KOP Drive System Opt Out

Blog Date: 
Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - 10:43

Please see the update below on the Kit of Parts Drive System Option from the Kit of Parts team:

The 2016 Kickoff Kit will again include a drive base kit, kind of. As we’ve done in recent history, Veteran teams can choose to receive a Product Donation Voucher (PDV) from AndyMark instead of the KOP Drive System at Kickoff. Rookie teams will automatically receive the KOP Drive System.

The PDV will again be worth $450 and can be used on AndyMark parts. To accommodate orders and lead times, the option to opt out of the KOP Drive System for the PDV will be available ONLY from 12:00 pm (noon) Eastern Time on Thursday (tomorrow!), 10/1, to 12:00 pm (noon) Eastern Time on Friday, 10/16. During that time, the option to receive the PDV in place of the KOP Drive System will be found in the “What’s New” section on the right side bar of the TIMS main screen.

Whats New in TIMS

"What's New" in TIMS

NOTE: If teams do not choose to opt out of the KOP Drive System in favor of the PDV by 10/16, they will be assigned the ‘default’ option of receiving the KOP Drive System as part of their Kickoff Kit.

To help you make your decision, we can give you some general information about this year’s KOP Drive System.

  • The drive base is similar to the AM14U2 from 2015, but some minor changes have been made to address feedback from teams (for example, belts are included for long, wide, and square configurations).
  • Features are designed such that they enable a team to execute basic elements of game play.
  • Design is such that the drive base can be assembled and driving by a small team with limited resource within two days.

We recognize that we are asking you to choose to receive or not receive a partially defined product, which can lead to frustration. Our goal is to give you as much information as possible without revealing details about the game. For example, the limited ground clearance on last year’s KOP Drive System implied that the 2015 field would be relatively flat, while a drive base with significant ground clearance would imply some type of obstacle on the field that robots would likely have to traverse. If we revealed details such as ground clearance, we would be giving away too much of the game.

Here are the 2016 KOP Drive Sytem profile drawings of the cross-section of each of the three pieces: the end sheet, the outside sheet, and the inside sheet.

Comments

Is this a dummy page? If not it looks like the missing parts request time window will occur before kickoff starts and end on kickoff. I assume that it probably should be the next week right?

Yup, the screen shot of TIMS is totally a dummy page (from LAST fall actually). Purely intended to give you a sense of where this option will appear in your TIMS account. Apologies for any confusion!

What does kind of mean?

I wrote "kind of" because not everyone will be getting the drive base kit... because some will opt for the AndyMark voucher instead. I'm sorry it doesn't have a more sinister, devious meaning.

OR "kind of" could mean that there isn't actually "driving" in 2016, in which case the term "drive base kit" would be inaccurate. You won't know if I'm trolling until Kickoff...

Just to be clear, I understand that if a team opts-out, the "drive base" (the package that is similar to the AM14U2) is not included in the KOP. Are there any other parts not included? I usually associate wheels, gearboxes and belts (which you hinted at) as part of a drive system. Are those parts also opted-out?

I'm afraid I can't be more specific. Please accept my apologies for any frustration that causes.

Should a team realize they made a mistake by taking the PDV once the game is revealed; can they purchase the chassis for $450. or will the price be different (higher) at Andymark in January?

That's a great question. I'm surprised it's the 1st time we've fielded it in the years we've offered the drive base opt out! The retail price for the drive base components is not yet public, but it’s safe to say that you can anticipate that it will be higher than the $450 voucher value. The intent is to offer you a choice with a trade off... a higher value item now (the drive base kit with uncertainty about its contents and no ability to change contents, but delivered at Kickoff) vs a lower value item later (the voucher but with full control over what you use it for and when you use it).

If a team opts out of the KOP drive system, when will the Voucher be available?

The exact date is still to be determined, but we anticipate the vouchers will be active before Kickoff. Once we lock down a date for pre-Kickoff vouchers, we'll let the community know (via email blast, blog, Twitter, Facebook, fax, telegraph, courier, and probably a bat signal).

Is this option noted on our TIMS somewhere after 10/16/15 or has it vanished?

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