Portfolio Planning

This page plans the team's engineering portfolio for FTC judging. The portfolio is required for the Think Award, Control Award, and Inspire Award.

Rules Summary (from Competition Manual A201)

• 1 cover page (team number, name, logo, optional TOC)
• Max 15 pages of content
• US Letter or A4 size, max 15MB digital
• Must only include progress since January 1, 2025
• Must credit AI usage (footnote or endnote)
• Judges will NOT follow links to external content
• Use readable fonts (≥10pt) and good contrast

Target Awards & Required Portfolio Content

Think Award (Section 6.3.2)

This judged award is given to the team that best reflects the journey the team took as they experienced their season. The content within the PORTFOLIO is the key reference for JUDGES to help identify the most deserving team. The team could share or provide additional detailed information that is helpful for the JUDGES.

The portfolio MUST include engineering content with at least one of:

• Evidence of use of the engineering process
• Lessons learned and implemented related to robot design
• Trade-off analysis / cost-benefit analysis
• Mathematical analysis used to make design decisions

Encouraged:

• How team learns from mentors / development plan for learning new skills
• How team recruited new people into FIRST
• how the team identified goals and tracked progress towards their goals throughout the season.
• Portfolio organized clearly and intuitively

Control Award (Section 6.3.7)

The Control Award celebrates a team that uses sensors and software to increase the ROBOT’S functionality during gameplay. This award is given to the team that demonstrates innovative thinking and solutions to solve game challenges such as autonomous operation, improving mechanical systems with intelligent control, or using sensors to achieve better results. The solution(s) should work consistently during MATCHES but does not have to work all the time. Solutions considered for this award are not solely limited to the AUTO period of the MATCH and may also be used during TELEOP. The team’s PORTFOLIO must contain a summary of the software, sensors, and mechanical control but would not include copies of the code itself.

• The portfolio MUST include:
  • Hardware and/or software control components on the robot
  • Which challenges each component/system is intended to solve
  • How each component/system works
• Team must use one or more hardware or software solutions to improve ROBOT functionality by using external feedback and control.

Encouraged:

• The control solution(s) should work consistently during most MATCHES.
• Team could discuss, describe, display, or document how the solution may consider reliability either through demonstrated effectiveness or identification of how the solution could be improved
• Use of the engineering process to develop the control solutions (sensors, hardware and/or algorithms) used on the ROBOT includes lessons learned.

Hardware components:

• Odometry
• Intake
• Diverter
• Launch system
• Lights and color sensors
• Drivetrain
• Camera

Software components:

• Pedro Pathing
• Auto command system
• Teleop
  • Auto-aim
  • Auto-diverter
• Position memory (Auto -> Teleop)
• Bulk reads, I2C read rotation, write minimization
• Base class shared between auto and teleop

Our Control Systems to Document:

System	Challenge It Solves	How It Works
GoBilda Pinpoint Odometry	Accurate position tracking for autonomous	2 odometry pods measure wheel rotations, Pinpoint computer calculates X/Y/heading position
Limelight 3A Camera	Detecting position on field via AprilTags	Camera detects AprilTags around the field, calculates robot pose using MegaTag2
Pedro Pathing	Smooth, accurate autonomous movement	Path-following library that uses odometry feedback to follow pre-planned paths with PID control
Color Sensors (×4)	Detect artifact presence before launching	Sensors detect if artifacts are loaded and ready in each launcher chute, Also Color coded lights
Lights	hard to see artifact colors	On back it the lights change color to show artifact colors
Auto-Aim	Automatically orient robot toward goal	Uses odometry position to calculate angle to goal, rotates robot to face it
Variable Launch Angle Servo	Adjust shot trajectory for distance	Servo tilts launcher ramp to change launch angle based on distance to goal
Variable Launch Speed (RPM)	Fine-tune launch distance	Flywheel RPM adjustable to control how far artifacts travel
Automatic Diverter	Route artifacts to correct launcher	Software automatically switches diverter when ball is detected by color sensor
Auto Programs (3-ball, 9-ball)	Score during autonomous period	Pre-programmed sequences: back up, aim, launch; designed for different starting positions
Position Memory (Auto→Teleop)	Seamless transition between periods	Robot remembers its position from autonomous and continues using it in teleop

Our Think Award Content:

Topic	Source Material
Engineering process: Starter Bot → RI3D Bot evolution	Engineering Log, website FTC page
Trade-off: Tank drive vs Mecanum drive	Engineering Log, website descriptions
Trade-off: Starter Bot vs RI3D design	Engineering Log (before 1/25/26 entry)
Mathematical analysis: Launcher angle/RPM optimization	Launcher-Measurements.md, Eng Log 2/12
Lessons learned: Diverter getting stuck → plates added	Engineering Log entries 1/29, 2/4
Lessons learned: Launcher ramp → zip ties and guides	Engineering Log entries 2/19, 2/28
Lessons learned: Wiring issues on starter bot	Engineering Log 11/6
Goal tracking: TODO lists with checkboxes	Engineering Log 2/25 entry
Skill development: Programming exercises progression	Programming.md
Skill development: CAD learning resources	CAD.md

Connect Award (Section 6.3.3)

This judged award is given to the team that connects with their local science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) community to learn and adopt new tools through effort and persistence. This team has a team plan and has identified steps to achieve their goals. A PORTFOLIO is not required for this award.

• REQUIRED: Team must describe, display, or document a team plan that covers all of the following:
  • The team’s goals for the development of team member skills, and
  • The steps the team has taken or will take to reach those goals
• Provide examples of developing in person or virtual connections with individuals in the engineering, science, or technology community.
• Provide examples of how it actively engages with the engineering community.

Reach Award (Section 6.3.4)

This award celebrates a team that has introduced and recruited new people into FIRST. Through their efforts, they have sparked others to embrace the FIRST culture. A PORTFOLIO is not required for this award.

• REQUIRED: Team must discuss, describe, display, or document their outreach objectives and how their outreach activities support the FIRST community.
• REQUIRED: Team must discuss, describe, display, or document their successful recruitment of new teams, or coaches, or mentors and/or volunteers who are not otherwise active within the FIRST community.
• Is an ambassador for FIRST programs in a way that makes FIRST loud.
• Has a creative and evolving approach to outreach materials that market their team and FIRST.

Sustain Award (Section 6.3.5)

Sustainability and planning are essential for a FIRST team, because they ensure the program’s long-term success. This award celebrates the team that has considered their future team members and has worked to ensure that their team or program will continue to exist long after they have gone on to develop their careers. A PORTFOLIO is not required for this award.

• REQUIRED: Team must discuss, describe, display, or document their plan(s) which includes at least one of the following:
  • finances and financial sustainability plan
  • season project planning, and/or
  • team sustainability plans and/or objectives.
• REQUIRED: Team must discuss, describe, display or document how a team tracks their progress towards their plan(s) listed above.
• Team has clear team roles for all members of the team and a process for developing leadership.
• Team can discuss, describe, display, or document how they manage the team’s constraints and/or risks.

Inspire Award (Section 6.3.1)

Requires being a strong contender in ALL of:

• MCI (Machine, Creativity, Innovation) — covered by Control Award content
• Team Attributes — need Connect, Reach, or Sustain content
• Think Award — covered by Think Award content
• Positive and inclusive, all members contribute
• Can describe/demonstrate/document experiences to judges

Proposed Portfolio Structure (15 pages)

Page	Content	Awards Supported
Cover	Team #32314, "Marcus Bartholomew the Third Senior", logo, robot photo	—
1	Team introduction: Lucas (programming/driver), Lesly (build), Matthew (outreach/video), Josephine (driving/outreach/portfolio), Caleb (learning FTC)	Inspire, Think
2	Season timeline / goals overview	Think, Sustain
3	Robot 1: Starter Bot design and lessons learned	Think
4	Robot 2: RI3D Bot — why we switched, trade-off analysis	Think, Innovate
5	Mechanical design: intake, dual launchers, diverter	Design, Innovate
6	Launcher optimization: angle/RPM testing and math	Think, Control
7	Control systems overview: odometry, Limelight, Pedro Pathing	Control
8	Software architecture: auto programs, auto-aim, diverter logic	Control
9	Sensor integration: color sensors, position memory	Control
10	Control reliability & lessons learned	Control, Think
11	Competition results: Carolina Scrimmage recap	Think
12	Outreach: videos, social media, website, community	Reach, Connect
13	Team development: skills learned, mentoring, programming exercises	Connect, Think
14	Sustainability: fundraising, team roles, planning (see Financial Summary)	Sustain
15	Future plans and improvements (from scrimmage notes)	Think, Connect

Content We Already Have

These existing resources can be used as source material:

• Engineering Log — Detailed chronological record (Nov 2025 – Mar 2026)
• Launcher Measurements — RPM and angle data for different distances
• Team Roles — Role definitions and member assignments
• Outreach — Video scripts, social media strategy
• Financial Summary — Expense categories, income tracking, fundraising stories (see Financial Summary)
• Programming exercises — Skill development progression
• CAD resources — Learning plan documentation
• Website (wccarobotics.github.io) — Public-facing team info, robot descriptions, competition videos
• Competition videos — YouTube: Qualifications, Playoffs
• Wiring documentation — Pinout tables for both robots

Content We Still Need

• Photos of both robots (close-ups of key mechanisms)
• Screenshots of code (auto programs, control logic)
• Diagrams of control system architecture
• Launcher test data charts/graphs
• Team photos
• Outreach event photos
• Before/after comparisons (starter bot vs RI3D)

AI Credit (for portfolio)

Portfolio created by Team 32314 with assistance from GitHub Copilot (Claude). AI was used for research, drafting, and editing.