Iron Claw Robotics is all geared up for the 2024 – 2025 FRC season with sixteen new first years!
We started the year off strong with a weekend workshop, having five 45-minute stations designed to teach newer members the basics of different robotics subteams. Getting familiar with the different sections allows members to see what the subteams are in charge of and decide what they might be interested in working on.
The first of the stations involved the electrical board and pneumatic systems that we use on our competition robots. A thorough presentation covering the parts of an electrical board gave students a better understanding of the inner workings of a competition robot.
Next, in our metal shop, students learned how to use the drill press, deburr, and rivet through the demonstration and guidance of senior students. The new students also got a brief overview of how our CNC machine works, and enjoyed the hands-on tasks.
The drilling station was especially important this year, given our problems with students not knowing how to use drills and drivers properly in previous years. Students practiced drilling holes, learned the difference between drills and drivers, and discovered where they can find the right equipment when they’re working. The station also covered using circular saws, which will be useful for prototyping and cutting down plywood pieces.
The fourth station included a broad variety of robotics disciplines: CAD, 3D printing, and laser cutting. While our team includes a CAD subteam, it’s important for everyone to know the details and process. Experienced CAD students gave a brief overview of Onshape to familiarize students with the software. The station also went over 3D printing and laser cutting, two important parts of prototyping and our competition robots. The students had fun practicing laser cutting key chains and 3D printing boomerangs.
Finally, the fifth station covered robot operation. After a quick introduction to github, DriverStation, Shuffleboard, and VS code, our 2024 driver and operator demonstrated how to run the robot. After learning about the bridge and the robot system lights, students then got the chance to drive our 2024 season robot Vivace, and paired up in two’s as driver and operator. Afterward, the station wrapped up with a quick explanation about our Vision cameras and AprilTags.
Looking forward to the 2025 season!