FRC Learning Resources

Curated from community recommendations and the Chief Delphi thread on best FRC learning resources.


Official Documentation

FRC Docs

https://frc-docs.readthedocs.io/en/develop

The official FIRST Robotics Competition documentation. Covers:

  • Robot hardware and wiring
  • WPILib programming
  • Control system setup
  • Game manual references

Team Resources

Spectrum 3847 — Design Concepts Presentation

Google Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1whyvTc-HmHIQoMQok2rVF6ahzuzkDI1A4BrMUjpHwMc/edit

Topics covered:

  • History of design contests (Paper Airplane, Auto Racing, MIT 2.70)
  • Woodie Flowers and the origins of competitive robotics
  • What FIRST Robotics is about
  • The Compass Alliance philosophy
  • Things you should learn: CAD, shop tools, 3D printing, electronics, programming, communication
  • Design is a Passionate Process (Alexander Slocum)
  • Karthik’s TED Talk on team leadership

The Compass Alliance

https://www.thecompassalliance.org

A team-driven resource hub. (Note: site may have access issues)


Community Resources

Chief Delphi Forum

https://www.chiefdelphi.com/

The primary community forum for FRC. Where:

  • Teams share designs and advice
  • Mentors discuss best practices
  • Students ask technical questions
  • Alumni stay connected

Also useful for: Monitoring FRC trends and historical data. Good source to check periodically for new techniques, game history, and team innovations.

MrC Monitoring: Focused Chief Delphi sweeps January–March (FRC build season) to catch emerging trends and game-specific discussions.


Key Learning Areas

AreaResource
Robot wiringFRC Docs + 2890 Electrical L1 slides
ProgrammingFRC Docs + WPILib
CAD / DesignSpectrum 3847 presentation
Team cultureSpectrum 3847, Woodie Flowers talks
Mechanical2890 Mechanical L1-L3 slides

For 2890 Students

Start with the 2890 training slides in this wiki. Use these external resources to supplement:

  1. Electrical track → FRC Docs for wiring reference
  2. Programming track → FRC Docs for WPILib
  3. Design/Mechanical → Spectrum 3847 presentation
  4. Team culture → Karthik’s TED Talk (search online)