about 6th SoR Robot Tutorial Contest

[z.s.tar.gz]

I am entering the contest with a tutorial on solar energy for robots.
I do not have the video completed yet but that doesn't mean I can't enter right?  

edit: I am withdrawing from the contest. I read the main page again and I realized you have to own an axon to win an axon which in my opinion is a load of bull.

[Hanzuki]

 My reading of the main page says that you could win 100$, an Axon, or the reimbursment of a previous purchase of an Axon.

 I don't see where it says you must already have one.

[z.s.tar.gz]

How to Compete

1) Make an educational video featuring the Axon

It's in the first step. You can't make a video featuring an axon if you don't have one.

[amando96]

I am entering the contest with a tutorial on solar energy for robots.
I do not have the video completed yet but that doesn't mean I can't enter right?  

edit: I am withdrawing from the contest. I read the main page again and I realized you have to own an axon to win an axon which in my opinion is a load of bull.

yeah kinda is, but he's promoting his product, and there's a shortage...

[Admin]

Yeap, its a promotion attempt. It isn't bull - it'd be silly to think you guys aren't intelligent enough to see the  promotion effect

For those who already own an Axon, and already have a robot using it, and will probably upload a video on youtube of it anyway, its a chance to get some money back. Almost everyone who entered the tutorial contests (and actually wrote a tutorial) have won a prize, so your chances of winning in this contest are fairly high.

ps - I split this topic off from the original. Questions are banned in that topic, as per the first line

[z.s.tar.gz]

Sorry I thought the tutorial contest was about the tutorials.

[Razor Concepts]

Well, you could buy an axon and hopefully win to get a free axon 

[Asellith]

Or buy and axon and win an axon II. Not that I recently did that or anything. Also this is the 6th contest. So that's 5 previous non-axon specific ones that you could have competed in. Really I got second place in a contest with 3 people in it and 3 prizes... Consider the axon purchase the entry fee or something. Admin does this out of pocket to better the site/community so its his prerogative to promote his own designs once in a while

[z.s.tar.gz]

Or maybe I was not able to enter the last five and this being my first one I was able to do I was looking forward to making a really good tutorial.

Sadly only people with a substancial amount of money can enter (from my perspective I would spend $94 on so many other things before I spent it on a chance to make six bucks) so really this contest is only for people who have already given admin money regardless of tutorial content.

Anyways, not much I can do about it but complain.

[Ro-Bot-X]

Hey Zach, want to borrow mine?

[Admin]

on a chance to make six bucks

Where'd you get 'six bucks' from?

[z.s.tar.gz]

@X: Thanks but no thanks. I doubt I can learn it enough in time even if I wanted to.

@admin: the original axon costs $94. if I won the 100 dollar prize I could make a maximum profit of 6 dollars. really it's less than that because of shipping so I could actually lose money by winning.

That just doesn't make sense.

[Admin]

Well, that logic would only hold if the Axon had zero value to you, and you couldn't resell it . . .

If you bought the Axon from me, I will also refund shipping.

You are more than welcome to borrow one from Ro-Bot-X. I think he has two anyway

[z.s.tar.gz]

True, very true.

Sadly I was not planning on writing an axon based tutorial as I have little to no knowledge regarding the axon.

[Admin]

No writing needed. Its a video tutorial this time, just glance through.

I promise you its easy to learn/use the Axon. (yea, I'm biased I know, but you aren't going to find an mcu easier than this)

[madsci1016]

I think I might enter this, but I would like to make it about Webbotlib and his project designer as much as it would be about the Axon itself. Is this ok? Or will I get marked down?

[Admin]

I think I might enter this, but I would like to make it about Webbotlib and his project designer as much as it would be about the Axon itself. Is this ok? Or will I get marked down?

It can be about anything you want, as long as the Axon is featured in it. And actually, including WebbotLib is definitely a good thing!

[z.s.tar.gz]

I see a loophole...

I think I will take you up on that offer X.

[Razor Concepts]

No writing needed. Its a video tutorial this time, just glance through.

I promise you its easy to learn/use the Axon. (yea, I'm biased I know, but you aren't going to find an mcu easier than this)

And its gonna be easier with arduino support

[z.s.tar.gz]

Ok admin I'm gonna run this by you before I do anything although it's completely within the rules.

I want to do a tutorial about solar energy as it pertains to robotics. However after I found out about the axon requirement I couldn't do it.
Now I plan on doing the tutorial and just having the axon 'featured' in it just like you said here:

It can be about anything you want, as long as the Axon is featured in it.

The main thought here is: Do I actually have to present a physical axon in the video or can I just have a representation of it? (ex. saying "This solar power system can supply even powerful microcontrollers such as the Axon or Axon II..." and maybe some pictures)

[amando96]

Or you could make it ''especially'' for the axon, but also on a side note "able to power other micro's such as picaxe, PIC, arduino, AVR, ARM..."

[Admin]

z.s.tar.gz, it doesn't need to be a tutorial. It could just be a fun robot video and you somehow point out that the  Axon is being used. Although I would prefer a tutorial showing how the Axon is used for your project (in whatever way), its not required.

A physical representation would be needed, otherwise what you say about it wouldn't hold much weight.

[madsci1016]

I think for as much of his life Admin poured into making this website great, having tutorial contests he supplies the prizes for, and doing a relatively decent job of staying neutral in the face of newbs asking which uC is best, Admin gets a little product placement every now and again.

And remember, there's always the next contest you could be getting ready for! And maybe if you (Zach) tried a little nudging, Admin could make it be green energy themed!!!

[madsci1016]

We can have several entries, correct?

well, I guess

"You can submit as many videos as you want - but its better to make one great video than three crappy videos. "

answers my question, but will separate videos on the same robot count as one, or separate entries?

I'm saving my Axon controlled Irobot create and roomba for a proper tutorial, about SAGAR is powered by Axon, so i guess I can post it's videos now.

[Ro-Bot-X]

Admin could make it be green energy themed!!!

Oh, I would love that! Many of us discussed the use of solar panels for charging our robots or even installed on the robot for a slow charge. I think it would be a good way people would start thinking to find ways to have their robot use only green energy, no alkaline batteries and no main powered charging stations (even if it is manually connected to the robot). But of course, I am a little biased, as I am currently building such robots. No Axon involved though.

[z.s.tar.gz]

I guess I could enter under the premises of 'green energy' although I don't really believe in it.
Anyways, I will not be participating in this competition. It just really isn't what I was hoping for.

[Admin]

answers my question, but will separate videos on the same robot count as one, or separate entries?

hmmmmm good question . . . I'll let you decide which you would rather. I'll just treat multiple videos as one long video if you request it.

[krockhouse]

I was going to be building a project this summer that would be mobile and then make a tutorial for it for the tresson robotics contest, I am sure you would appreciate us using your MC in another contest. 

Anyways are there any more MCs available because if we use one I guess we could enter into both competitions.  Also, will there be multiple prizes because there are already two really good entries that we would not be able to hold up against.

This will be our first project using an actual MC rather than synthesizing one through use of an FPGA, do you guys suggest using the axon or going with a different company first...try not to be too biased...

[madsci1016]

hmmmmm good question . . . I'll let you decide which you would rather. I'll just treat multiple videos as one long video if you request it.

Ok, I was asking because I have a decent video of SAGAR with more views, and a better video with less, and couldn't pink which one to post.

Also,

I'll give out a prize for every 5 videos submitted

Can the same person win twice? IE, if i were to submit another entry, should i wait for the second group of five so I can win again, or not bother waiting?

[Admin]

Can the same person win twice? IE, if i were to submit another entry, should i wait for the second group of five so I can win again, or not bother waiting?

If there are 5 entries, only 1st will get a prize. If there are 6-10 entries, both 1st and 2nd place will get a prize, etc. Is that what you meant? No reason to wait.

Just don't submit bad videos to up the number of prizes - I'll disqualify junk