San Diego FTC has purchased the Beacon Programming Tool from Andymark so if anyone has beacons from last season's FIRST ResQ game and wants to re-program them to function like the beacons in this season's Velocity Vortex, please contact us at [email protected].  We can arrange for you to borrow the tool, or if you bring your beacons to us, we can re-program them while you wait!

​If you only have new beacons from Velocity Vortex, then they have already been correctly programmed.

​We're looking for one or two teams to join FIRST supporters to celebrate the organization's great accomplishments over the years. FIRST Founder, Dean Kamen, along with many other influential FIRST leadership will be present at this event on the USS Midway (910 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101) Tuesday, November 15th at 6:30pm.

Teams with military connections or with unique stories are being specifically requested. It's a great opportunity to share your team experiences with FIRST leadership and influential supporters. If interested in the opportunity, please email me at [email protected] to be nominated. 
 
John Brooks
FIRST Tech Challenge Affiliate Partner, San Diego

If you are available on Monday Oct 3 to be in Ensenada, MX there is another great outreach event EXPO-Robotica hosted by Zorrobots (FTC9164), Voltrons (FTC10793), and The Ducks (FTC8471). It's their second annual expo with FLL, FTC, and FRC teams along with local university students all demonstrating robots and drones for school kids who come by from multiple schools to see what it's all about.

​RoBowties (FTC6137) participated last year and had a great time! Anyone interested should contact Cassandra Ruffo from Zorrobots or Max Saenz from The Ducks.

This weekend Oct 1-2 at the San Diego Maker Faire, at least three FTC teams will be demonstrating their robots and letting spectators take them for a spin on the field. If you or someone you know is interested in getting involved in FTC, come out to the Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park to see The Ducks (FTC8471),  RoBowties (FTC6137), and Rise of Hephaestus (FTC4216). There will be lots to see and do besides FTC too!

​And then in two weekends on Sat Oct 15, there will be FTC demos and access to this season's Velocity Vortex field at the Battle at the Border, an off-season FIRST Robotics Competition event at Francis Parker School. Green.Griffins (FTC10092) will be hosting teams for the FTC demo, and already Rise of Hephaestus (FTC4216), Crusader Creators (FTC5136), ROARbots (FTC8906), and RobotX (FTC10221) have signed up to participate. Sign up here!
http://tinyurl.com/gtfp24g

Here is an early leak of a rules interpretation on particle recycling that is apparently going to be on the FTC Forum when it opens! (This screenshot grabbed from Facebook.)  Comments?
​

The diagram measurements of the Center Vortex Assembly in the Game Manual Part 2 have been corrected as of Sep 19  so now version 1.2 is the one everyone should be referring to. The diagram at the bottom of page 9, Diagram 1.3-2 (caption flowed to page 10) now shows the correct heights of various parts of the Center Vortex pieces. Heh, that's so much easier now!
​https://firstinspiresst01.blob.core.windows.net/ftc/game-manual-part-2.pdf

For teams seeking materials and components beyond the standard Tetrix kit, here are some local sources for plastic, metal, and special tools and fasteners. As people suggest more sources, we will add them to the Resources page.

• ePlastics / Ridout Plastics - map 5535 Ruffin Rd, 92123
  acrylic, polycarbonate, adhesives, etc.
  ​scrap plastic in bins out front - purchase by weight
• Industrial Metal Supply Co - map 7550 Ronson Rd, 92111
  aluminum, steel, other metals in extruded forms, sheets, etc.
  ​metal scrap bin in back room for discounted prices
• Marshall's Industrial Hardware, Inc - map 8423 Production Ave, 92121
  many hard to find tools and fasteners
  ​also sells many plastic, metal sheets and other forms

From Dan Glenn, co-coach of Green.Griffins (FTC10092)

Hello San Diego FTC Teams,

Want a chance to show off FIRST Tech Challenge and spend a couple of hours with the Velocity Vortex Field?

Bring your team to Battle at the Border Saturday, October 15 at Francis Parker High School and help us demonstrate FTC from 10AM to 2PM.

Follow this link to sign up your team. I'd like to have at least four teams per shift with some team display and robot to run around the field with (not necessarily a Velocity Vortex bot of course.) I'm open to full or half shifts if we get a lot of demand.

If you can't commit to helping with the demonstration but still want some time with a field and socialize with other teams, please feel free to come on down and hang out with us. Best case you have some initial building done and want to try it on a field.

Battle at the Border is San Diego's premier FIRST Robotics Competition Off-Season event. Your team will be able to visit the FRC Pits and watch some of FRC's best teams competing in the exciting Stronghold competition.  Hope to see you there!

Dan Glenn
Green.Griffins; 10092
[email protected]
​