Ian – Quickstrike Niagara

ONT Provincials Newsletter

ONT Provincials

April 2025

Quickstrike Niagara

Team 6978

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Day One: Setup & Preparation

Our drive team kicked off the event by setting up our pit among fellow competitors. After a thorough inspection of our robot, they hit the practice fields to fine-tune performance. This included refining our newly developed autonomous code, ensuring we were competition-ready.

Days Two & Three: Scouting & Competition

While our scouts were hard at work analyzing other teams’ strengths and weaknesses, our drive team took to the field.
We went 7-4-1 in our qualification matches, thanks in part to the updated autonomous code, which gave us an edge during the early phases of each game. These efforts helped raise our ranking and build momentum for the team.

Day Four: Wrapping Up

Although we weren’t selected for the playoff rounds, we’re proud of everything we accomplished. Our robot performed reliably, our team worked seamlessly, and we all gained valuable experience.
It was a fun and rewarding event, and we’re already looking forward to the next challenge!

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McMaster Event Newsletter

McMaster Event

March 2025

Quickstrike Niagara

Team 6978

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Day One

On the first day, our drive team unloaded the robot and set up our pit. They also took the opportunity for some last-minute practice, refining their driving skills alongside other teams.

Day Three

Our scouting team continued gathering crucial data to assist our alliance captain in selecting the third alliance member for the playoffs. Throughout the day, our team performed exceptionally, earning the highest points for our alliances. When playoffs began, we were selected for the sixth alliance. We collaborated well with our alliance partners, but in a hard-fought match, our journey ended with a narrow two-point loss.

Day Two

Qualifying matches kicked off on day two, and our drive team delivered an impressive performance! Since the Niagara College competition, we have made significant improvements—enhancing speed and accuracy and reducing weight. These refinements paid off, allowing us to contribute more points to our alliances. As a result, we even secured a victory against the team that would ultimately finish second in the competition.

Looking Ahead - Provincials!

Thanks to our strong performance, we are excited to announce that we are heading to the Provincial Championships this week! Our team is eager to build on our success, refine our strategy, and compete against some of the best teams in the province. Stay tuned for updates as we take on this exciting challenge!

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Niagara College Newsletter

Niagara College Event

March 2025

Quickstrike Niagara

Team 6978

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Preparations

In the week leading up to our competition at Niagara College, our coding team made significant progress in programming the robot, while the drive team rigorously practiced using the newly refined code. Meanwhile, other team members created a detailed scouting template, which was later utilized during the competition. They also sharpened their scouting skills by analyzing matches from events around the world.

Day 3

On the third day, our driving and strategic execution improved significantly, cutting our coral cycle time, the time needed to place a coral on the reef in half. This enhancement boosted our efficiency and scoring potential. As a result, we were selected for the sixth alliance, with our scouting data playing a key role in helping our alliance captain choose the third team. Ultimately, we finished 11th overall and collaborated effectively with our alliance partners. As it stands right now, we are currently 50th out of 130 teams in Ontario, the top 100 teams will be invited to participate at Provincials in April.

Day 1 & 2

On the first day, our drive team worked alongside other teams on the field to enhance their driving skills, while the coding team persisted in refining the robot despite facing challenges. Team members also interacted with visiting scouts, exchanging insights and learning about competing robots. These efforts led to significant improvements in the drive team's accuracy, handling, and speed. On the second day, non-drive team members concentrated on scouting matches, collecting crucial data on competitors. This information became invaluable on the third day, assisting our alliance captain in selecting our third team alliance partner.

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2025 February Update 2

February Update 2

Week 7 • February 2025

Quickstrike Niagara

Team 6978

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Robot Weight

To reduce the weight of our robot, we streamlined the materials used and discovered we could remove the dedicated algae pickup assembly. During prototype testing, we found that the coral pickup assembly could also collect the algae game piece, making the algae pickup unnecessary—an exciting discovery by the team! Additionally, we decided to remove the algae assembly to free up space for other components and ensure the robot stays within the 115 lb weight limit.

Fundraiser

Our pasta night was a fantastic success! Students enjoyed serving pasta to our guests and taking part in the exciting raffle basket contests. A huge thank you to everyone who attended the fundraiser and participated in our activities!

Wiring

We are nearing the completion of our robot’s fabrication, with most components assembled and secured to the frame. Our build team is now working on a lightweight hanging mechanism, while the electrical team is finalizing the wiring. Testing is underway to verify all connections, with a focus on encoder calibration for the coral pickup and motor functionality checks.

Mounting ACCESSORIES

As we approach the final stages, we are attaching key components such as the camera, sensors, and lights. Once everything is in place, our drive team will begin practicing with the robot, and our coding team will fine-tune the software to optimize performance for smoother operation.

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2025 February Update

February Update

Week 5 • February 2025

Quickstrike Niagara

Team 6978

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

February Newsletter

Over the past month, our team has been actively brainstorming and prototyping our robot design to tackle the game's required tasks. Using Onshape, students have been developing these prototypes, while the students on the build team refine the design to maximize efficiency and performance. With just five weeks remaining until our first competition at Niagara College in Welland, we are focused on finalizing and optimizing our robot.

Robot Weight

FIRST has updated the robot specifications this year, setting the maximum weight limit at 115 lbs. Currently, our robot exceeds this limit by 15 lbs without the battery, bumpers, and arm. To address this, our build team is diligently working to reduce weight by replacing certain metal components with thinner, lighter materials. While this requires disassembling and modifying parts of the robot, our team is efficiently tackling the challenge to ensure compliance with the new regulations.

New Parts

Our team has collaborated effectively to develop three new components to help us achieve our game objectives. Over the past few weeks, we have designed and fabricated an algae manipulator, enabling us to pick up and transport algae to the designated goal—either the algae processor or the barge—to earn points. Additionally, we have built a coral intake system, allowing our robot to collect coral and bring it onboard. This system feeds into the coral gripper, which is currently under construction, and will enable us to strategically place coral onto the reef to score points.

Extra Swerve Drives

For the 2024 season, we upgraded from a tank drive system to advanced swerve drives, significantly improving our robot’s performance. Based on their success, the team ordered an additional set for this year’s robot, along with spare units for unexpected situations during competition. Swerve drives are a vital part of our robot’s success, providing increased speed, precise maneuverability, and adaptability to obstacles and other teams' robots on the field.

PAsta Dinner

Join us for a pasta dinner fundraiser at Club Capri on February 12th from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, with takeout available from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Tickets are $25. Enjoy a delicious meal featuring pasta, meatballs, salad, and dinner rolls while we showcase our 2023-2024 season robot. A 50/50 raffle will run from 5:00 to 8:00 PM, along with additional raffle prizes. Our LEGO robotics team will also be present, demonstrating their skills. Don't miss this exciting evening of great food and robotics!

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2025 Kickoff Newsletter

Week 1 • January 2025

Quickstrike Niagara

Team 6978

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

2025 Kickoff

Welcome to Quickstrike Niagara’s 2025 season kickoff! We began the season on Saturday January 4th with the exciting reveal of this year’s game. Just like last year, we divided into groups to analyze the game manual. Each student focused on a specific section, then shared their findings with the rest of the team. This collaborative approach allowed us to quickly understand the game’s requirements and jumpstart the design process for our robot. Following the manual review, we brainstormed ideas for how our robot could tackle the tasks needed to maximize points during matches.

Designing the Robot

After the robot is built, we’ll need to test it extensively. Each build season, we construct field objects and game pieces to practice with. This year is no different, as we’ve been busy assembling and experimenting with components for the 2025 game. One crucial element we’re working on is The Barge, which will allow us to test our robot’s climbing capabilities. Without these practice elements, we wouldn’t know how well our robot performs until competition, which could make troubleshooting a challenge. These preparations are key to ensuring our robot is ready for the season.

Preparing Materials

Creating a high-performing robot requires careful planning and strategic decision-making. To maximize our performance within the constraints of time and resources, we’re carefully evaluating which features to include. Challenges this season include adapting to new devices and game pieces. For instance, we need to figure out how to properly mount and use the new radio. Another significant challenge is designing a mechanism to maneuver Coral pieces and place them on The Reef both quickly and accurately. Solving these problems is essential to building a robot capable of excelling in competition.

Next Steps

Looking ahead, our focus will shift to prototyping key functions for the robot. We plan to develop a 3-axis arm for picking up Coral and an algae pickup mechanism, similar to the note collector we used last season. Additionally, our robot will need to climb, so we’ll be tackling the challenge of navigating this year’s complex climbing elements. These prototypes will be critical as we move closer to finalizing our design and ensuring that our robot is competition-ready.

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STEMley Cup Newsletter

Offseason Preparation

Week 14 • October 2024

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

STEMLEY CUP

The STEMley Cup is an off-season competition that we participated in to gain experience on our new Swerve-Drive and for our new members to gain experience in FIRST Robotics Competitions.

Preparations

In the weeks prior to the competition we built new bumpers to protect the robot, reinforced the swerve drive and removed the robots ability to climb on the stage because it was not a necessity. We changed our programming language from Java to C++, which will make the robot more efficient and run code up to 200 times faster. We also traveled multiple times to our practice field to practice and teach driving to our more inexperienced drive team members.

Competition DAy

In our first match, we had a controller error that made our controls inverted, as well as a vision failure with our gyro sensor, but despite these issues we won the match thanks to our alliance partners. In between our first and second match we repaired these issues. In one of our matches we had to make last minute changes to our blue bumpers due to them being too low to the ground as we found the brackets were damaged. We successfully made it to finals with the help of our alliance, and earned second place overall, overcoming all the technical errors we encountered. Our drive team members gained experience through the competition that ultimately led to our teams success.

Next Steps

Our next steps for the off season are to teach programming, design, driving, and learning how to operate the machines at our disposal. We will also be fixing minor issues within the robot to ensure that the errors we experienced during the competition do not happen again.

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2024 Year End Newsletter

Ontario Provincial Championship &
year end update

Week 13 • July 2024

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Before Provincials

During our competition in Waterloo, we encountered issues with notes getting stuck in a gap on the guarding on the robot. To address this, we modified our design. Additionally, to prevent our chain from slipping, we installed chain tensioners to ensure it stayed in place. With these adjustments, we felt confident in our preparation for the provincials.

Day 1

Upon arriving at the International Centre in Toronto for the competition, we were assigned to the Technology division. Alongside approximately 50 other teams, we set up our pit and participated in a few practice matches. During our qualification matches, we encountered minimal issues with our robot and won 4 out of 6 matches.

Day 2

Day 2 of the competition had a lot of really close matches, with some being a difference of as little as 2 points. We won 3 out of our 6 matches, and did not face many issues with our robot. Compared to the many amazing teams there, we were doing quite well. With our high ranking in the qualification matches, there was a high likelihood of an alliance captain picking us on day 3.

Day 3

Our third and final day of the competition began with alliance selection. After teams made tough decisions and compromises, we were picked for the third alliance. Despite the promising conditions so far, our first playoff match had us face a huge obstacle; our breaker shattering. Halfway through our first match, our breaker was destroyed and our robot rendered immobile. Even with the strict time constraints, we were able to replace the breaker before the next match. Unfortunately, our shooter accuracy was off and we weren’t able to secure a victory.

Next Steps

Since we are finished with our competitions for the season, we are now preparing students for the competitions next season. To start we are teaching some students how to make models in CAD programs, meaning they will be able to create designs for parts on our robot. Related to this, we are also attempting to redesign our robot to use a swerve drive instead of a tank base, meaning we will be able to navigate around the field quicker.

This year many of our students will be finishing high school, meaning they will no longer be eligible to be students on the team and some may be back with the team as mentors. Since we will need new programmers next year, we will be teaching some students to program in C++ for the robot. If we are able to accomplish all this, we will have the capacity to build amazing robots quite efficiently next year.

Off-season

Recently, during our off-season, we built a swerve drive for our robot, which we plan to use at this year's STEMley Cup. Compared to our old tank-based movement system, the swerve drive offers numerous improvements and enhanced capabilities.

The robot is holonomic, allowing it to move and rotate in any direction independently. Its movement direction is not influenced by its rotation, enabling precise navigation around objects. This characteristic also simplifies the autonomous system's maneuvering, making it more efficient and easier to control.

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Week 12 Newsletter

The competition at Waterloo

Week 12 • March 2024

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Robot Adjustments

As highlighted in our previous newsletters, our robot encountered unforeseen challenges during the Newmarket competition. In preparation for our upcoming event at Waterloo, significant adjustments were necessary. We incorporated automatic speaker and amplifier functionalities, enhanced the precision of our tracking system, installed new wheels, and bolstered the frame. With these modifications implemented, we are fully prepared for our forthcoming competition.

Day 1

Our initial day at Waterloo proved highly successful. Our robot showcased significant improvement compared to the previous competition, even securing 1st place in several matches. With fewer adjustments needed, we could devote more attention to optimizing our match performance. Notably, our autonomous capabilities matched those of top-tier teams, and our shooting accuracy was exceptional.

Day 2

As the second day of the competition unfolded, we concluded our qualification matches and transitioned into the alliance selections phase. It was with great excitement that we secured the esteemed position of alliance captain for alliance 5. Following thorough deliberation, we extended invitations to teams 4903 and 4617 to join us, which they graciously accepted. With our alliance solidified, we are poised to approach the playoff matches with unwavering confidence and determination.

We won our first playoff match with a score of 77, but unfortunately were not able to secure a victory in our second and third match.

Next Steps

Following our commendable performance at Waterloo, it appears we may advance to provincials in less than a week. Currently positioned 71st, it's unlikely we'll drop low enough to be ineligible. With limited time for robot adjustments, our focus is solely on tournament preparation. During Waterloo, our supply of nearly 100 buttons depleted before the opening ceremonies. This week, we aim to print at least 150 buttons, hopefully sustaining us until noon. As team 1114 wraps up their second competition, accessing the practice field may prove challenging. Nonetheless, buoyed by our strong showing at Waterloo, we approach provincials with optimism, recognizing that a robust performance there could propel us to the world stage.

We ended up in 79th place overall and received our invitation to Provincials!!

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Week 11 Newsletter

Preparing for Waterloo

Week 11 • March 2024

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Tweaking the Robot

After analyzing all of the challenges we faced during our last competition, we have made numerous tweaks and improvements to the robot, ensuring its reliability and performance. First, we have added automatic speaker and amp capabilities, making travelling to both stations much easier. Next, we improved the accuracy of our tracking system and improved our sensor fusion algorithm. The robot also needed a durability improvement, so we put on new wheels and reinforced the climb frame and wheel base.

During the week when we’re not refining our robot, we’re hard at work practicing for our competition, only a few days away. Today we’ll be packing up our robot and getting it ready to be taken to Waterloo on Thursday.

Next Steps

On Thursday, March 21 we are going to attend a competition at Waterloo. This competition is quite important because if we earn enough district points, we may be able to attend provincials. We currently have 21 points and we will need about 50 points to qualify for provincials.

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ONT Provincials

April 2025

Quickstrike Niagara

Team 6978

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Day One: Setup & Preparation

Days Two & Three: Scouting & Competition

Day Four: Wrapping Up

McMaster Event

March 2025

Quickstrike Niagara

Team 6978

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Day One

Day Three

Day Two

Looking Ahead - Provincials!

Niagara College Event

March 2025

Quickstrike Niagara

Team 6978

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Preparations

Day 3

Day 1 & 2

February Update 2

Week 7 • February 2025

Quickstrike Niagara

Team 6978

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Robot Weight

Fundraiser

Wiring

Mounting ACCESSORIES

February Update

Week 5 • February 2025

Quickstrike Niagara

Team 6978

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

February Newsletter

Robot Weight

New Parts

Extra Swerve Drives

PAsta Dinner

2025 Kickoff Newsletter

Week 1 • January 2025

Quickstrike Niagara

Team 6978

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

2025 Kickoff

Designing the Robot

Preparing Materials

Next Steps

Offseason Preparation

Week 14 • October 2024

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

STEMLEY CUP

Preparations

Competition DAy

Next Steps

Ontario Provincial Championship & year end update

Week 13 • July 2024

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Before Provincials

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Next Steps

Off-season

The competition at Waterloo

Week 12 • March 2024

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Robot Adjustments

Day 1

Day 2

Next Steps

Preparing for Waterloo

Week 11 • March 2024

Thank you for all your support of our team! Without your sponsorship, this build season would not be possible. Here is what we have been working on over the past week.

Tweaking the Robot

Ontario Provincial Championship &
year end update