Build · First 30 days
Zero to inspection-ready in four weeks.
This is the path our campers actually follow — one focused phase per week, a few hours each. Every phase ends with a “done when” you can check honestly.
WK
1
1
Week 1
Decide & order
- Pick an archetype: wedge (recommended first), drum, or vertical spinner
- Choose a reference design from the design library — adapting one is encouraged
- Order the electronics core (parts arrive while you work on CAD)
- Skim the construction rules once, cover to cover
Done when Parts are ordered and you can sketch your bot from memory.
WK
2
2
Week 2
CAD & print
- Open the reference design in Onshape or Fusion 360 (both free for students)
- Adjust it: your wheels, your motor mounts, your name on the lid
- Print the chassis — or submit it to the school/library/print service
- While it prints: watch one wiring video and label your parts
Done when A chassis exists in the physical world and the electronics fit inside it (dry-fit, no wiring).
WK
3
3
Week 3
Wire & solder
- Solder the power harness: battery connector → switch → ESCs
- Bind transmitter to receiver; set the fail-safe and TEST it (turn the TX off — everything must stop)
- Mount the power light where it is visible from outside
- First powered test — at a lab test-box day, never on the kitchen table
Done when Bot drives under control inside a test box, and the fail-safe kills everything when the transmitter turns off.
WK
4
4
Week 4
Harden & inspect
- Run the safety-inspection checklist yourself — every line
- Add the weapon lock (bright, physical, actually prevents motion)
- Print the spare parts you already suspect you need — you are right
- Drive practice: figure-eights until boring, then backwards until boring
Done when You can pass inspection today, and a spare parts bag exists.
Behind schedule?Cut the weapon, not the deadline. A finished wedge beats an unfinished spinner every time — and “get a bot done” is the single most repeated advice from our veteran builders.