Little tidbits of information that will make your life easier:
- Start early. You have more time for this project than was available in 218A and 218B and this is temptation to procrastinate.
- Think of the downsides before making your vehicle much faster without testing for the presentation.
- Things are more waterproof than you think. We dunked all of our electronics and it still worked once. Multiple dunks are not advised
- Unlike previous quarters, performance isn't everything assuming you can pass the checkoff. Focusing on designs "full of whimsy" is encouraged.
- Claim extra space in the SPDL early and you'll have it for the whole project time.
- About 1 hour before competition, all of the battery chargers will be taken.
- If you are buying batteries outside of the lab, think about how you will charge them.
- Check the shipping status on items before memorial day when everything is closed.
- Sometimes, PICs can be broken but still programmable. This is one of the steps you should check for troubleshooting.
- Make programming headers for your boards. You might think you're done with programming a specific PIC, but most likely you will need to make changes - and you don't want to have to unplug it every time.
- The Bus Pirate is a great tool for debugging. But a broken bus pirate is not, so also check that you have a functional bus pirate.
- The broadcasting station can replicate Necromancer commands if the supply room is closed and you can't use the real thing for testing.
- Test your LUC and HZV with other teams well before the final checkoff. This insures that you're following the protocol correctly.
- Smaller form factors require more thought into how to conserve circuitry space