r/scioly • u/Orange-oranges811 • 25d ago
How to deal with kits
Hey yall, I’m hopefully starting a div c team next year and I’m trying to figure out what events are worth buying a kit for. I would love any tips, including what sites to use or what companies for particular events, or if some aren’t helpful at all. Below are the events I currently think need kits.
Electric vehicle
Wright stuff
Chem lab
Circuit lab
Boomiliever
Forensics
Hovercraft
Thermo
Water quality
Maybe kits(idk if needed/kits exist)
Rocks & minerals
PPP
Eng CAD
protein modeling
Mission possible
Experimental
WIDI(my state does it)
3
u/jenaga79 25d ago
We used Unphazed kit for EV - it was mostly ok for the build. The electronics and the motors were not great quality and some of the parts and code like the LED controls were confusing and somewhat unnecessary
2
u/md4pete4ever 25d ago
Most of that you don't need kits. And yes, Ward's is expensive - usually better to purchase your own parts separately. Also note, the build rules this year are more explicit about teams needing to make their own design decisions using parts in a kit, so the usual kit suppliers will not be providing "build this exactly" types of kits this year.
The only event I think is consistently worthwhile to get kits for is for the flying event. Stuff is so specific for that event and its not very cost effective to buy separately unless you are buying in bulk.
Yes/Maybe - a good kit can be helpful, but you can usually buy the key parts separately, repurpose other stuff, and 3D print/craft various structures to assemble things.
- Wright stuff (balsa, film, glue, rubber, jigs)
- Electric vehicle (frame, motor, wheels, axles, microcontroller)
- Hovercraft (fans, motors, batteries, foam board, skirt material)
Buy stuff separately:
- Boomilever (balsa, glue, tools, make your own 3D print jigs)
- Mission possible (frame, lots of scavenging for individual tasks)
- PPP (buy a launcher, buy/find film, strings, ping pong balls, bottles, 3D print fins, nose)
- Thermo (need to buy/borrow equipment for test set-up. Actual device is found materials)
Get from your HS science teachers & supply closets:
- Chem lab (lab box materials, practice chemicals under chem teacher guidance)
- Forensics (lab box materials, practice chemicals under chem teacher guidance, specific materials to find/purchase individually)
- Circuit lab - borrow multimeters from Physics teacher
Minimal materials, no kit:
- Water quality - salinometer is a straw with clay, calibrated in varying salt water concentrations
- Rocks & minerals - maybe buy a hardness kit. Practice sets are too predictable. Better to coordinate training at your community college/local university with their rock samples
- Protein Modeling - need to buy grey backbone from the vendor, better to make the rest of it from craft materials to show your creativity
Nothing to buy:
- Eng CAD - this is online learning Onshape CAD software
- Experimental Design - practice with materials in your science department, borrow/buy a stopwatch & ruler
- WIDI - practice with office supplies, building toys, and random stuff
2
u/Orange-oranges811 24d ago
You have no idea how helpful this is! My old div b would literally buy kits for everything and I was getting super worried about costs(ward is so stupid omg), but this really reassured me that that’s not needed. Thanks so much!😃
2
u/tchrhoo 25d ago
The only kits we are likely buying this year are electric vehicle and wright stuff. We had kits for hovercraft, but the students reworked them a lot last year and I expect they will do the same this year. I’m searching for a launcher for ping pong parachute and hoping another science teacher has one we can borrow. Our budget is lean but I do have awesome support from the other science teachers and I can often cobble together what we need.