Week 9 — Scrimmage Prep: Bolts, Boos & Bots
Tonight is all about getting ready for the Bolts, Boos & Bots Scrimmage in Westford. Focus on the robot's basic functions first — a robot that drives, passes inspection and doesn't break is worth more than a fancy one that doesn't.
🏁 Bolts, Boos & Bots Scrimmage — Sunday, October 25
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM · Westford Academy, 30 Patten Rd., Westford, MA 01886
There is no meeting Wed Oct 21, so tonight is our last meeting before the scrimmage.
⛔ Priority items — must do these!
Check every one of these on both robots before working on anything else.
1. Can it drive?
Smooth, controllable driving in every direction with the gamepad.
2. Does it have two team number card holders?
Two sign locations on surfaces at least 90° apart, so the red or blue card can be dropped in before each match. R401–R403 · sign rules
3. Is it completely within an 18-inch box — including wires?
Make sure no wires can snag on an opponent's robot or the game field. Tie them down and tuck them in. R102
4. Is the power switch accessible but protected?
We must be able to reach it easily, but another robot must not be able to bump it off by accident. R603
5. Save your code!
If you have something that mostly works today, save it first — BEFORE making changes. In the simulator: Deploy → Zip file (Export). A coach can also show you how to publish it to GitHub.
🎯 Once the must-dos are done
Make the robot shoot — and tune it
Don't go for perfect. If you have a chance of scoring a few pollen, that's likely good enough for the scrimmage.
Practice driving
Drivers must know what every button does. Consider writing it down — or use our Driver Controls page. Make sure you know where it is!
An autonomous that leaves and then parks
Leaving the wall and parking in our loading zone scores points without shooting anything (AUTO rules). If your auto depends on where the robot starts, make sure the whole team knows the starting position.
Review the game rules
Find the answers in the competition manual and share them with the team:
- How long is AUTO?
- What is a pin?
- How many students can be at the driver station?
Consider plastic bumpers
Metal robots touching each other can cause the robots to reset (static discharge). Consider designing or adding plastic bumpers. See the Electrical Gremlins lesson.
🎓 Programming lessons
Complete the programming lessons before our competition
Work through every lesson and quiz in the Impulse 3D Simulator. Quiz results must be recorded by a mentor.