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Robotics

FRC Robotics: From Rookie to Competition-Ready

A self-paced, nine-unit FRC robotics course that takes a new student from robot anatomy and system architecture through mechanisms, electrical systems, WPILib, sensors, feedback control, autonomous operation, strategy, troubleshooting, inspection, and a competition-readiness capstone. Students can complete the course with supervised hardware, simulation, or documented system-analysis evidence.

Structure
9 units
Audience
Grades 9-12
Entries
45
Pacing
Self-paced

Unit 01

  1. overviewUnit 1: What Is an FRC Robot?This is a self-paced Unit. Work through the three lessons in order, keep the evidence you create, and finish with the Unit Wrap-Up. You do not need access to a competition robot for every task. When hardware is…
  2. Lesson 1The Robot Is a System, Not a Pile of PartsAn FRC robot is an electromechanical system built to perform game tasks under rules, time pressure, inspection requirements, and other robots trying to do the same thing. The frame matters. The code matters. The wiring…
  3. Lesson 2Safety, Roles, and Competition BoundariesRobotics becomes dangerous when people treat “I know what I am doing” as a safety control.
  4. Lesson 3Trace One Robot Action End to EndYou press a controller button. Half a second later, a mechanism moves.
  5. reflectionUnit 1 Wrap-Up: What Is an FRC Robot?Use an annotated FRC robot system map and the evidence you collected in this Unit. Do not answer from memory if your artifact gives you something more precise to point to.

Unit 02

  1. overviewUnit 2: Robot ArchitectureThis is a self-paced Unit. Work through the three lessons in order, keep the evidence you create, and finish with the Unit Wrap-Up. You do not need access to a competition robot for every task. When hardware is…
  2. Lesson 1Power, Compute, Communication, and MotionRobot architecture is the shape of responsibility inside the machine.
  3. Lesson 2Signals, Networks, and the Control PathFRC robots move information through several communication systems. Treating all of them as “the network” hides important differences.
  4. Lesson 3Diagnose the Architecture Before Touching the RobotTroubleshooting is a decision process.
  5. reflectionUnit 2 Wrap-Up: Robot ArchitectureUse a layered robot architecture diagram with failure checkpoints and the evidence you collected in this Unit. Do not answer from memory if your artifact gives you something more precise to point to.

Unit 03

  1. overviewUnit 3: Motors, Gearboxes, and MechanismsThis is a self-paced Unit. Work through the three lessons in order, keep the evidence you create, and finish with the Unit Wrap-Up. You do not need access to a competition robot for every task. When hardware is…
  2. Lesson 1Motors Turn Electrical Power into MotionA motor does not create “speed.” It converts electrical power into rotational mechanical output, and the load decides what happens next.
  3. Lesson 2Gearing Changes the TradeoffGearboxes do not manufacture power. They trade rotational speed for torque, or torque for speed, while introducing real losses.
  4. Lesson 3Choose a Mechanism You Can DefendMechanism design is a tradeoff problem disguised as a building problem.
  5. reflectionUnit 3 Wrap-Up: Motors, Gearboxes, and MechanismsUse a mechanism tradeoff sheet with a gearing calculation and test plan and the evidence you collected in this Unit. Do not answer from memory if your artifact gives you something more precise to point to.

Unit 04

  1. overviewUnit 4: Electrical Systems and CANThis is a self-paced Unit. Work through the three lessons in order, keep the evidence you create, and finish with the Unit Wrap-Up. You do not need access to a competition robot for every task. When hardware is…
  2. Lesson 1Follow the Power from Battery to LoadAn FRC robot is a mobile electrical system with a lot of current moving through a small machine.
  3. Lesson 2CAN Is a Bus, Not MagicA CAN network lets multiple devices share a communication bus. That architecture reduces dedicated wiring, but it also creates shared dependencies.
  4. Lesson 3Troubleshoot Electrical Faults with EvidenceElectrical troubleshooting should get quieter as it gets better.
  5. reflectionUnit 4 Wrap-Up: Electrical Systems and CANUse an electrical and CAN map plus a fault-isolation record and the evidence you collected in this Unit. Do not answer from memory if your artifact gives you something more precise to point to.

Unit 05

  1. overviewUnit 5: WPILib and Robot CodeThis is a self-paced Unit. Work through the three lessons in order, keep the evidence you create, and finish with the Unit Wrap-Up. You do not need access to a competition robot for every task. When hardware is…
  2. Lesson 1From Project to Robot LoopWPILib is the standard software library used by FRC teams to write robot code. It provides access to the control system, sensors, motor controllers, Driver Station state, simulation tools, and higher-level robot…
  3. Lesson 2Subsystems, Commands, and TriggersCommand-based programming gives FRC teams a way to organize robot behavior around responsibilities instead of dumping every action into one loop.
  4. Lesson 3Simulate, Deploy, Observe, DebugRobot programming is not complete when the code builds.
  5. reflectionUnit 5 Wrap-Up: WPILib and Robot CodeUse a command-based robot software map and a short tested code change and the evidence you collected in this Unit. Do not answer from memory if your artifact gives you something more precise to point to.

Unit 06

  1. overviewUnit 6: Sensors and Closed-Loop ControlThis is a self-paced Unit. Work through the three lessons in order, keep the evidence you create, and finish with the Unit Wrap-Up. You do not need access to a competition robot for every task. When hardware is…
  2. Lesson 1Sensors Turn Physical State into DataA robot cannot control what it cannot observe.
  3. Lesson 2Feedback Control: Setpoint, Measurement, ErrorClosed-loop control uses measurement to correct action.
  4. Lesson 3Tune with Evidence Instead of VibesTuning is an experiment.
  5. reflectionUnit 6 Wrap-Up: Sensors and Closed-Loop ControlUse a sensor/control-loop trace with tuning evidence and the evidence you collected in this Unit. Do not answer from memory if your artifact gives you something more precise to point to.

Unit 07

  1. overviewUnit 7: Autonomous and Driver ControlThis is a self-paced Unit. Work through the three lessons in order, keep the evidence you create, and finish with the Unit Wrap-Up. You do not need access to a competition robot for every task. When hardware is…
  2. Lesson 1Teleop Is a Human-Machine InterfaceTeleoperated control is not just “map buttons to motors.”
  3. Lesson 2Autonomous Is a Sequence of Verified BehaviorsAutonomous code has no driver available to rescue a bad assumption in real time.
  4. Lesson 3Pose, Vision, AprilTags, and Safe FallbacksVision gives the robot another source of evidence about the field.
  5. reflectionUnit 7 Wrap-Up: Autonomous and Driver ControlUse a control-mode diagram and bounded autonomous plan and the evidence you collected in this Unit. Do not answer from memory if your artifact gives you something more precise to point to.

Unit 08

  1. overviewUnit 8: Strategy, Scouting, and ReliabilityThis is a self-paced Unit. Work through the three lessons in order, keep the evidence you create, and finish with the Unit Wrap-Up. You do not need access to a competition robot for every task. When hardware is…
  2. Lesson 1Read the Game as an Engineering ProblemEvery FRC season changes the game, but the reasoning process stays familiar.
  3. Lesson 2Scouting Turns Observation into DecisionsScouting is a data system.
  4. Lesson 3Reliability Wins Matches Nobody RemembersA robot cannot score from the pit.
  5. reflectionUnit 8 Wrap-Up: Strategy, Scouting, and ReliabilityUse a match strategy brief backed by scouting and reliability evidence and the evidence you collected in this Unit. Do not answer from memory if your artifact gives you something more precise to point to.

Unit 09

  1. overviewUnit 9: Competition-Ready RobotThis is a self-paced Unit. Work through the three lessons in order, keep the evidence you create, and finish with the Unit Wrap-Up. You do not need access to a competition robot for every task. When hardware is…
  2. Lesson 1Run a Real Design ReviewA design review is not a presentation where everyone politely admires the robot.
  3. Lesson 2Inspect, Test, and Survive a Mock MatchCompetition readiness requires more than passing individual subsystem tests.
  4. Lesson 3Defend the Robot Systems DossierThe final product of this course is not a perfect robot.
  5. reflectionUnit 9 Wrap-Up: Competition-Ready RobotUse a competition-readiness dossier and design defense and the evidence you collected in this Unit. Do not answer from memory if your artifact gives you something more precise to point to.