 MegaHurtz Robotics at the Sweet Shop (Cafe Italiano) in Buchanan on the way home from the St. Joseph District event, March 9, 2024. No one could have made me believe we were going to be finalists after the rough start we had in day one of our two day competition. In our very first match, we lost, and it was clear there was something not quite right with bot. It wasn't the great beginning we had hoped for, but the best comeback stories always start that way! There are many challenges to being a FIRST Robotics Team, but that’s sort of the point. Challenge the students, teach them critical thinking skills, engineering principles, and teamwork, and expose them to enough STEAM to keep them engaged and looking forward to their futures in these exciting fields. But, as a very small and fully self funded team, the challenges are exponentially greater. We often don’t get the latest technology. We can’t afford the best equipment and we can’t travel to extra events. We have been very blessed with the support our community has given us through their sponsorships and encouragement. Because of a huge investment in our program by the Fisher Rahiser Group and through our partnership with Lake Michigan STEAMWORKS a couple years ago, we have our own workshop where we hold classes and build our robots. Unfortunately, we still need to raise $20,000 each year in order to build a robot and go to competitions. Each season, the team applies for as many grants as we are aware of. This season we were very fortunate to receive a grant from TC Energy specifically for expenses related to building the 2024 robot. This $6000 boost to our team allowed us to invest in Swerve Drive. (You can see a video of the REV Swerve Drive on Team 4481 demo here) This type of drive system has dominated FRC competitions for years, but at a price point of over $2400 just to get started, it has always been out of our reach. With the grant from TC Energy, we were finally able to level up our robot designs. Of course, nothing on the robot is as simple as installing a part. Swerve Drive requires a massive amount of programming, calibration, and testing. We are very fortunate to have a returning team member and FIRST Alumni, Jesse Layne, as our programming mentor. Working with the students, he developed the advanced LabView programming code that makes it possible for our bot to move in any direction while utilizing a Field Forward orientation. The St. Joseph District event was the very first time we’ve ever tested the swerve drive system in competition, which means it was also the first time we’ve had to maintain it during the rigors of each match. It turned out to be a much bigger challenge than we expected. Anyone that builds things will tell you that putting something together is NOT the same thing as repairing it. Especially when you just came off the field and only have 10 minutes before you have to go back out! Things quickly turn into a gamble of what “needs” to be done, how little can we get away with now, and what will definitely need to be fixed later.
Day two: Saturday. The team arrived at 8:00 AM and only had an hour to work on the bot until opening ceremonies. The team didn’t feel they could get the part swapped out fast enough and the robot WAS working, so the decision was made to run it like it was. Somehow, our Driver and Operator duo of Logan Blumka and Jordan Layne managed to win the first couple matches even with our bot being slower and less capable. We were starting to look more like we should have at that point. We were shooting notes, dropping them in the Amp, and moving around the field much better, but still too slowly. At the conclusion of the Qualification matches going into the Alliance Selection, we were ranked 18th out of 38 teams. It was then that the #3 Alliance led by team 3452 The GreengineerZ from Berrien Springs and 4237 Team Lance-A-Bot from Lakeshore felt we had something to add going into the playoffs. To be honest, I don’t remember every detail of those couple hours. It was intense. We won Round One and Round Two. It looked like we were going to sweep the upper bracket, but then bot failures knocked us down to the lower bracket in Round 3. At one point, we had four teams in our pit helping us repair damage to the bot from gameplay. It all came down to match 13. If we won this one, we’d go to the finals. If we lost, it was an incredible run but we’d be done. Despite the setbacks and technical issues, Alliance #3 won match 13 and earned a spot in the finals. Alliance #1 vs. Alliance #3. I would love to say that the story gets better from here, but that was not how it went. Finals are best two out of three and while the first match was a close loss for us, the second match was a wash. We only had one working bot. Ours failed spectacularly on the field and one of our alliance partners lost the ability to shoot. Competition is hard on robots, but regardless of whose did what, we were an amazing team! We all went home with medals and the title of St. Joseph District Finalists.  By: Phillip Place
Lead Mentor: MegaHurtz Robotics FRC Team 5056
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This season has been tough for us. Our team is made up primarily of seniors and 8th graders. What this has meant is that we have spent every meeting since September, teaching and mentoring the younger members so they were prepared for the 2024 season. This process meant building a robot. It wasn't a season bot or designed for any specific game. It was a simple frame with four drive motors that the student built completely on their own. Fast forward to January 2024 and the new FRC season. Crescendo isn't a complicated game, but like all FIRST seasons, there are parts to it that require a great deal of thought and work that may not have seemed that way when we first started. There are significant challenges to this type of game piece.
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MegaHurtz Robotics | FIRST Team 5056
Buchanan High School, Buchanan Michigan |
Our financial partner is Lake Michigan STEAMWORKS
More information can be found at www.lakemichigansteamworks.org |