Rekluse and the Machining and Electronic Workshops

A lot has happened with The Chickadees since the last post. First off, we have gotten to learn many subjects regarding the building of a robot through several workshops that were available to us.  The Chickadees had the unique opportunity to tour the Rekluse manufacturing facilities where Sarah Haight works as an operations manager. She has helped greatly in our starting process and led our tour. At Rekluse, where they build clutches for motorcycles, Team 5871 got to control a robot and see many more at work. If you want to learn more about Rekluse go to https://rekluse.com.Thanks Rekluse for hosting us and giving us the wonderful learning opportunity!

The next activity that The Chickadees got to experience was the machine shop. Prior to this workshop, the team read some detailed documents on appropriate use and safety of the equipment. This we reviewed when we got there as well as introducing a few other subjects such as how to appropriately read a calliper and blueprints of a simple piece. The Chickadees then used these blueprints to build a project in the shop. For many of the team there, it was our first time working with these machines. Roxanne Stone, our mechanical mentor, and Chris Davis, our machining mentor, were instrumental in teaching us about safety and the rules of a workshop. With sparks flying and the use of big tools, our small metal creation seemed an amazing feat. The Chickadees are excited to get back into the shop and learn more.

Recently, Team 5871 learned about the electrical aspect of a robot. Led by Jenny Kniss, who is a Developer and Project Manager at Boise startup, we were given small kits of supplies to build into a circuit. Before actually building, we looked at a schematic of our circuit and identified what each symbol represented and its effect. A couple mentors and other experienced people were there to help us create a system where if a solar cell detected darkness, the light would turn on. Following this, the team members that attended got to practice soldering and we were able to spell out our team name as you can see above. The Chickadees are learning a lot and are excited for future experiences.

If you want to learn more about our amazing mentors, here is the link: http://coen.boisestate.edu/firstrobotics/coachesmentors/

--Alexa