construction? 
1-2 weeks after the kickoff: 43% 
almost immediately: 33% 
3-4 weeks after the kickoff: 20% 
5-6 weeks after the kickoff: 4%

How much use did you make of the FIRST web site? 
moderate use (6-20 times) 42% 
heavily (20+ times) 34% 
a little (1-5 times) 20% 
not at all 4%

How many times did you contact FIRST (via phone, fax, email) for assistance or rules clarifications? 
1-5 times: 43% 
6-20 times: 43% 
20+ times: 10% 
not at all: 4%

How many hours a week did you meet as a team? 
10+ hours: 75% 
6-10 hours: 15% 
3-5 hours: 7% 
0-2 hours: 3%

Did you divide your team into sub-groups working on different elements of the competition? 
yes: 96% 
no: 4%

Team sponsored by: 
Corporation: 71% 
Corporation and University: 14% 
Other: 13% 
University: 2%

Number of years your team has participated in FIRST: 
3 or more years: 42% 
first year participating: 31% 
second year: 27%

Approximate budget spent on prototypes, materials, machining and supplies (optional): 
less than $5,000: 52% 
$5,000 - $10,000: 24% 
$20,000+: 13% 
$10,000 - $20,000: 11%

Number of high school students participating 
20-40: 45% 
10-20: 39% 
more than 40: 12% 
fewer than 10: 4%

Number of engineers: 
more than 5: 50% 
3-5 engineers: 34% 
1-2 engineers: 16%

Number of non-technical advisors (e.g. high school teachers, parents): 
1-5: 64% 
5-20: 31% 
none: 3% 
more than 20: 2%

==Notes==
<references />

1998

2026-03-06T02:08:22Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Infobox Year
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| year = 1998
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44959 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/44959/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1998/1 1998]

| header20 = Game Information

| game_name = Ladder Logic

| number_teams = 199

| number_events = 6

| header70 = {{#if:{{{winners|}}}|Awards}}

| chairman_winner =
| champions = [[frc45|45]]
| finalists = [[frc121|121]]

| prevyear = [[1997]]
| nextyear = [[1999]]

| image2 = {{{altlogo|}}}
| caption2 = {{{altlogocaption|}}}

}}

The 1998 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began on January 10, 1998 with the [[kickoff]] in Nashua, New Hampshire.
Competition season consisted of five regional events, the [[1998tx|1998 Southwest Regional]] in Houston, Texas, [[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] in Hooksett, New Hampshire, the [[1998il|1998 Motorola Midwest Regional]] in Palatine, Illinois, the [[1998mi|1998 Great Lakes Regional]] in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and the [[1998nj|1998 Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] in New Brunswick, New Jersey as well as the [[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World.

Like in 1997, early promotional material referred to the game as simply "The Competition" or "The Competition 1998," and the first team update asked for game name suggestions. The "Ladder Logic" name was unveiled in team update #9 on February 21.

A [[Test_games#1998_test_game|test game]] for Ladder Logic was carried out in the fall of 1997, with some teams that had competed in 1997 building test robots for the game<ref>[https://www.chiefdelphi.com/t/what-is-first-s-plan-for-team-10000/436312/71?u=duckgwr What is FIRST's plan for Team 10000?]</ref>.

==Documentation==
===Game manual and team updates===
<pdf>File:1998 Game Manual (partial).pdf</pdf>{{TKHref}} 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1998_Team_Updates.pdf Team Updates]<ref name=tkh />

===Kickoff===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44347 Footage on the FRC Archive] <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVpF1arncGM 1998 FIRST Ladder Logic Kickoff]</ref>

===Other official documents===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:98_FIRSTinfo1.PDF FIRST The Competition 1998 pre-registration information]<ref name=tkh />

==Playing field and scoring==
<gallery perrow=4 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:46318 - 1998 game materials.png|Top-down view of the field before a match [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/46318]
File:46319 - 1998 game materials.png|Field setup for the one-on-one rounds [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/46319]
</gallery>

The field is a carpeted hexagon.

In the center of the field is an 8 foot hexagonal Central Goal. Extending outwards and upwards from the Central Goal are the ladder-like Rail Goals. The rail has two pipe dividers that divide it into thirds.

Centered on the sides of the field that are not supporting the outer end of the Rail Goals are the 5 foot wide Interaction Zones and Human Player Areas. The Interaction Zone is the three foot deep area where both robots and human players can interact with balls. Human players could not apply weight to this area but could reach or lean over it to grab balls in the interaction zone or load them into a robot. The Human Player Area behind the interaction zone and extending another three feet is where human players are allowed to stand and throw or load balls. Human players must wear safety helmets with attached face shields. Only three balls of any color can be kept in the player station at one time (although a robot can be holding additional balls inside the volume of the Interaction Zone).

Driver stations are positioned off-center on the Rail Goal sides of the field near their corresponding human player areas.

Three robots in the red, white, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with one on one matches later on. Robots can start in any orientation within the designated 4' by 4' starting area but cannot touch the center goal, rails, or field border. Each team has nine matching color balls. Three balls begin in the team's Interaction Zone with three more of each color on the floor forming three lines of three, one of each color, between where the robots begin. One ball of each color begins scored on each of the three different levels of the Rail Goals, with one ball of each color on each of the three Rail Goal "ladders". The Rail Goal extending over each team's starting are begins with one of their balls in the lowest section, with the rail counterclockwise around the field starting with one of their balls in the middle section, and their third pre-scored ball in the highest position of the Rail Goal clockwise around the field. In one-on-one playoff matches, robots play in the red and blue positions, with no white balls on the field.

Scoring begins when all balls in motion when a match ends have come to a rest (or upon a referees' decision). Balls in the highest third of the Rail Goals closest to the outside of the field are worth three points. Balls on the middle "rung" are worth two points, and balls in the central third of the Rail Goals are worth one point. A ball must be contacting both side rails of a Rail Goal with the center point of the ball above the place of the upper edge of the rails to be counted. Balls scored in the central goal are worth no points themselves but each ball doubles the score from the balls on the Rail Goals. A ball is considered scored in the central goal if the central plane of the ball is below the top rim of the goal and within the outside edge of the goal.

Tiebreaks are determined first by the team with the least penalties or warnings during the match, then the team with the most balls on the Rail Goals, then the team with the highest (or next highest, in the case of a tie) ball on the ladders, then by number of balls in the central goal, then the team with the highest ball in the central goal, and finally the team with the most opponent balls in their player station.

Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end.

===Game strategy===

Because robots started under the three-point ball of one of their opponents (or their only opponent in the 1 on 1 matches), a common opening move was to extend upwards and knock the three-point ball off the rungs. The bulk of match play often focused on human players and robots trying to get as many point doublers into the center goal as possible to ensure a good stackup of doublers before worrying about the balls on the point rungs which were more vulnerable than balls scored in the goal.

Robots could pass balls of an opponent's color to their human player both to take them out of play and to give the human player ammunition to toss at opponent's balls on the rungs to try to descore them. Some robots were built to squeeze the balls between the rungs of the goal and ladders to make it harder to knock them out of position, and some human players got good enough at throwing the balls with enough force that they could shoot them in through the pipes forming the sides of the goal.

Towards the end of the match, play would shift towards more offense on the rungs, with robots often adding a ball to a three-point rung and then camping over it to protect it from the human players or other robots. Human players would also shift focus towards throwing any remaining balls at high-value opponent balls on the rungs, trying to knock them off and leave them with zero points to double from the center goal.

Because of the way the double elimination tournament was structured, the one on one on one elimination rounds would sometimes see two teams focusing on a single harder opponent to try to knock them out before the one on one playoffs began. This two-on-one strategy is what caused [[frc47|team 47]], heavily favored to win the championship after three regional wins with the first swerve drive, to be eliminated at [[1998cmp|Nationals]].

==Robot construction==
As was the norm for the era, the majority of robot components came from the [[kit of parts]] or [[Small Parts]] catalog. The Small Parts allowance for 1998 was $425. Some components, like fasteners, lubrication, and some pipe fittings, could be used in unlimited quantities.

Robots must sit unconstrained inside a 36" by 30" rectangle and be no more than 48" tall. Like in [[1997]], a [[sizing cube]] was used as part of the inspection process. Robot weight, including battery, could not exceed 130lbs.

No (intentionally) detaching robot components were allowed in 1998. Robots must display their team company and school names and logos, as well as their team number on at least two opposite sides of the robot. Numbers must be at least five inches tall.

===Control system===

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44337 - 1998 control system kickoff.png|The transmit side of the control system at [[kickoff]], with two PC flight sticks, button box, and RNET radio [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44337]
File:44338 - 1998 control system kickoff.png|The BASIC Stamp controller (center) with Tekin speed controllers and several motors included in the kit [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44338]
File:45583 - 1998 control system.jpg|The 1998 transmit board [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45583]
</gallery>

The 1998 control system consisted of a Transmitter and Receiver pair. The transmit side of the control system was similar to the 1997 and previous control systems and had ports for PC joysticks and custom button controllers with DIP switches inside to change which controls were routed to with outputs. The Receiver box included a BASIC Stamp II and could be programmed using PBASIC. Any sensors used had to be connected back to the Receiver.

Available motors include drill motors, van door motors, car seat motors, and the "tape drive" motors used to drive car windows up and down. Drill and van door motors must be connected to the Tekin speed controllers. Instead of drill batteries, 12 volt gel-cell batteries were first used this year. A team update allowed for a modification to the speed controllers that bypassed the current limiting function.

Like many other years before and after, [[RNet]] radios were used to establish wireless communication between the robot and driver stations. Teams were supplied RNets in the kit but had to surrender them before competitions and use a tether cable to control their robots instead, with RNets being supplied to teams before upcoming matches to use for that match.

==Team list==
{{TeamEventListHeader
|lowerCaption =
}}
{{1998frc1|event=y}}
{{1998frc2|event=y}}
{{1998frc3|event=y}}
{{1998frc5|event=y}}
{{1998frc6|event=y}}
{{1998frc7|event=y}}
{{1998frc8|event=y}}
{{1998frc9|event=y}}
{{1998frc10|event=y}}
{{1998frc11|event=y}}
{{1998frc12|event=y}}
{{1998frc13|event=y}}
{{1998frc14|event=y}}
{{1998frc15|event=y}}
{{1998frc16|event=y}}
{{1998frc17|event=y}}
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{{TeamListFooter}}

==Official events==
[[1998tx|1998 Southwest Regional]] (March 5-7, 1998) 
[[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] (March 12-14, 1998) 
[[1998il|1998 Motorola Midwest Regional]] (March 12-14, 1998) 
[[1998mi|1998 Great Lakes Regional]] (March 19-21, 1998) 
[[1998nj|1998 Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]](March 19-21, 1998) 
[[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]] (April 2-4, 1998)

==Unofficial events==
[[1998utcrc|1998 UTC Robot Challenge]] (February 21, 1998) 
[[1998aroz|1998 Baxter Ozark Mountain Brawl]] (May 15, 1998) 
[[1998wmri|1998 West Michigan Robotics Invitational]] (June 6, 1998) 
[[havoc_on_the_hill|Havoc on the Hill]] (June 18, 1998) 
[[1998ratr|Rumble at the Rock III]] (June 10-11, 1998) 
[[1998parc|1998 Pennsylvania Robot Challenge]]

==Team Forum==
A team forum was held August 12, 1998 at the FIRST offices in Manchester. Over 50 team representatives, FIRST staff members, and invited guests attended, including [[Dean Kamen]] and [[Woodie Flowers]]. Topics discussed included the possibility of playing the same game or modifications of a similar game for several years in a row, the role of the human player and how much impact they should have on the match, and the role of professional engineers in the teams.

A more complete summary of the team forum can be found below.

<pdf>File:98 teamforum summary.pdf</pdf>

===Unofficial team survey===
[[frc190|Team 190]] surveyed 168 teams that attended the [[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] and/or the [[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991008151339/http://www.wpi.edu:80/~sullivan/robot/IQP_First/survey_results.html Results of the 1998 FIRST Competition Survey]</ref>. The survey asked about the team's work time, mentor and student numbers, and how much they spent on the robot, amongst other questions. The numerical results of the survey were:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991008143625/http://www.wpi.edu/~sullivan/robot/IQP_First/survey_numbers.html Numerical Results of the 1998 FIRST Competition Survey]</ref>

How early did your team start preparing for FIRST, relative to the kickoff? 
more than one month in advance: 53% 
At the kickoff: 28% 
1 month or less in advance: 14% 
1 week in advance: 5%

How long before the shipping date did you have a completed robot? 
at/after the deadline: 57% 
less than a week before: 20% 
1 week before: 17% 
more than 2 weeks before: 6%

How early did you start driver training? 
5-6 weeks after the kickoff: 35% 
1-2 weeks after the kickoff: 31% 
3-4 weeks after the kickoff: 27% 
before the kickoff: 7%

How far along into the competition did you begin the robot's construction? 
1-2 weeks after the kickoff: 43% 
almost immediately: 33% 
3-4 weeks after the kickoff: 20% 
5-6 weeks after the kickoff: 4%

How much use did you make of the FIRST web site? 
moderate use (6-20 times) 42% 
heavily (20+ times) 34% 
a little (1-5 times) 20% 
not at all 4%

How many times did you contact FIRST (via phone, fax, email) for assistance or rules clarifications? 
1-5 times: 43% 
6-20 times: 43% 
20+ times: 10% 
not at all: 4%

How many hours a week did you meet as a team? 
10+ hours: 75% 
6-10 hours: 15% 
3-5 hours: 7% 
0-2 hours: 3%

Did you divide your team into sub-groups working on different elements of the competition? 
yes: 96% 
no: 4%

Team sponsored by: 
Corporation: 71% 
Corporation and University: 14% 
Other: 13% 
University: 2%

Number of years your team has participated in FIRST: 
3 or more years: 42% 
first year participating: 31% 
second year: 27%

Approximate budget spent on prototypes, materials, machining and supplies (optional): 
less than $5,000: 52% 
$5,000 - $10,000: 24% 
$20,000+: 13% 
$10,000 - $20,000: 11%

Number of high school students participating 
20-40: 45% 
10-20: 39% 
more than 40: 12% 
fewer than 10: 4%

Number of engineers: 
more than 5: 50% 
3-5 engineers: 34% 
1-2 engineers: 16%

Number of non-technical advisors (e.g. high school teachers, parents): 
1-5: 64% 
5-20: 31% 
none: 3% 
more than 20: 2%

==Notes==
<references />

Template:1998frc47

2026-03-06T01:51:42Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Team
|teamNumber=[[frc47|47]]
|teamName=Delphi Interior and Lighting Systems & Pontiac Central High School
|teamNickname=Chief Delphi
|teamLocation=Troy/Pontiac, MI
|photoId=5955
|robotName=CD3
|archiveLink=[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1998%20frc47/1 1998 frc47]
|events=[[1998tx]], [[1998nh]], [[1998mi]], [[1998cmp]], [[1998wmri]], [[havoc_on_the_hill]]
|passEvent={{{event|}}}
}}

1998

2026-03-06T01:50:45Z

Fallinsideahole: /* Team Forum */

{{Infobox Year
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| year = 1998
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44959 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/44959/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1998/1 1998]

| header20 = Game Information

| game_name = Ladder Logic

| number_teams = 199

| number_events = 6

| header70 = {{#if:{{{winners|}}}|Awards}}

| chairman_winner =
| champions = [[frc45|45]]
| finalists = [[frc121|121]]

| prevyear = [[1997]]
| nextyear = [[1999]]

| image2 = {{{altlogo|}}}
| caption2 = {{{altlogocaption|}}}

}}

The 1998 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began on January 10, 1998 with the [[kickoff]] in Nashua, New Hampshire.
Competition season consisted of five regional events, the [[1998tx|1998 Southwest Regional]] in Houston, Texas, [[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] in Hooksett, New Hampshire, the [[1998il|1998 Motorola Midwest Regional]] in Palatine, Illinois, the [[1998mi|1998 Great Lakes Regional]] in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and the [[1998nj|1998 Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] in New Brunswick, New Jersey as well as the [[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World.

Like in 1997, early promotional material referred to the game as simply "The Competition" or "The Competition 1998," and the first team update asked for game name suggestions. The "Ladder Logic" name was unveiled in team update #9 on February 21.

A [[Test_games#1998_test_game|test game]] for Ladder Logic was carried out in the fall of 1997, with some teams that had competed in 1997 building test robots for the game<ref>[https://www.chiefdelphi.com/t/what-is-first-s-plan-for-team-10000/436312/71?u=duckgwr What is FIRST's plan for Team 10000?]</ref>.

==Documentation==
===Game manual and team updates===
<pdf>File:1998 Game Manual (partial).pdf</pdf>{{TKHref}} 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1998_Team_Updates.pdf Team Updates]<ref name=tkh />

===Kickoff===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44347 Footage on the FRC Archive] <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVpF1arncGM 1998 FIRST Ladder Logic Kickoff]</ref>

===Other official documents===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:98_FIRSTinfo1.PDF FIRST The Competition 1998 pre-registration information]<ref name=tkh />

==Playing field and scoring==
<gallery perrow=4 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:46318 - 1998 game materials.png|Top-down view of the field before a match [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/46318]
File:46319 - 1998 game materials.png|Field setup for the one-on-one rounds [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/46319]
</gallery>

The field is a carpeted hexagon.

In the center of the field is an 8 foot hexagonal Central Goal. Extending outwards and upwards from the Central Goal are the ladder-like Rail Goals. The rail has two pipe dividers that divide it into thirds.

Centered on the sides of the field that are not supporting the outer end of the Rail Goals are the 5 foot wide Interaction Zones and Human Player Areas. The Interaction Zone is the three foot deep area where both robots and human players can interact with balls. Human players could not apply weight to this area but could reach or lean over it to grab balls in the interaction zone or load them into a robot. The Human Player Area behind the interaction zone and extending another three feet is where human players are allowed to stand and throw or load balls. Human players must wear safety helmets with attached face shields. Only three balls of any color can be kept in the player station at one time (although a robot can be holding additional balls inside the volume of the Interaction Zone).

Driver stations are positioned off-center on the Rail Goal sides of the field near their corresponding human player areas.

Three robots in the red, white, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with one on one matches later on. Robots can start in any orientation within the designated 4' by 4' starting area but cannot touch the center goal, rails, or field border. Each team has nine matching color balls. Three balls begin in the team's Interaction Zone with three more of each color on the floor forming three lines of three, one of each color, between where the robots begin. One ball of each color begins scored on each of the three different levels of the Rail Goals, with one ball of each color on each of the three Rail Goal "ladders". The Rail Goal extending over each team's starting are begins with one of their balls in the lowest section, with the rail counterclockwise around the field starting with one of their balls in the middle section, and their third pre-scored ball in the highest position of the Rail Goal clockwise around the field. In one-on-one playoff matches, robots play in the red and blue positions, with no white balls on the field.

Scoring begins when all balls in motion when a match ends have come to a rest (or upon a referees' decision). Balls in the highest third of the Rail Goals closest to the outside of the field are worth three points. Balls on the middle "rung" are worth two points, and balls in the central third of the Rail Goals are worth one point. A ball must be contacting both side rails of a Rail Goal with the center point of the ball above the place of the upper edge of the rails to be counted. Balls scored in the central goal are worth no points themselves but each ball doubles the score from the balls on the Rail Goals. A ball is considered scored in the central goal if the central plane of the ball is below the top rim of the goal and within the outside edge of the goal.

Tiebreaks are determined first by the team with the least penalties or warnings during the match, then the team with the most balls on the Rail Goals, then the team with the highest (or next highest, in the case of a tie) ball on the ladders, then by number of balls in the central goal, then the team with the highest ball in the central goal, and finally the team with the most opponent balls in their player station.

Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end.

===Game strategy===

Because robots started under the three-point ball of one of their opponents (or their only opponent in the 1 on 1 matches), a common opening move was to extend upwards and knock the three-point ball off the rungs. The bulk of match play often focused on human players and robots trying to get as many point doublers into the center goal as possible to ensure a good stackup of doublers before worrying about the balls on the point rungs which were more vulnerable than balls scored in the goal.

Robots could pass balls of an opponent's color to their human player both to take them out of play and to give the human player ammunition to toss at opponent's balls on the rungs to try to descore them. Some robots were built to squeeze the balls between the rungs of the goal and ladders to make it harder to knock them out of position, and some human players got good enough at throwing the balls with enough force that they could shoot them in through the pipes forming the sides of the goal.

Towards the end of the match, play would shift towards more offense on the rungs, with robots often adding a ball to a three-point rung and then camping over it to protect it from the human players or other robots. Human players would also shift focus towards throwing any remaining balls at high-value opponent balls on the rungs, trying to knock them off and leave them with zero points to double from the center goal.

Because of the way the double elimination tournament was structured, the one on one on one elimination rounds would sometimes see two teams focusing on a single harder opponent to try to knock them out before the one on one playoffs began. This two-on-one strategy is what caused [[frc47|team 47]], heavily favored to win the championship after three regional wins with the first swerve drive, to be eliminated at [[1998cmp|Nationals]].

==Robot construction==
As was the norm for the era, the majority of robot components came from the [[kit of parts]] or [[Small Parts]] catalog. The Small Parts allowance for 1998 was $425. Some components, like fasteners, lubrication, and some pipe fittings, could be used in unlimited quantities.

Robots must sit unconstrained inside a 36" by 30" rectangle and be no more than 48" tall. Like in [[1997]], a [[sizing cube]] was used as part of the inspection process. Robot weight, including battery, could not exceed 130lbs.

No (intentionally) detaching robot components were allowed in 1998. Robots must display their team company and school names and logos, as well as their team number on at least two opposite sides of the robot. Numbers must be at least five inches tall.

===Control system===

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44337 - 1998 control system kickoff.png|The transmit side of the control system at [[kickoff]], with two PC flight sticks, button box, and RNET radio [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44337]
File:44338 - 1998 control system kickoff.png|The BASIC Stamp controller (center) with Tekin speed controllers and several motors included in the kit [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44338]
File:45583 - 1998 control system.jpg|The 1998 transmit board [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45583]
</gallery>

The 1998 control system consisted of a Transmitter and Receiver pair. The transmit side of the control system was similar to the 1997 and previous control systems and had ports for PC joysticks and custom button controllers with DIP switches inside to change which controls were routed to with outputs. The Receiver box included a BASIC Stamp II and could be programmed using PBASIC. Any sensors used had to be connected back to the Receiver.

Available motors include drill motors, van door motors, car seat motors, and the "tape drive" motors used to drive car windows up and down. Drill and van door motors must be connected to the Tekin speed controllers. Instead of drill batteries, 12 volt gel-cell batteries were first used this year. A team update allowed for a modification to the speed controllers that bypassed the current limiting function.

Like many other years before and after, [[RNet]] radios were used to establish wireless communication between the robot and driver stations. Teams were supplied RNets in the kit but had to surrender them before competitions and use a tether cable to control their robots instead, with RNets being supplied to teams before upcoming matches to use for that match.

==Team list==
{{TeamEventListHeader
|lowerCaption =
}}
{{1998frc1|event=y}}
{{1998frc2|event=y}}
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{{1998frc5|event=y}}
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{{1998frc12|event=y}}
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{{1998frc14|event=y}}
{{1998frc15|event=y}}
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{{1998frc19|event=y}}
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{{1998frc22|event=y}}
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{{1998frc24|event=y}}
{{1998frc25|event=y}}
{{1998frc26|event=y}}
{{1998frc27|event=y}}
{{1998frc28|event=y}}
{{1998frc29|event=y}}
{{1998frc30|event=y}}
{{1998frc31|event=y}}
{{1998frc32|event=y}}
{{1998frc33|event=y}}
{{1998frc34|event=y}}
{{1998frc35|event=y}}
{{1998frc36|event=y}}
{{1998frc37|event=y}}
{{1998frc38|event=y}}
{{1998frc40|event=y}}
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{{1998frc46|event=y}}
{{1998frc47|event=y}}
{{1998frc48|event=y}}
{{1998frc49|event=y}}
{{1998frc50|event=y}}
{{1998frc52|event=y}}
{{1998frc53|event=y}}
{{1998frc54|event=y}}
{{1998frc55|event=y}}
{{1998frc56|event=y}}
{{1998frc57|event=y}}
{{1998frc58|event=y}}
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{{1998frc60|event=y}}
{{1998frc61|event=y}}
{{1998frc62|event=y}}
{{1998frc63|event=y}}
{{1998frc64|event=y}}
{{1998frc65|event=y}}
{{1998frc66|event=y}}
{{1998frc67|event=y}}
{{1998frc68|event=y}}
{{1998frc69|event=y}}
{{1998frc70|event=y}}
{{1998frc71|event=y}}
{{1998frc72|event=y}}
{{1998frc73|event=y}}
{{1998frc74|event=y}}
{{1998frc75|event=y}}
{{1998frc76|event=y}}
{{1998frc77|event=y}}
{{1998frc79|event=y}}
{{1998frc80|event=y}}
{{1998frc81|event=y}}
{{1998frc82|event=y}}
{{1998frc83|event=y}}
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{{1998frc107|event=y}}
{{1998frc108|event=y}}
{{1998frc109|event=y}}
{{1998frc110|event=y}}
{{1998frc111|event=y}}
{{1998frc112|event=y}}
{{1998frc113|event=y}}
{{1998frc114|event=y}}
{{1998frc115|event=y}}
{{1998frc116|event=y}}
{{1998frc117|event=y}}
{{1998frc118|event=y}}
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{{1998frc120|event=y}}
{{1998frc121|event=y}}
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{{1998frc123|event=y}}
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{{1998frc127|event=y}}
{{1998frc128|event=y}}
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{{1998frc130|event=y}}
{{1998frc131|event=y}}
{{1998frc132|event=y}}
{{1998frc133|event=y}}
{{1998frc134|event=y}}
{{1998frc135|event=y}}
{{1998frc136|event=y}}
{{1998frc137|event=y}}
{{1998frc138|event=y}}
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{{1998frc141|event=y}}
{{1998frc142|event=y}}
{{1998frc143|event=y}}
{{1998frc144|event=y}}
{{1998frc145|event=y}}
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{{1998frc148|event=y}}
{{1998frc149|event=y}}
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{{1998frc155|event=y}}
{{1998frc157|event=y}}
{{1998frc158|event=y}}
{{1998frc159|event=y}}
{{1998frc160|event=y}}
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{{1998frc162|event=y}}
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{{1998frc164|event=y}}
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{{1998frc167|event=y}}
{{1998frc168|event=y}}
{{1998frc169|event=y}}
{{1998frc170|event=y}}
{{1998frc171|event=y}}
{{1998frc172|event=y}}
{{1998frc173|event=y}}
{{1998frc174|event=y}}
{{1998frc175|event=y}}
{{1998frc176|event=y}}
{{1998frc177|event=y}}
{{1998frc178|event=y}}
{{1998frc179|event=y}}
{{1998frc180|event=y}}
{{1998frc181|event=y}}
{{1998frc182|event=y}}
{{1998frc183|event=y}}
{{1998frc184|event=y}}
{{1998frc185|event=y}}
{{1998frc186|event=y}}
{{1998frc187|event=y}}
{{1998frc188|event=y}}
{{1998frc189|event=y}}
{{1998frc190|event=y}}
{{1998frc191|event=y}}
{{1998frc192|event=y}}
{{1998frc194|event=y}}
{{1998frc195|event=y}}
{{1998frc196|event=y}}
{{1998frc197|event=y}}
{{1998frc198|event=y}}
{{1998frc200|event=y}}
{{1998frc201|event=y}}
{{1998frc202|event=y}}
{{1998frc203|event=y}}
{{1998frc204|event=y}}
{{1998frc205|event=y}}
{{1998frc206|event=y}}
{{TeamListFooter}}

==Official events==
[[1998tx|1998 Southwest Regional]] (March 5-7, 1998) 
[[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] (March 12-14, 1998) 
[[1998il|1998 Motorola Midwest Regional]] (March 12-14, 1998) 
[[1998mi|1998 Great Lakes Regional]] (March 19-21, 1998) 
[[1998nj|1998 Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]](March 19-21, 1998) 
[[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]] (April 2-4, 1998)

==Unofficial events==
[[1998utcrc|1998 UTC Robot Challenge]] (February 21, 1998) 
[[1998aroz|1998 Baxter Ozark Mountain Brawl]] (May 15, 1998) 
[[1998wmri|1998 West Michigan Robotics Invitational]] (June 6, 1998) 
[[havoc_on_the_hill|Havoc on the Hill]] (June 18, 1998) 
[[1998ratr|Rumble at the Rock III]] (June 10-11, 1998) 
[[1998parc|1998 Pennsylvania Robot Challenge]]

==Team Forum==
A team forum was held August 12, 1998 at the FIRST offices in Manchester. Over 50 team representatives, FIRST staff members, and invited guests attended, including [[Dean Kamen]] and [[Woodie Flowers]]. Topics discussed included the possibility of playing the same game or modifications of a similar game for several years in a row, the role of the human player and how much impact they should have on the match, and the role of professional engineers in the teams.

A more complete summary of the team forum can be found below.

<pdf>File:98 teamforum summary.pdf</pdf>

===Unofficial team survey===
[[frc190|Team 190]] surveyed all 168 teams that attended the

==Notes==
<references />

1998

2026-03-05T00:58:24Z

Fallinsideahole: /* Partial game manual and team updates */

{{Infobox Year
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| year = 1998
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44959 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/44959/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1998/1 1998]

| header20 = Game Information

| game_name = Ladder Logic

| number_teams = 199

| number_events = 6

| header70 = {{#if:{{{winners|}}}|Awards}}

| chairman_winner =
| champions = [[frc45|45]]
| finalists = [[frc121|121]]

| prevyear = [[1997]]
| nextyear = [[1999]]

| image2 = {{{altlogo|}}}
| caption2 = {{{altlogocaption|}}}

}}

The 1998 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began on January 10, 1998 with the [[kickoff]] in Nashua, New Hampshire.
Competition season consisted of five regional events, the [[1998tx|1998 Southwest Regional]] in Houston, Texas, [[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] in Hooksett, New Hampshire, the [[1998il|1998 Motorola Midwest Regional]] in Palatine, Illinois, the [[1998mi|1998 Great Lakes Regional]] in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and the [[1998nj|1998 Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] in New Brunswick, New Jersey as well as the [[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]] at the EPCOT Center at Disney World.

Like in 1997, early promotional material referred to the game as simply "The Competition" or "The Competition 1998," and the first team update asked for game name suggestions. The "Ladder Logic" name was unveiled in team update #9 on February 21.

A [[Test_games#1998_test_game|test game]] for Ladder Logic was carried out in the fall of 1997, with some teams that had competed in 1997 building test robots for the game<ref>[https://www.chiefdelphi.com/t/what-is-first-s-plan-for-team-10000/436312/71?u=duckgwr What is FIRST's plan for Team 10000?]</ref>.

==Documentation==
===Game manual and team updates===
<pdf>File:1998 Game Manual (partial).pdf</pdf>{{TKHref}} 
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:1998_Team_Updates.pdf Team Updates]<ref name=tkh />

===Kickoff===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44347 Footage on the FRC Archive] <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVpF1arncGM 1998 FIRST Ladder Logic Kickoff]</ref>

===Other official documents===
[https://www.frcarchive.com/frcwiki/index.php/File:98_FIRSTinfo1.PDF FIRST The Competition 1998 pre-registration information]<ref name=tkh />

==Playing field and scoring==
<gallery perrow=4 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:46318 - 1998 game materials.png|Top-down view of the field before a match [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/46318]
File:46319 - 1998 game materials.png|Field setup for the one-on-one rounds [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/46319]
</gallery>

The field is a carpeted hexagon.

In the center of the field is an 8 foot hexagonal Central Goal. Extending outwards and upwards from the Central Goal are the ladder-like Rail Goals. The rail has two pipe dividers that divide it into thirds.

Centered on the sides of the field that are not supporting the outer end of the Rail Goals are the 5 foot wide Interaction Zones and Human Player Areas. The Interaction Zone is the three foot deep area where both robots and human players can interact with balls. Human players could not apply weight to this area but could reach or lean over it to grab balls in the interaction zone or load them into a robot. The Human Player Area behind the interaction zone and extending another three feet is where human players are allowed to stand and throw or load balls. Human players must wear safety helmets with attached face shields. Only three balls of any color can be kept in the player station at one time (although a robot can be holding additional balls inside the volume of the Interaction Zone).

Driver stations are positioned off-center on the Rail Goal sides of the field near their corresponding human player areas.

Three robots in the red, white, and blue positions play simultaneously in the seeding rounds and earlier rounds of playoffs, with one on one matches later on. Robots can start in any orientation within the designated 4' by 4' starting area but cannot touch the center goal, rails, or field border. Each team has nine matching color balls. Three balls begin in the team's Interaction Zone with three more of each color on the floor forming three lines of three, one of each color, between where the robots begin. One ball of each color begins scored on each of the three different levels of the Rail Goals, with one ball of each color on each of the three Rail Goal "ladders". The Rail Goal extending over each team's starting are begins with one of their balls in the lowest section, with the rail counterclockwise around the field starting with one of their balls in the middle section, and their third pre-scored ball in the highest position of the Rail Goal clockwise around the field. In one-on-one playoff matches, robots play in the red and blue positions, with no white balls on the field.

Scoring begins when all balls in motion when a match ends have come to a rest (or upon a referees' decision). Balls in the highest third of the Rail Goals closest to the outside of the field are worth three points. Balls on the middle "rung" are worth two points, and balls in the central third of the Rail Goals are worth one point. A ball must be contacting both side rails of a Rail Goal with the center point of the ball above the place of the upper edge of the rails to be counted. Balls scored in the central goal are worth no points themselves but each ball doubles the score from the balls on the Rail Goals. A ball is considered scored in the central goal if the central plane of the ball is below the top rim of the goal and within the outside edge of the goal.

Tiebreaks are determined first by the team with the least penalties or warnings during the match, then the team with the most balls on the Rail Goals, then the team with the highest (or next highest, in the case of a tie) ball on the ladders, then by number of balls in the central goal, then the team with the highest ball in the central goal, and finally the team with the most opponent balls in their player station.

Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end.

===Game strategy===

Because robots started under the three-point ball of one of their opponents (or their only opponent in the 1 on 1 matches), a common opening move was to extend upwards and knock the three-point ball off the rungs. The bulk of match play often focused on human players and robots trying to get as many point doublers into the center goal as possible to ensure a good stackup of doublers before worrying about the balls on the point rungs which were more vulnerable than balls scored in the goal.

Robots could pass balls of an opponent's color to their human player both to take them out of play and to give the human player ammunition to toss at opponent's balls on the rungs to try to descore them. Some robots were built to squeeze the balls between the rungs of the goal and ladders to make it harder to knock them out of position, and some human players got good enough at throwing the balls with enough force that they could shoot them in through the pipes forming the sides of the goal.

Towards the end of the match, play would shift towards more offense on the rungs, with robots often adding a ball to a three-point rung and then camping over it to protect it from the human players or other robots. Human players would also shift focus towards throwing any remaining balls at high-value opponent balls on the rungs, trying to knock them off and leave them with zero points to double from the center goal.

Because of the way the double elimination tournament was structured, the one on one on one elimination rounds would sometimes see two teams focusing on a single harder opponent to try to knock them out before the one on one playoffs began. This two-on-one strategy is what caused [[frc47|team 47]], heavily favored to win the championship after three regional wins with the first swerve drive, to be eliminated at [[1998cmp|Nationals]].

==Robot construction==
As was the norm for the era, the majority of robot components came from the [[kit of parts]] or [[Small Parts]] catalog. The Small Parts allowance for 1998 was $425. Some components, like fasteners, lubrication, and some pipe fittings, could be used in unlimited quantities.

Robots must sit unconstrained inside a 36" by 30" rectangle and be no more than 48" tall. Like in [[1997]], a [[sizing cube]] was used as part of the inspection process. Robot weight, including battery, could not exceed 130lbs.

No (intentionally) detaching robot components were allowed in 1998. Robots must display their team company and school names and logos, as well as their team number on at least two opposite sides of the robot. Numbers must be at least five inches tall.

===Control system===

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44337 - 1998 control system kickoff.png|The transmit side of the control system at [[kickoff]], with two PC flight sticks, button box, and RNET radio [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44337]
File:44338 - 1998 control system kickoff.png|The BASIC Stamp controller (center) with Tekin speed controllers and several motors included in the kit [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44338]
File:45583 - 1998 control system.jpg|The 1998 transmit board [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45583]
</gallery>

The 1998 control system consisted of a Transmitter and Receiver pair. The transmit side of the control system was similar to the 1997 and previous control systems and had ports for PC joysticks and custom button controllers with DIP switches inside to change which controls were routed to with outputs. The Receiver box included a BASIC Stamp II and could be programmed using PBASIC. Any sensors used had to be connected back to the Receiver.

Available motors include drill motors, van door motors, car seat motors, and the "tape drive" motors used to drive car windows up and down. Drill and van door motors must be connected to the Tekin speed controllers. Instead of drill batteries, 12 volt gel-cell batteries were first used this year. A team update allowed for a modification to the speed controllers that bypassed the current limiting function.

Like many other years before and after, [[RNet]] radios were used to establish wireless communication between the robot and driver stations. Teams were supplied RNets in the kit but had to surrender them before competitions and use a tether cable to control their robots instead, with RNets being supplied to teams before upcoming matches to use for that match.

==Team list==
{{TeamEventListHeader
|lowerCaption =
}}
{{1998frc1|event=y}}
{{1998frc2|event=y}}
{{1998frc3|event=y}}
{{1998frc5|event=y}}
{{1998frc6|event=y}}
{{1998frc7|event=y}}
{{1998frc8|event=y}}
{{1998frc9|event=y}}
{{1998frc10|event=y}}
{{1998frc11|event=y}}
{{1998frc12|event=y}}
{{1998frc13|event=y}}
{{1998frc14|event=y}}
{{1998frc15|event=y}}
{{1998frc16|event=y}}
{{1998frc17|event=y}}
{{1998frc18|event=y}}
{{1998frc19|event=y}}
{{1998frc20|event=y}}
{{1998frc21|event=y}}
{{1998frc22|event=y}}
{{1998frc23|event=y}}
{{1998frc24|event=y}}
{{1998frc25|event=y}}
{{1998frc26|event=y}}
{{1998frc27|event=y}}
{{1998frc28|event=y}}
{{1998frc29|event=y}}
{{1998frc30|event=y}}
{{1998frc31|event=y}}
{{1998frc32|event=y}}
{{1998frc33|event=y}}
{{1998frc34|event=y}}
{{1998frc35|event=y}}
{{1998frc36|event=y}}
{{1998frc37|event=y}}
{{1998frc38|event=y}}
{{1998frc40|event=y}}
{{1998frc41|event=y}}
{{1998frc42|event=y}}
{{1998frc43|event=y}}
{{1998frc44|event=y}}
{{1998frc45|event=y}}
{{1998frc46|event=y}}
{{1998frc47|event=y}}
{{1998frc48|event=y}}
{{1998frc49|event=y}}
{{1998frc50|event=y}}
{{1998frc52|event=y}}
{{1998frc53|event=y}}
{{1998frc54|event=y}}
{{1998frc55|event=y}}
{{1998frc56|event=y}}
{{1998frc57|event=y}}
{{1998frc58|event=y}}
{{1998frc59|event=y}}
{{1998frc60|event=y}}
{{1998frc61|event=y}}
{{1998frc62|event=y}}
{{1998frc63|event=y}}
{{1998frc64|event=y}}
{{1998frc65|event=y}}
{{1998frc66|event=y}}
{{1998frc67|event=y}}
{{1998frc68|event=y}}
{{1998frc69|event=y}}
{{1998frc70|event=y}}
{{1998frc71|event=y}}
{{1998frc72|event=y}}
{{1998frc73|event=y}}
{{1998frc74|event=y}}
{{1998frc75|event=y}}
{{1998frc76|event=y}}
{{1998frc77|event=y}}
{{1998frc79|event=y}}
{{1998frc80|event=y}}
{{1998frc81|event=y}}
{{1998frc82|event=y}}
{{1998frc83|event=y}}
{{1998frc84|event=y}}
{{1998frc85|event=y}}
{{1998frc86|event=y}}
{{1998frc87|event=y}}
{{1998frc88|event=y}}
{{1998frc89|event=y}}
{{1998frc90|event=y}}
{{1998frc91|event=y}}
{{1998frc92|event=y}}
{{1998frc93|event=y}}
{{1998frc94|event=y}}
{{1998frc95|event=y}}
{{1998frc96|event=y}}
{{1998frc97|event=y}}
{{1998frc98|event=y}}
{{1998frc99|event=y}}
{{1998frc100|event=y}}
{{1998frc101|event=y}}
{{1998frc102|event=y}}
{{1998frc103|event=y}}
{{1998frc104|event=y}}
{{1998frc105|event=y}}
{{1998frc106|event=y}}
{{1998frc107|event=y}}
{{1998frc108|event=y}}
{{1998frc109|event=y}}
{{1998frc110|event=y}}
{{1998frc111|event=y}}
{{1998frc112|event=y}}
{{1998frc113|event=y}}
{{1998frc114|event=y}}
{{1998frc115|event=y}}
{{1998frc116|event=y}}
{{1998frc117|event=y}}
{{1998frc118|event=y}}
{{1998frc119|event=y}}
{{1998frc120|event=y}}
{{1998frc121|event=y}}
{{1998frc122|event=y}}
{{1998frc123|event=y}}
{{1998frc124|event=y}}
{{1998frc125|event=y}}
{{1998frc126|event=y}}
{{1998frc127|event=y}}
{{1998frc128|event=y}}
{{1998frc129|event=y}}
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{{1998frc133|event=y}}
{{1998frc134|event=y}}
{{1998frc135|event=y}}
{{1998frc136|event=y}}
{{1998frc137|event=y}}
{{1998frc138|event=y}}
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{{1998frc140|event=y}}
{{1998frc141|event=y}}
{{1998frc142|event=y}}
{{1998frc143|event=y}}
{{1998frc144|event=y}}
{{1998frc145|event=y}}
{{1998frc146|event=y}}
{{1998frc147|event=y}}
{{1998frc148|event=y}}
{{1998frc149|event=y}}
{{1998frc150|event=y}}
{{1998frc151|event=y}}
{{1998frc152|event=y}}
{{1998frc153|event=y}}
{{1998frc154|event=y}}
{{1998frc155|event=y}}
{{1998frc157|event=y}}
{{1998frc158|event=y}}
{{1998frc159|event=y}}
{{1998frc160|event=y}}
{{1998frc161|event=y}}
{{1998frc162|event=y}}
{{1998frc163|event=y}}
{{1998frc164|event=y}}
{{1998frc165|event=y}}
{{1998frc166|event=y}}
{{1998frc167|event=y}}
{{1998frc168|event=y}}
{{1998frc169|event=y}}
{{1998frc170|event=y}}
{{1998frc171|event=y}}
{{1998frc172|event=y}}
{{1998frc173|event=y}}
{{1998frc174|event=y}}
{{1998frc175|event=y}}
{{1998frc176|event=y}}
{{1998frc177|event=y}}
{{1998frc178|event=y}}
{{1998frc179|event=y}}
{{1998frc180|event=y}}
{{1998frc181|event=y}}
{{1998frc182|event=y}}
{{1998frc183|event=y}}
{{1998frc184|event=y}}
{{1998frc185|event=y}}
{{1998frc186|event=y}}
{{1998frc187|event=y}}
{{1998frc188|event=y}}
{{1998frc189|event=y}}
{{1998frc190|event=y}}
{{1998frc191|event=y}}
{{1998frc192|event=y}}
{{1998frc194|event=y}}
{{1998frc195|event=y}}
{{1998frc196|event=y}}
{{1998frc197|event=y}}
{{1998frc198|event=y}}
{{1998frc200|event=y}}
{{1998frc201|event=y}}
{{1998frc202|event=y}}
{{1998frc203|event=y}}
{{1998frc204|event=y}}
{{1998frc205|event=y}}
{{1998frc206|event=y}}
{{TeamListFooter}}

==Official events==
[[1998tx|1998 Southwest Regional]] (March 5-7, 1998) 
[[1998nh|1998 New England Regional]] (March 12-14, 1998) 
[[1998il|1998 Motorola Midwest Regional]] (March 12-14, 1998) 
[[1998mi|1998 Great Lakes Regional]] (March 19-21, 1998) 
[[1998nj|1998 Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]](March 19-21, 1998) 
[[1998cmp|1998 National Championship]] (April 2-4, 1998)

==Unofficial events==
[[1998utcrc|1998 UTC Robot Challenge]] (February 21, 1998) 
[[1998aroz|1998 Baxter Ozark Mountain Brawl]] (May 15, 1998) 
[[1998wmri|1998 West Michigan Robotics Invitational]] (June 6, 1998) 
[[havoc_on_the_hill|Havoc on the Hill]] (June 18, 1998) 
[[1998ratr|Rumble at the Rock III]] (June 10-11, 1998) 
[[1998parc|1998 Pennsylvania Robot Challenge]]

==Team Forum==
A team forum was held August 12, 1998 at the FIRST offices in Manchester. Over 50 team representatives, FIRST staff members, and invited guests attended, including [[Dean Kamen]] and [[Woodie Flowers]]. Topics discussed included the possibility of playing the same game or modifications of a similar game for several years in a row, the role of the human player and how much impact they should have on the match, and the role of professional engineers in the teams.

A more complete summary of the team forum can be found below.

<pdf>File:98 teamforum summary.pdf</pdf>

==Notes==
<references />

File:1998 Game Manual (partial).pdf

2026-03-05T00:57:15Z

Fallinsideahole: Fallinsideahole uploaded a new version of File:1998 Game Manual (partial).pdf

== Summary ==
Compiled from the [https://web.archive.org/web/20170121072536/http://www.technokats.org/history-project/ TechnoKats History Project] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20230402013056/http://team358.org/history/1992-1999/1998LadderLogic.php team 358]

File:1998 Game Manual (partial).pdf

2026-03-05T00:56:45Z

Fallinsideahole: /* Summary */

Sizing cube

2026-03-05T00:11:10Z

Fallinsideahole:

The sizing cube or sizing box was a large clear rectangular box used as part of the [[inspection]] process to ensure robots fit within the specified starting dimensions from [[1996]] to [[1999]].

==Gallery==
<gallery caption="Additional photos on the [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/sizing_cube/1 FRC Archive]" perrow=4 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:45883 - 1996 1996cmp frc171 inspection sizing cube.png|[[frc171|Team 171]] loading their robot into the sizing cube at the [[1996cmp|1996 National Championship]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45883]
File:44515 - 1997 1997frc155 1997il frc-49 inspection pit robot sizing cube.png|[[frc-49|Team -49]]'s robot in the sizing box at the [[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44515]
File:15497 - 1998 1998nj pit sizing cube.jpg|The top of the sizing box at the [[1998nj|1998 Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/15497]
File:1769 - 1999 1999pa inspection pit pit admin sizing cube volunteer.jpg|The sizing box at [[pit admin]] at the [[1999pa|1999 Philadelphia Alliance Regional]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/1769]
</gallery>

File:1769 - 1999 1999pa inspection pit pit admin sizing cube volunteer.jpg

2026-03-05T00:07:03Z

Fallinsideahole:

Sizing cube

2026-03-05T00:04:22Z

Fallinsideahole:

The sizing cube or sizing box was a large clear rectangular box used as part of the [[inspection]] process to ensure robots fit within the specified starting dimensions from [[1996]] to [[1999]].

==Gallery==
<gallery caption="Additional photos on the [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/sizing_cube/1 FRC Archive]" perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:45883 - 1996 1996cmp frc171 inspection sizing cube.png|[[frc171|Team 171]] loading their robot into the sizing cube at the [[1996cmp|1996 National Championship]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45883]
File:44515 - 1997 1997frc155 1997il frc-49 inspection pit robot sizing cube.png|[[frc-49|Team -49]]'s robot in the sizing box at the [[1997il|1997 Motorola Midwest Regional]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44515]
File:15497 - 1998 1998nj pit sizing cube.jpg| The top of the sizing box at the [[1998nj|1998 Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/15497]
</gallery>

Template:1994frc-102

2026-03-04T21:24:06Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Team
|teamNumber=[[frc-102|-102]]
|teamName=Symbiosis Corporation & Miami Springs High School
|teamNickname=The Flying Springs
|teamLocation=Miami, FL
|photoId=
|robotName=
|archiveLink=[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1994%20frc-102/1 1994 frc-102]
|events=[[1994cmp]]
|passEvent={{{event|}}}
}}

Template:1996frc74

2026-03-04T02:42:55Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Team
|teamNumber=[[frc74|74]]
|teamName=Haworth, Inc. & Holland High School
|teamNickname=
|teamLocation=Holland, MI
|photoId=45833
|robotName=Rolling Thunder
|archiveLink=[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1996%20frc74/1 1996 frc74]
|events=[[1996nh]], [[1996cmp]]
|passEvent={{{event|}}}
}}

Template:1995frc74

2026-03-04T02:40:39Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Team
|teamNumber=[[frc74|74]]
|teamName=Haworth, Inc. & Holland Public Schools
|teamNickname=
|teamLocation=Holland, MI
|photoId=
|robotName=V.E.R.N. (Virtual Evolutionary Robotic Nomad)
|archiveLink=[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1995%20frc74/1 1995 frc74]
|events=[[1995cmp]]
|passEvent={{{event|}}}
}}

Template:1996frc74

2026-03-04T02:40:14Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Team
|teamNumber=[[frc74|74]]
|teamName=Haworth, Inc. & Holland High School
|teamNickname=
|teamLocation=Holland, MI
|photoId=4559
|robotName=Rolling Thunder
|archiveLink=[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1996%20frc74/1 1996 frc74]
|events=[[1996nh]], [[1996cmp]]
|passEvent={{{event|}}}
}}

File:1997 Game Manual.pdf

2026-03-04T02:23:07Z

Fallinsideahole: Fallinsideahole uploaded a new version of File:1997 Game Manual (partial).pdf

File:1997 Game Manual.pdf

2026-03-04T02:22:52Z

Fallinsideahole: /* Summary */

Template:1995frc177

2026-03-03T02:33:26Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Team
|teamNumber=[[frc177|177]]
|teamName=International Fuel Cells & South Windsor High School
|teamNickname=
|teamLocation=South Windsor, CT
|photoId=42739
|robotName=Ramp Rover
|archiveLink=[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1995%20frc177/1 1995 frc177]
|events=[[1995nh]]
|passEvent={{{event|}}}
}}

1998 National Championship

2026-03-03T01:05:55Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Infobox EventNoAlliance
| name = 1998 National Championship
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/21057 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/21057/thumb.jpg]
| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1998cmp/1 1998cmp]
| number_teams = 166
| location = Orlando, Florida
| venue = EPCOT Center
| date = April 2-4, 1998
| chairman_winner =
| impact_winner =
| champions = [[frc45|45]]
| finalists = [[frc121|121]]
| altlogo =
| altlogocaption =
| below =
| prevevent =[[1997cmp]]
| nextevent =[[1999cmp]]
}}

The 1998 National Championship was the final official event of the [[1998]] FIRST Robotics Competition season. The championship took place at Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center from April 2nd to 4th, 1998. Two playing fields were set up on a large stage built in the EPCOT parking lot, with another large tent housing the pit area. Teams did not need to qualify for the championship at the regional level and some teams only attended the championship.

==Team list and rankings<ref name="cmpb">[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/5793&#search=1998cmp Ladder Logic National Championship Double Elimination Tournament]</ref>==
{{RankingListHeader
|lowerCaption =
}}
|1||{{1998frc177}}
|2||{{1998frc16}}
|3||{{1998frc126}}
|4||{{1998frc88}}
|5||{{1998frc57}}
|6||{{1998frc192}}
|7||{{1998frc13}}
|8||{{1998frc111}}
|9||{{1998frc65}}
|10||{{1998frc176}}
|11||{{1998frc1}}
|12||{{1998frc135}}
|13||{{1998frc120}}
|14||{{1998frc23}}
|15||{{1998frc157}}
|16||{{1998frc143}}
|17||{{1998frc10}}
|18||{{1998frc81}}
|19||{{1998frc42}}
|20||{{1998frc96}}
|21||{{1998frc28}}
|22||{{1998frc99}}
|23||{{1998frc67}}
|24||{{1998frc133}}
|25||{{1998frc71}}
|26||{{1998frc173}}
|27||{{1998frc85}}
|28||{{1998frc132}}
|29||{{1998frc165}}
|30||{{1998frc146}}
|31||{{1998frc74}}
|32||{{1998frc138}}
|33||{{1998frc73}}
|34||{{1998frc175}}
|35||{{1998frc108}}
|36||{{1998frc48}}
|37||{{1998frc131}}
|38||{{1998frc79}}
|39||{{1998frc144}}
|40||{{1998frc68}}
|41||{{1998frc60}}
|42||{{1998frc141}}
|43||{{1998frc18}}
|44||{{1998frc27}}
|45||{{1998frc147}}
|46||{{1998frc2}}
|47||{{1998frc114}}
|48||{{1998frc47}}
|49||{{1998frc52}}
|50||{{1998frc46}}
|51||{{1998frc148}}
|52||{{1998frc121}}
|53||{{1998frc45}}
|54||{{1998frc56}}
|55||{{1998frc35}}
|56||{{1998frc75}}
|57||{{1998frc37}}
|58||{{1998frc190}}
|59||{{1998frc201}}
|60||{{1998frc158}}
|61||{{1998frc178}}
|62||{{1998frc155}}
|63||{{1998frc50}}
|64||{{1998frc93}}
|65||{{1998frc107}}
|66||{{1998frc24}}
|67||{{1998frc14}}
|68||{{1998frc61}}
|69||{{1998frc181}}
|70||{{1998frc184}}
|71||{{1998frc151}}
|72||{{1998frc20}}
|73||{{1998frc106}}
|74||{{1998frc105}}
|75||{{1998frc98}}
|76||{{1998frc137}}
|77||{{1998frc64}}
|78||{{1998frc95}}
|79||{{1998frc103}}
|80||{{1998frc40}}
|81||{{1998frc69}}
|82||{{1998frc118}}
|83||{{1998frc166}}
|84||{{1998frc91}}
|85||{{1998frc162}}
|86||{{1998frc80}}
|87||{{1998frc115}}
|88||{{1998frc55}}
|89||{{1998frc161}}
|90||{{1998frc15}}
|91||{{1998frc186}}
|92||{{1998frc124}}
|93||{{1998frc191}}
|94||{{1998frc154}}
|95||{{1998frc130}}
|96||{{1998frc116}}
|97||{{1998frc8}}
|98||{{1998frc163}}
|99||{{1998frc170}}
|100||{{1998frc33}}
|101||{{1998frc21}}
|102||{{1998frc36}}
|103||{{1998frc59}}
|104||{{1998frc94}}
|105||{{1998frc9}}
|106||{{1998frc6}}
|107||{{1998frc123}}
|108||{{1998frc119}}
|109||{{1998frc54}}
|110||{{1998frc136}}
|111||{{1998frc125}}
|112||{{1998frc90}}
|113||{{1998frc89}}
|114||{{1998frc19}}
|115||{{1998frc82}}
|116||{{1998frc49}}
|117||{{1998frc101}}
|118||{{1998frc187}}
|119||{{1998frc160}}
|120||{{1998frc30}}
|121||{{1998frc129}}
|122||{{1998frc168}}
|123||{{1998frc204}}
|124||{{1998frc3}}
|125||{{1998frc44}}
|126||{{1998frc72}}
|127||{{1998frc31}}
|128||{{1998frc109}}
|129||{{1998frc38}}
|130||{{1998frc34}}
|131||{{1998frc188}}
|132||{{1998frc110}}
|133||{{1998frc128}}
|134||{{1998frc77}}
|135||{{1998frc22}}
|136||{{1998frc180}}
|137||{{1998frc164}}
|138||{{1998frc171}}
|139||{{1998frc11}}
|140||{{1998frc100}}
|141||{{1998frc53}}
|142||{{1998frc145}}
|143||{{1998frc63}}
|144||{{1998frc179}}
|145||{{1998frc41}}
|146||{{1998frc122}}
|147||{{1998frc97}}
|148||{{1998frc70}}
|149||{{1998frc117}}
|150||{{1998frc159}}
|151||{{1998frc169}}
|152||{{1998frc17}}
|153||{{1998frc152}}
|154||{{1998frc153}}
|155||{{1998frc139}}
|156||{{1998frc32}}
|157||{{1998frc183}}
|158||{{1998frc127}}
|159||{{1998frc83}}
|160||{{1998frc182}}
|161||{{1998frc197}}
|162||{{1998frc29}}
|163||{{1998frc140}}
|164||{{1998frc167}}
|165||{{1998frc174}}
|166||{{1998frc86}}
{{TeamListFooter}}

==Award list<ref name="98cmp">[https://web.archive.org/web/20010508090202/http://www.usfirst.org/1998comp/fl_winners.html Results from the 1998 National Championship]</ref>==
{{TeamListHeader
|lowerCaption=}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Chairman's Award]]}}
{{1998frc23}}
{{AwardListSubheader|Chairman's Award Finalists}}
{{1998frc16}}
{{1998frc67}}
{{1998frc108}}
{{1998frc120}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Winner|National Champion Award]]}}
{{1998frc45}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Finalist|Finalist Award]]}}
{{1998frc121}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Number One Seed]]}}
{{1998frc177}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Most Photogenic Award]]}}
{{1998frc73}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Best Play of the Competition Award]]}}
{{1998frc1}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Rookie All-Star Award]] #1}}
{{1998frc38}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Rookie All-Star Award]] #2}}
{{1998frc46}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Xerox Creativity Award]]}}
{{1998frc71}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Motorola Quality Award]]}}
{{1998frc177}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Honeywell Leadership in Control Award]]}}
{{1998frc67}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Chrysler Team Spirit Award]]}}
{{1998frc123}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Featherweight in the Finals Award]]}}
{{1998frc132}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Outstanding Defense Award]]}}
{{1998frc95}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Best Offensive Round Award]]}}
{{1998frc111}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Special Judge's Award for All Around Technical Excellance]]}}
{{1998frc45}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Special Judge's Award for Spectacular Supporting Player]]}}
{{1998frc188}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Johnson & Johnson Best Sportsmanship Award]]}}
{{1998frc175}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Founder's Award]]}}
|colspan="6" style="text-align:center;" |Johnson & Johnson
|-
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Autodesk Excellence in Engineering Creativity and Communications Award]]}}
{{1998frc151}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Woodie Flowers Award]]}}
|colspan="6" style="text-align:center;" |Michael Bastoni, Plymouth North High School ([[frc23|team 23]])
|-
{{AwardListSubheader|[[Daniel Webster College Scholarship]]}}
{{1998frc175}}
{{AwardListSubheader|[[WPI Design Innovation Scholarship]]}}
{{1998frc16}}
{{1998frc201}}
{{TeamListFooter}}

==Top ten<ref name=98cmp />==
{{RankingListHeader
|lowerCaption =
}}
|1||{{1998frc45}}
|2||{{1998frc121}}
|3||{{1998frc65}}
|4||{{1998frc67}}
|5||{{1998frc132}}
|6||{{1998frc14}}
|7||{{1998frc19}}
|8||{{1998frc148}}
|9||{{1998frc1}}
|10||{{1998frc111}}
{{TeamListFooter}}

==Partial event program{{TKHref}}==
<pdf>File:98 eventprog natls.PDF</pdf>

==Gallery==
<gallery caption="Additional photos on the [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1998cmp/1 FRC Archive]" perrow=4 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:5817 - 1998 1998cmp frc121 frc45 match robot.jpg|Teams [[frc45|45]] and [[frc121|121]] in the finals [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/5817]
File:2791 - 1998 1998cmp disney.jpg|The 1998 pit tent [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/2791]
File:16182 - 1998 1998cmp frc132 robot.jpg|[[frc132|Team 132]]'s robot in front of the FIRST banner [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/16182]

</gallery>

==Notes==
<references />

Template:1998frc120

2026-03-02T22:01:08Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Team
|teamNumber=[[frc120|120]]
|teamName=NASA Lewis Research Center/TRW, Inc./Battelle Memorial Institute/The Illuminating Co. & East Technical High School
|teamNickname=Scarabian Knights
|teamLocation=Cleveland, OH
|photoId=42189
|robotName=Ribbot
|archiveLink=[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1998%20frc120/1 1998 frc120]
|events=[[1998mi]], [[1998cmp]], [[havoc_on_the_hill]]
|passEvent={{{event|}}}
}}

Template:1995frc80

2026-03-02T02:11:50Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Team
|teamNumber=[[frc80|80]]
|teamName=Honeywell, Inc. & Cortez High School
|teamNickname=RoboColt
|teamLocation=Phoenix, AZ
|photoId=33
|robotName=R2C2
|archiveLink=[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1995%20frc80/1 1995 frc80]
|events=[[1995nh]], [[1995cmp]]
|passEvent={{{event|}}}
}}

FIRST Place

2026-03-01T19:10:13Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Infobox Location
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/38209 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/38209/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/first_place/1 first_place]

| address = 200 Bedford Street

| location = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester,_New_Hampshire Manchester, NH]

| opened = 1998

}}

FIRST Place is the headquarters of [[FIRST]], located at 200 Bedford Street in one of several historic mill buildings owned by [[Dean Kamen]]. FIRST Place opened in 1998 and comprises some 13,000<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010506032359/http://www.usfirst.org/FirstPlace/facility.htm FIRST Place Facility in Manchester, NH]</ref>-15,000<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20020105111428/http://www.usfirst.org/place/aboutfp.htm About FIRST Place]</ref> square feet worth of space. Some FIRST-specific displays like a history of FIRST Robotics (at the time) and a Walk of Fame were constructed.

In the early 2000s the space included computer labs, a workshop area with tool-equipped workbenches, and a lunch room as well as a hall and presentation area. A variety of robotics and electricity-related group programs were offered including LEGO Mindstorms-based competitions and 3D animation projects. [[Science Enrichment Encounters]] also operated out of the old mill buildings and offered similar science exhibits and camps, with some FIRST Place and SEE crossover programs <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010712090107/http://www.usfirst.org/FirstPlace/school.htm FIRST Place School Groups]</ref>. FIRST Place also hosted the Women in Science and Technology Forum for several years.

===Documentation===
[[Media:FIRST Place 2001 trifold.pdf|2001 FIRST Place trifold brochure]] 
[[Media:FIRST Place 2001 Registration.pdf|2001 FIRST Place registration form]]
===Gallery===
<gallery caption="Additional photos on the [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/first_place/1 FRC Archive]" perrow=4 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:16873 - 2002 first place kickoff.jpg|The large FIRST logo at the entrance in [[2002]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/16873]
File:38224 - 1996 1997 1997frc81 2002 first place frc111 frc146 robot.jpg|[[frc111|Team 111]]'s [[1997]] robot (wearing 81) and [[frc146|146]]'s Hexcalibur from [[1996]] in the Walk of Fame [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/38224]
File:2398 - 1999 first place.jpg|The timeline history of [[FRC]] in [[1999]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/2398]
</gallery>

Kickoff

2026-03-01T16:56:10Z

Fallinsideahole:

Kickoff is the event that signifies the start of the yearly [[FIRST Robotics Competition]] season and includes the release of that year's challenge. The game, playing field, robot rules, and [[kit of parts]] items for that year are released at a mix of physical and virtual events. In the early days, kickoff was a single physical event that team representatives would attend to pick up the kit of parts and see the playing field hands-on. As FIRST grew, local kickoff events and internet broadcasts became more common, with animated game explanations and encoded game manuals released as part of the event. After kickoff, teams traditionally have six weeks to develop and build their robots before competition season begins. Media related to any kickoff events are tagged [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/kickoff/1 kickoff] in the FRC Archive.

==1994==
Kickoff for the [[1994]] season was held at FIRST headquarters in Nashua, New Hampshire on January 7th, 1994. Attendees were introduced to the Tower Power rules, kit of parts, and the playing field. A presentation about the 1993 [[Texas BEST]] (then NT BEST) competition "PVC Insanity" and the Sherman High team was also shown and lunch was provided.
<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:45930 - 1994 dean kamen kickoff.png|Dean Kamen presenting the 1994 field [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45930]
</gallery>

==1995==
Kickoff for the [[1995]] season took place on January 6th, 1995 in Nashua, New Hampshire. The control system and game pieces were shown

<gallery caption="Additional photos on the [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1995%20kickoff/1 FRC Archive]" perrow=0 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:45613 - 1995 frc126 kickoff kit of parts printer team.jpg|Kits of parts being inspected - a printer was a common inclusion in the first few years of competition [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45613]
File:3240 - 1995 kickoff robot.jpg|The playing field and [[Test games#1995_Test_Game|driving robot]] at the 1995 kickoff workshop [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3663]
</gallery>

==1996==
[[1996]]'s kickoff workshop took place on February 10, 1996. Baxter Healthcare Corporation and Lockheed-Martin were the official sponsors of the workshop<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010419122006/http://www.usfirst.org/news/960210c.html FIRST News - 2/10/96 III]</ref>. A robot that was likely built during the [[Test game#1996_Test_Game|development of the 1996 game]] was present and demonstrated elements of the game on the model field, which used different colors than the "official" competition field. The 1996 ESPN special included a short section of [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45726 interviews and footage from the kickoff event].

<gallery caption="Additional photos on the [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1996%20kickoff/1 FRC Archive]" perrow=0 heights=250px widths=250px>
File:4764 - 1996 kickoff woodie flowers.jpg|Woodie Flowers speaking at the 1996 kickoff event [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/4764]
File:45648 - 1996 kickoff kit of parts.png|Teams inspecting kits of parts[https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/45648]
File:4740 - 1996 kickoff robot.jpg|The example robot and field [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/4740]

</gallery>

==1997==

The 1997 Kickoff event was held on January 11, 1997 at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, New Hampshire. [[Dean Kamen]] and [[Woodie Flowers]] were both in attendance.

<gallery caption="Additional photos on the [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1997%20kickoff/1 FRC Archive]" perrow=0 heights=250px widths=250px>

File:3662 - 1997 crowd dean kamen kickoff.jpg|The crowd watching the kickoff presentation [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3662]
File:3663 - 1997 control system dean kamen kickoff kit of parts.jpg|[[Dean Kamen]] and the [[Control system#1997|control system]] on stage [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3663]
File:53 - 1997 kickoff woodie flowers.jpg|The 1997 playing field at kickoff [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/53]
</gallery>

==1998==

The [[1998]] Kickoff reception was held on January 9, 1998. At the reception, videos from several previous seasons were shown, and Dean Kamen [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44348 read out] the [https://web.archive.org/web/20001217173700fw_/http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/WWW/FIRST/98/miracle.htm New Miracle on East 55th Street] letter from [[frc120|team 120]].

[[File:44347 - 1995 1996 1997 1997cmp 1997frc11 1997frc17 1997frc22 1997frc32 1998 control system dean kamen frc-53 frc120 frc16 frc23 frc31 frc47 game materials kickoff team video woodie flowers.mp4]][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVpF1arncGM]

<gallery caption="Additional photos on the [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1998%20kickoff/1 FRC Archive]" perrow=0 heights=250px widths=250px>

File:41708 - 1998 kickoff.jpg|The playing field at the kickoff event [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/41708]
File:44947 - 1998 kickoff.jpg|A ticket for the 1998 kickoff reception [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44947]
</gallery>

==1999==

==1999==

The [[1999]] Kickoff workshop was on January 9, 1999. As usual, the field and playing elements were shown to attendees. A large quilt made up of team shirts was also on display.

===Local Kickoff Events===
On January 16th the NASA Ames Research Center organized the Western Regional Kickoff at Moffett Field ahead of hosting the [[1999ca|Western Regional]] later that season

<gallery caption="Additional photos on the [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/1998%20kickoff/1 FRC Archive]" perrow=0 heights=250px widths=250px>

File:15887 - 1999 kickoff.jpg|The crowd and presentation stage [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/15887]
File:78 - 1999 kickoff woodie flowers.jpg|[[Woodie Flowers]] showing the bottom of the puck [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/78]
</gallery>

File:78 - 1999 kickoff woodie flowers.jpg

2026-03-01T16:55:07Z

Fallinsideahole:

FIRST Place

2026-03-01T16:52:44Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Infobox Location
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/38209 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/38209/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/first_place/1 first_place]

| address = 200 Bedford Street

| location = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester,_New_Hampshire Manchester, NH]

| opened = 1998

}}

FIRST Place is the headquarters of [[FIRST]], located at 200 Bedford Street in one of several historic mill buildings owned by [[Dean Kamen]]. FIRST Place opened in 1998 and comprises some 13,000<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010506032359/http://www.usfirst.org/FirstPlace/facility.htm FIRST Place Facility in Manchester, NH]</ref>-15,000<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20020105111428/http://www.usfirst.org/place/aboutfp.htm About FIRST Place]</ref> square feet worth of space. Some FIRST-specific displays like a history of FIRST Robotics (at the time) and a Walk of Fame were constructed.

In the early 2000s the space included computer labs, a workshop area with tool-equipped workbenches, and a lunch room as well as a hall and presentation area. A variety of robotics and electricity-related group programs were offered including LEGO Mindstorms-based competitions and 3D animation projects. [[Science Enrichment Encounters]] also operated out of the old mill buildings and offered similar science exhibits and camps, with some FIRST Place and SEE crossover programs <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010712090107/http://www.usfirst.org/FirstPlace/school.htm FIRST Place School Groups]</ref>.

===Documentation===
[[Media:FIRST Place 2001 trifold.pdf|2001 FIRST Place trifold brochure]] 
[[Media:FIRST Place 2001 Registration.pdf|2001 FIRST Place registration form]]
===Gallery===
<gallery caption="Additional photos on the [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/first_place/1 FRC Archive]" perrow=4 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:16873 - 2002 first place kickoff.jpg|The large FIRST logo at the entrance in [[2002]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/16873]
File:38224 - 1996 1997 1997frc81 2002 first place frc111 frc146 robot.jpg|[[frc111|Team 111]]'s [[1997]] robot (wearing 81) and [[frc146|146]]'s Hexcalibur from [[1996]] in the Walk of Fame [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/38224]
File:2398 - 1999 first place.jpg|The timeline history of [[FRC]] in [[1999]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/2398]
</gallery>

File:15887 - 1999 kickoff.jpg

2026-03-01T16:51:55Z

Fallinsideahole:

Kickoff

2026-03-01T16:42:36Z

Fallinsideahole: /* 1995 */

FIRST Place

2026-03-01T16:25:57Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Infobox Location
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/38209 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/38209/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/first_place/1 first_place]

| address = 200 Bedford Street

| location = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester,_New_Hampshire Manchester, NH]

| opened = 1998

}}

FIRST Place is the headquarters of [[FIRST]], located at 200 Bedford Street in one of several historic mill buildings owned by [[Dean Kamen]]. FIRST Place opened in 1998 and comprises some 13,000 square feet worth of space<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010506032359/http://www.usfirst.org/FirstPlace/facility.htm FIRST Place Facility in Manchester, NH]</ref>. Some FIRST-specific displays like a history of FIRST Robotics (at the time) and a Walk of Fame were constructed.

In the early 2000s the space included computer labs, a workshop area with tool-equipped workbenches, and a lunch room as well as a hall and presentation area. A variety of robotics and electricity-related group programs were offered including LEGO Mindstorms-based competitions and 3D animation projects. [[Science Enrichment Encounters]] also operated out of the old mill buildings and offered similar science exhibits and camps, with some FIRST Place and SEE crossover programs <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010712090107/http://www.usfirst.org/FirstPlace/school.htm FIRST Place School Groups]</ref>.

===Documentation===
[[Media:FIRST Place 2001 trifold.pdf|2001 FIRST Place trifold brochure]] 
[[Media:FIRST Place 2001 Registration.pdf|2001 FIRST Place registration form]]
===Gallery===
<gallery caption="Additional photos on the [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/first_place/1 FRC Archive]" perrow=4 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:16873 - 2002 first place kickoff.jpg|The large FIRST logo at the entrance in [[2002]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/16873]
File:38224 - 1996 1997 1997frc81 2002 first place frc111 frc146 robot.jpg|[[frc111|Team 111]]'s [[1997]] robot (wearing 81) and [[frc146|146]]'s Hexcalibur from [[1996]] in the Walk of Fame [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/38224]
File:2398 - 1999 first place.jpg|The timeline history of [[FRC]] in [[1999]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/2398]
</gallery>

FIRST Place

2026-03-01T16:22:15Z

Fallinsideahole:

{{Infobox Location
| bodystyle = width:25em;
| image = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/38209 https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=thumb/38209/thumb.jpg]

| tag = [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/first_place/1 first_place]

| address = 200 Bedford Street

| location = [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester,_New_Hampshire Manchester, NH]

| opened = 1998

}}

FIRST Place is the headquarters of FIRST, located at 200 Bedford Street in one of several historic mill buildings owned by [[Dean Kamen]]. FIRST Place opened in 1998 and comprises some 13,000 square feet worth of space<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010506032359/http://www.usfirst.org/FirstPlace/facility.htm FIRST Place Facility in Manchester, NH]</ref>. Some FIRST-specific displays like a history of FIRST Robotics (at the time) and a Walk of Fame were constructed.

In the early 2000s the space included computer labs, a workshop area with tool-equipped workbenches, and a lunch room as well as a hall and presentation area. A variety of robotics and electricity-related group programs were offered including LEGO Mindstorms-based competitions and 3D animation projects. [[Science Enrichment Encounters]] also operated out of the old mill buildings and offered similar science exhibits and camps, with some FIRST Place and SEE crossover programs <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010712090107/http://www.usfirst.org/FirstPlace/school.htm FIRST Place School Groups]</ref>.

===Documentation===
[[Media:FIRST Place 2001 trifold.pdf|2001 FIRST Place trifold brochure]] 
[[Media:FIRST Place 2001 Registration.pdf|2001 FIRST Place registration form]]
===Gallery===
<gallery caption="Additional photos on the [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/list/first_place/1 FRC Archive]" perrow=4 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:16873 - 2002 first place kickoff.jpg|The large FIRST logo at the entrance in [[2002]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/16873]
File:38224 - 1996 1997 1997frc81 2002 first place frc111 frc146 robot.jpg|[[frc111|Team 111]]'s [[1997]] robot (wearing 81) and [[frc146|146]]'s Hexcalibur from [[1996]] in the Walk of Fame [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/38224]
File:2398 - 1999 first place.jpg|The timeline history of [[FRC]] in [[1999]] [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/2398]
</gallery>