The Engineering Notebook

[joann halloran]

Please reply to this post to ask a question about The Engineering Notebook.

[hotshot4]

Q1: If we use a computer to do the Engineering Notebook, does that mean we do it in Windchill? Is that what Windchill is for?

Q2: If we write our Engineering Notebook by hand, will any book with a sewn binding do?

A1: Teams may use any electronic or online tools to create their Engineering Notebook. Section 5.3 of the Game Manual contains instructions for converting electronic or online documentation into an Engineering Notebook that can be judged at a competition.

PTC is the CAD and Collaboration Sponsor for the FIRST Tech Challenge. Teams may use PTC software (Windchill, Pro/Engineer Mathcad, and ProductView) to document their robot design for use in the Engineering Notebook. Windchill is an online collaboration tool. Pro/Engineer is a CAD program. Mathcad is an engineering calculation program. ProductView allows users to view many types of digital documents.

A2: Any notebook with a stitched binding may be used for a handwritten Engineering Notebook.

Teams should review Section 5 of the Game Manual before starting their Engineering Notebooks.

[hotshot2]

Q: How do we account for donated materials with a BOM, or do we?

A: All materials used to construct the robot, regardless of source, should be tracked in the BOM and included in your engineering notebook (<R6> and Game Manual Section 5.4).

[hotshot2]

Q: Do we have to list ALL the materials that were used in our robot- Each individual item from the Tetrix and lego kits?

A: Yes. <R6> reads "All parts that are used must be tracked through a Bill of Materials (BOM) ..." It should be possible to build
a copy of the robot using only the parts listed in the BOM.

[hotshot2]

Q: Does our RobotC code have to be included in the Engineering Notebook?

A: No. It is not required to include code for your programs in your Engineering Notebook.

[hotshot2]

Q: What do we call the lego pieces that we use (for the BOM) - they have no names. Is misc. lego pieces good enough?

A: The BOM should be sufficiently descriptive and complete enough to allow a copy of the robot to be built. There are several different schemes for naming LEGO pieces. Pick one, document your choice, and use it consistently.

Examples of naming schemes can be found at:
http://www.peeron.com
http://www.ldraw.org
http://www.bricklink.com/catalogTree.asp?itemType=P
http://shop.lego.com/pab/