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External References

Spartan Design has its own curriculum — this isn't a replacement. But the V5RC community has experienced creators who explain things well, and pointing students at specific, vetted videos from those creators is faster than reinventing the wheel.

This page lists external videos Coach Tansopalucks has selected as relevant to our curriculum. Each video has notes on what to watch for and which Spartan Design page it pairs with.

🔎 How to use external references

External videos are starting points, not final answers. When you watch any external resource, ask yourself:

Engineers learn to evaluate sources, not just follow them. That's the skill being practiced here.

9 Motor Gang — Evan Rogerson

9 Motor Gang
View Channel ↗
Run by Evan Rogerson, formerly on V5RC team 67101C (Innovate Award at Worlds during Spin Up; triple-crowned his state tournament). Now studying CS at the University of Kansas and competing on VEXU team JHAWK. Volunteers at V5RC tournaments. Cited as a reference by other respected community creators.

Coach-Selected Videos

Strategist Track 48:29 Apr 29, 2026
Vex Override Game Manual Breakdown ↗
A 48-minute walkthrough of the Override 0.1 game manual. Released just days after the game reveal — addresses the rules, scoring, and field elements as defined in the official manual.
🎯 Watch for Rule interpretations and scoring math. Strategists especially: bring a notebook and pause to write down anything you didn't already know from /game-analysis. Compare his interpretations against the actual manual.
Pairs with: /game-analysis · /season-roadmap · LMS Mtg 1 (Game Reveal) and Mtg 2 (Rules & Field)
⚠️ Long format (48 min). Best assigned as Strategist homework, not whole-class watch. Ask a Strategist to summarize for the team.
Engineer Track · High Priority 15:16 Oct 2024
Vex Robotics Drivebase Tutorial ↗
The channel's most-viewed tutorial (41K+ views). Walks through how Evan builds drivebases for V5RC competition. Recorded with a High Stakes-era robot but the principles transfer.
🎯 Watch for How he handles bearing alignment, motor mounting, and shaft retention. Compare with how we build the Clawbot drivetrain in Section 1. His chassis style may differ from yours — the goal isn't to copy, it's to see one experienced approach.
Pairs with: /clawbot-training Section 2 (Build) · /spartan-hero-bot
Engineer Track · High Priority 6:15 Oct 2025
How to Secure your Battery and Stop Whitescreening ↗
Short, recent, and addresses a real competition failure mode: the V5 brain “white screen of death” that often gets caused by loose battery connections during matches. How to mount the battery so this doesn't happen.
🎯 Watch for The specific mounting technique and the cable-management practice. Watch this BEFORE your first practice match. White-screening mid-match has cost real teams real placements.
Pairs with: /clawbot-training Section 1 (Build) · /setup-guide · /battery-management
Engineer Track · High Priority 12:27 Nov 2024
Vex Robotics Bearings Guide/Tutorial ↗
How to use bearings in tandem with low-strength shafts. Sloppy bearings create wobble that compounds across the season — getting this right at build time prevents weeks of debugging later.
🎯 Watch for How tight the bearing fits, how to check for shaft slop, and the difference between a wobble that's normal vs one that means something is wrong.
Pairs with: /clawbot-training Section 1 (Build) · LMS Page 1 (Build the Clawbot)
Engineer Track · High Priority short tutorial Jun 2024
Vex Screw Joint Tutorial ↗
How to build a screw joint — a low-friction pivot point used in arms, 4-bar lifts, and other rotating mechanisms. Evan flags up front that “this is just one approach — plenty of other methods work too,” which is honest framing.
🎯 Watch for Screw selection (length and thread), washer stack-up to control friction, and how the joint is supposed to feel when assembled correctly — smooth rotation with no wobble. The technique transfers directly to V1 Hero Bot 4-bar lifts.
Pairs with: /clawbot-training Section 1 (Build) · /mechanism-claw (any architecture using a 4-bar)
Engineer + Strategist · High Priority 10:20 Aug 2024
Vex Robotics Lift Types Explained ↗
Overview of common lift types in V5RC: 2-bar, 4-bar, 6-bar, chain bar, non-parallel 4-bar, DR4B (double reverse 4-bar). Includes Fusion 360 CAD diagrams. Has chapter timestamps — jump to whichever lift type matters for your architecture decision.
🎯 Watch for Which lift type fits which scoring height, and why parallel vs non-parallel matters. Pairs directly with the Architecture A/B/C/D/E discussion in /mechanism-claw — he covers the geometry behind why those architectures use the lifts they do.
Chapters: 0:00 intro · 1:11 2-bar · 2:18 4-bar · 4:23 6-bar · 5:34 chain bar · 7:13 non-parallel 4-bar · 8:29 DR4B
Pairs with: /mechanism-claw · /spartan-hero-bot (manipulator architecture sections)

More channels coming as Coach reviews them

Other respected V5RC YouTube channels exist (Korvex, Aura, others). Coach Tansopalucks is reviewing them and will add curated picks here as they're vetted. If you find a video that helped your team, send the link to Coach for consideration.

AI-assisted prescreen notes · not coach-reviewed yet

⚠️ Important · What this section is
The notes below are AI-assisted analysis based on video metadata (titles, descriptions, tags, runtime, chapter timestamps). They are NOT a substitute for actual coach review. Claude (the AI assistant helping build this site) cannot watch video content, hear audio, or read transcripts. The notes flag things to look for during real review, not findings from review.

Until a coach watches each video and confirms the analysis, treat these notes as structured starting points for review, not vetted recommendations. A full prescreen report is available for download below.
📝 Per-video metadata analysis · tap to expand

Bearings Guide (12 min)

Likely strengths: Topic is universal across seasons; 12 min is comfortable for middle school; same channel as the high-viewed Drivebase Tutorial.

Verify when watching: Tools used (Dremel/files/etc., does the team have them?); whether his bearing technique aligns with how Spartan Design teaches Page 1 build; whether he advocates low-strength shafts in cases where high-strength is correct.

Battery Security & Whitescreening (6 min)

Likely strengths: Recent (Oct 2025); fills a real gap in /battery-management coverage (mechanical security & white-screen failure mode); short enough for whole-class viewing.

Verify when watching: Mounting hardware (zip ties, velcro, custom brackets — does the team have alternatives?); whether he addresses cable strain in addition to battery security; firmware version specifics for white-screen causes.

Lift Types Explained (10 min)

Likely strengths: Best-structured video of the five (chapter timestamps); CAD diagrams typically clearer than physical demos; high view count (7.7K) suggests broad endorsement.

Verify when watching: Whether his 4-bar/6-bar geometry matches /mechanism-lifts; whether DR4B is presented with proper weight/motor warnings; whether non-parallel 4-bar is flagged as advanced; whether motor count recommendations fit V5RC R10a (88W) budget.

Drivebase Tutorial (15 min)

Likely strengths: Channel's flagship at 41K views — broad community endorsement; author explicitly flags season-transferability; reasonable runtime for a build tutorial.

Verify when watching: Whether he covers one or multiple drivetrain patterns (don't let students conclude "his way is the only way"); wheel/gearing recommendations vs /role-driver drive-speed analysis; motor count compatibility with R10a budget; whether High Stakes-era game examples translate cleanly to Override.

Override Manual Breakdown (48 min)

Likely strengths: Most current reference (4 days old); author explicitly disclaims certainty (good modeling for students); comprehensive coverage of v0.1 manual.

Verify when watching: Scoring values vs /game-analysis; AWP condition coverage (Standard vs Worlds-Qualifying); SG6 1+1 possession interpretation; endgame midfield rules; currency — this video could become outdated by the next manual revision.

Recommended viewing order for coach review (~60 min total at 1.5x): Bearings → Battery → Lift Types → Drivebase → Manual Breakdown. Shortest and most foundational first; longest and most rule-dependent last.

📝 Note for students
The most respected creators in V5RC don't post for views — they post to share what they've learned. When you find content that helps you, the right way to thank a creator is to like the video, leave a thoughtful comment, and credit them in your engineering notebook if their idea influenced your design.