Winnovation

Winnovation Git-R-Done!

2012-03-05T18:22:00.001-06:00

Ben Eilers, Winnovation senior, met Larry the Cable guy after the March 1, 2012 show in Rockford, IL.

Ben explained about FIRST robotics and gave him a Winnovation shirt.

We already know Winnovation gets it done, and now we have a new fan cheering us on. Thanks, Ben!

Congratulations Team!

2012-02-20T15:54:00.002-06:00

FIRST Team 1625 was recently awarded an In Youth We Trust Grant from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois. This generous $1,650 grant will be used to enhance the team's "Lego, Slime, and Other Fun" summer camp for elementary and middle school students.

The funds will be used to purchase reusable electronics kits and other consumable supplies to expand and enhance the curriculum of our week-long day camp.

Special thanks to the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois for their support of this educational effort. To learn more about CFNI's In Youth We Trust program, visit their website.

Thanks to all our family, friends, and community supporters who came out to the 'Bot Shop on a sunny Sunday afternoon to see Winnovation's 2012 robot in action. The team was able to show off a fully functioning robot, putting the drive team, program, and mechanical systems through their paces. Our friends from Belvidere, The Flaming Monkeys, FIRST Team 3352, were able to join us late in the afternoon to share some time on the practice field.

And, as if we weren't busy enough trying to finish the robot by end of day Tuesday, February 21, we sent two groups of students out for community education on Saturday, February 18. Team members participated in the Discovery Center's annual Discover Engineering event (sponsored by Illinois Society of Professional Engineers). Another set of students headed to the Students Involved in Technology conference and led interactive brainstorming workshops with elementary and middle school students.
We'll wrap up things at the shop Tuesday night as we finalize the robot for "ship" - we actually seal it in a huge plastic bag. The team will take a few days off to catch up on sleep and homework before we start prepping for the Lake Superior Regional in Duluth, MN on March 9 - 10.

Winnovation Open House

2012-02-09T22:06:00.001-06:00

FIRST Team 1625 will celebrate the end of build season with an open house. Family, friends, sponsors, and the public are invited to join us.

Stop by on Sunday February 19 between 2pm - 4pm to see this year's robot, learn about the challenges of Rebound Rumble, and wish the team well as we prepare for the Lake Superior and Midwest Regionals.

The Bot Shop is located just off the main drag in downtown Winnebago, IL at 110 N. Pecatonica (between Main and Bluff). We're two blocks west of the Winnebago Public Library. Email team1625@gmail.com for more information.

Refreshments will be served. For safety, please wear close-toed shoes.

View Larger Map

It's 10pm, Do You Know Where Your Children Are?

2012-02-09T21:47:00.000-06:00

If it's a Saturday night four weeks into build season and you're a Robot Parent, you do.

My husband and I stopped by the shop last night to see what the kids were working on and to see if we could help with anything. Many of the kids were at the basketball game since it was a "band night" so we were able to help a couple of the kids get parts ready for the rest of the team to work on after the game.

After the game 10 or 15 kids came back the shop and started working. A little bit later, another half dozen other kids who weren't on the team stopped by to see what their friends were doing. Next thing, a few more parents show up and a college-aged sibling who has been helping out walked through the door.

So at 10pm on a Saturday night six parents and mentors, 15 team members and some friends were hanging out machining parts, talking strategy, and chilling. What a great way to spend the evening.

Then, a parent who doesn't have kids on the team saw the cars in the parking lot and stopped in to say hi, another set of parents stopped by with a fresh pan of peanut butter-chocolate rice krispy treats, and another mentor showed up with his night vision goggles to check out the robot's camera and lights. Did I mention it was 10pm on a Saturday night?

And that's what build season is all about.

Week of January 23

2012-01-22T16:15:00.000-06:00

Special thank you to our alumni who spent a lot of time at the shop during their Winter Break - Nathan A., Jake C., Dillon C., Carrington H., Becca N., Ross K., Stephen H., Aren H. Looking forward to seeing some of you at Duluth and/or Chicago. Enjoy your Spring semester! (I'm sure I missed someone, it was not intentional. PK)

Having Fun at the Shop!

2012-01-19T19:11:00.000-06:00

Since kickoff on January 7, 2012, we've had a lot of fun - checking out the kit of parts, brainstorming, and building the practice field. Like what you see? Stop by and join the fun. M-F 3:30pm - 9pm, Sat 10am - 10pm, Sun 1pm - 5pm.

Thanks to Ian H. for the awesome photos.

Robotics Kick-Off

2012-01-07T08:57:00.000-06:00

You can view the live stream from below. It may show different things because it is streamed LIVE off of Nasa TV. This live stream will also be added to the About the Game page.

The time is at 10:30 AM EST
Teasers and other stuff will start around 9:00.

Live broadcasting by Ustream

Safety Animation for 2012 Season

2012-01-03T18:12:00.000-06:00

This is a little late but the Animation Subteam has completed their saftey animation for the 2012 season.
You can check it out on our Youtube channel or just watch it from below.

Off-Season Prototype

2012-01-01T17:43:00.000-06:00

During the off-season Arthur Siebel led a project to build an eight-wheel drive prototype. It is geared at 13.5 feet per second using 3-inch Colson wheels. With electronics, it weighs 42 pounds. The gearbox is single-stage made from standard commercial-off-the-shelf gears we had in the shop. It was simple to make and will be easy to manufacturing during the season. This prototype uses eight single-piece wheel assemblies. These are tied to the main drive axle by chain. This simple single-piece design allows for lighter overall product that will always be able to drive, even if a chain breaks or is disconnected during competition.

2012 Prototype - Full Drive Train

2012 Prototype - Gear Box

2012 Prototype - Wheel Assembly

Week of November 14

2011-11-14T08:02:00.001-06:00

This Week's Schedule

Monday

Open Shop 3pm - 7pm (Adults - Mrs. Siebel, Mr. Johnson, Jeremy)
NO TEAM MEETING

Tuesday

Open Shop 3pm - 7pm (Adults - Mrs. Asner, Jeremy)
Animation 3pm

Wednesday

Open Shop 3:30pm - 7pm (Adults - Mr. Hedlund, Mrs. Kahler, Jeremy)
Website 5pm
Lego League

Thursday

Open Shop 3pm - until picture time (Adults - Karen)
Team Picture 3:40pm at WHS - wear team shirt
Winter Sports Kick Off 6pm at WHS- wear team shirt

Community Service - With 13 enthusiastic rakers we took care of two yards in just two hours and still had a lot of fun. It was a beautiful day on a busy weekend, thanks to everyone who joined us.

Flapjack Challenge - Mini-bot work needs to continue. Check with your team lead on when your team will meet. There are less than three weeks left!.

Basket Raffle - Please let Val Hong and/or Denise Eilers know of your donations for the basket raffle and bake sale.

Miscellaneous

Let Karen know if you need more pancake tickets.
If you still owe money for team shirts, please bring it to pictures/Winter Sports Kick Off on Thursday. Karen should be able to pick up the extra shirts that were missed the first round and have them Thursday.

2011 Flapjack Challenge

2011-10-23T08:27:00.001-05:00

This year's Flapjack Challenge will be Saturday December 3, 2011 beginning at 10am on the Winnebago High School campus.

This event is designed as a friendly "mini" bot (less than 25 pounds) competition AND a great training opportunity to get everyone ready for the FIRST Kick-off in January. There is no registration fee. Winnovation expects to field three "mini" bots, with four or five area teams joining us for the day.

Friends and family are invited to watch the competition, enjoy some awesome pancakes (hence the "Flapjacks"), and start holiday shopping during our wonderful basket raffle.

Rules for the competition are available for download here. Plus our Animation Subteam put together a game video to illustrate the action.

Additional logistical details on both the flapjacks and the challenge will be posted here over the next few weeks. If you have any questions please email Karen Hill.

Week of September 19

2011-09-19T09:58:00.003-05:00

Open Shop this week - 3pm - 7pm Mon - Thurs, 3pm - 4:30pm Friday.

Monday, September 19 - TEAM KICK-OFF meeting is at 7pm Monday night in the cafetorium. New updated Team Handbooks will be handed out and reviewed. Consent forms need to be signed and district extra-curricular forms completed if necessary.

Friday, September 23 - Load IRI robot for HarvestFest

Saturday, September 24 - Playing LogoMotion at HarvestFest in Milwaukee. The Kahlers and Asners will be transporting the robot and students. Seth L., Arthur S., Bryan O., Jacob K., Scott B., Owen A., Jacob A., and Noah W. are signed up at this time. Mentors Jeremy T. and Kellen H. are also going. Meet at the Bot Shop at 6am. We will return to the Bot Shop around 8pm. Bring $$ for food. Matches start at 10:15am; elimination rounds are scheduled to begin at 3:45pm. Event ends at 5:30pm.

Friday, September 30 - Winnovation will be working concessions at the Homecoming Football game. We need 1 more adult for JV game, and 6 more adults for Varsity game.

4:30pm for JV: John Cox, Brian & Mindy Brown, John & Mona Siebel, Todd Eilers, Mike & Linda Hedlund, Carrie Asner, Gary & Trish Lightfoot, Don & Polly Kahler (Trailer). Need 1 more adult.
6:30pm for Varsity: Steve Freeman, Michele Thorn, Tom & Lana Daly, Val Hong, Denise Eilers, Scott & Karen Hill. NEED 6 more adults.

SEE YOU MONDAY AT WHS Cafetorium, 7pm!!

Community Service Day at Simon Elementary

2011-08-08T20:47:00.003-05:00

Winnovation team members tackled the weeds and refuse on the Simon Elementary
School Playground to get it ready for the start of the school year

And then moved indoors to help teachers get ready for the start of the school year

Working hard

And in some cases the boxes tackled the team!