5 ARENA

The

includes all elements of the game infrastructure that are required to play CHARGED UP presented by Haas: the , , and all equipment needed for , , and scorekeeping.

The

is modular and assembled, used, disassembled, and shipped many times during the competition season. It will undergo wear and tear. The is designed to withstand rigorous play and frequent shipping. Every effort is made to ensure that are consistent from event to event. However, are assembled in different venues by different event staff and some small variations occur. For details regarding assembly tolerances, please refer to the 2023

ARENA

Layout and Marking Diagram. Successful teams will design that are insensitive to these variations.

Illustrations included in this section are for a general visual understanding of the CHARGED UP

, and dimensions included in the manual are nominal. Please refer to the official drawings for exact dimensions, tolerances, and construction details. The official drawings, CAD models, and drawings for low-cost versions of important elements of the CHARGED UP are posted on the CHARGED UP - Playing

FIELD

web page on the FIRST website.

5.1

FIELD

Each

for CHARGED UP is an approximately 26 ft. 3½ in. (~802 cm) by 54 ft. 3¼ in. (~1654 cm) carpeted area bound by and including the inward- and upward-facing surfaces of the guardrails, inward-facing surfaces of the , inward-facing surfaces of the (excluding the ), and the outermost vertical and diagonal polycarbonate surfaces of the (excluding the ).

The

is populated with the following elements:

• 3 red
  GRIDS
  and 3 blue
  GRIDS
  located in front of their corresponding
  ALLIANCE WALLS
  ,
• 1 red
  CHARGE STATION
  and 1 blue
  CHARGE STATION
  located in their corresponding COMMUNITIES,
• 1 red
  SINGLE SUBSTATION
  and 1 Blue
  SINGLE SUBSTATION
  located along the guardrail in their corresponding
  SUBSTATION
  AREA,
• 1 red
  DOUBLE SUBSTATION
  and 1 blue
  DOUBLE SUBSTATION
  each located in line with and adjacent to the opposing
  ALLIANCE WALL
• 2
  BARRIERS
  , 1 separating each
  COMMUNITY
  from the opposing
  ALLIANCE
  ’S
  LOADING ZONE
  .

The surface of the

is low pile carpet, Shaw Floors, Philadelphia Commercial, Neyland II 20, “66561 Medallion” (please note that Neyland II carpet is not available for team purchase and the closest equivalent is Neyland III). The edge of the carpet is secured to the venue floor using 3M™ Premium Matte Cloth (Gaffers) Tape GT2 or comparable gaffers tape.

Guardrails form the long edges of the

. Guardrails are a 1 ft. 8 in. (~51 cm) tall system of transparent polycarbonate supported on the top and bottom by aluminum extrusion. There are 4 gates in the guardrail that allow access to the for placement and removal of . The gate passthrough, when open, is 3 ft. 2 in. (~97 cm) wide. Gates are closed and shielded during the .

There are 2 versions of guardrails and

used for competitions. 1 design is reflected in the 2023 Official FIRST

Field

Drawings & Models. The other is designed and sold by AndyMark. While the designs are slightly different, the critical dimensions, performance, and expected user experience between them are the same unless otherwise noted. Detailed drawings for the AndyMark design are posted on the AndyMark website. All illustrations in this manual show the traditional design.

Runs of black HDPE cable protectors extend from the guardrail on the scoring table side of the

to the center of each . A cable protector run is made up of multiple floor segments and an exit segment. The total length of the cable protector run is 5 ft. 6 in. (~168 cm). The floor segments are ¾ in. (~19 mm) tall, 7 in. (~18 cm) wide, with ~45° lead in ramps on each leading edge and secured to the carpet using hook fastener which increases the height to approximately ⅞ in. (~22 mm). Exit segments mount over the guardrail and are 1 ft. 8¾ in. (~53 cm) tall, 6 in. (~15 cm) wide and extend into the 1¾ in. (~4 cm).

5.2 Areas, Zones, and Markings

areas, zones, and markings of consequence are described below. Unless otherwise specified, the tape used to mark lines and zones throughout the is 2-in. (~5 cm) 3M™ Premium Matte Cloth (Gaffers) Tape (GT2) or comparable gaffers tape.

• ALLIANCE AREA
  : a 20 ft. (~609 cm) wide by 9 ft. 10¼ in. (~300 cm) deep infinitely tall volume formed by, and including the
  ALLIANCE WALL
  , the edge of the carpet, and
  ALLIANCE
  colored tape.
• CENTER LINE
  : a white tape line that bisects the length of the
  FIELD
  .
• COMMUNITY
  : an 18 ft. (~549 cm) wide by 11 ft. ⅜ in. (~336 cm) to 16 ft. 1¼ in. (~491 cm) deep infinitely tall volume formed by the
  ALLIANCE WALL
  , the plane defined by the
  BARRIER
  plastic,
  ALLIANCE
  colored tape, and the guardrail. The
  COMMUNITY
  includes the tape.
• LOADING ZONE
  : an 8 ft. 3 in. (~252 cm) wide by 11 ft. ¼ in. (~336 cm) to 22 ft. ¼ in. (~671 cm) deep infinitely tall volume formed by the
  DOUBLE SUBSTATION
  , the plane defined by the
  BARRIER
  plastic, the guardrail, and
  ALLIANCE
  colored tape. The
  LOADING ZONE
  includes the tape.
• STAGING MARK
  : 1 of 8 marks used to identify starting locations for
  GAME PIECES
  . Marks are 4 in. (~10 cm) by 4 in. (~10 cm) crosses made from black tape. Marks are spaced 4 ft. (~122 cm) apart from each other. Each set of 4 marks is centered about the width of the
  COMMUNITY
  and is located 18 ft. 8 in. (~569 cm) from the far edge of the corresponding
  GRID
  tape as shown in Figure 5‑7. A small, light mark may be added to each
  STAGING MARK
  to distinguish
  STAGING MARKS
  from black tape used to patch carpet.

• STARTING LINE
  : a white tape line spanning the
  ALLIANCE AREA
  and
  SUBSTATION
  AREA located 2 ft. 4 in. (~71 cm) from the face of the
  ALLIANCE WALL
  to the near edge of the tape.
• SUBSTATION
  AREA: a 12 ft. (~366 cm) wide by 18 ft. 7 in. (~566 cm) deep infinitely tall volume formed by and including the
  DOUBLE SUBSTATION
  , the edge of the carpet, the guardrail, the
  SINGLE SUBSTATION
  and
  ALLIANCE
  colored tape. The
  SUBSTATION
  AREA includes the
  PORTALS
  and the tape.

5.3

BARRIER

A

is a 7 ft. 4 in. (~224 cm) long assembly that separates each from its adjacent . The has a base that is 1 ft. 4 in. (~41 cm) wide and ¼ in. (~6 mm) tall. The base supports a ½ in. (~13 mm) thick, 1 ft. ¼ in. (~31 cm) tall polycarbonate wall. A strip of white tape traces the top of the plastic as shown in Figure 5‑8.

5.4

CHARGE STATION

A

is an 8 ft. 1¼ in. (~247 cm) wide, 6 ft. 4⅛ in. (~193 cm) deep structure that is located in each such that its center is 8 ft. 2⅝ in. (~251 cm) from the far edge of the ’S tape line and centered in the width of the . Each consists of the main pivoting frame, lead-in ramps, and the support structure. The main pivoting frame is mounted to the base frame via a set of 4 double hinges.

The main pivoting surface of a

is 8 ft. (~244 cm) wide and 4 ft. (~122 cm) deep. It pivots +/- 15° about its long axis. When parallel to carpet, the top polycarbonate surface is 9⅛ in. (~23 cm) above carpet as shown in Figure 5‑9. When pivoted to 15°, the highest edge is 1 ft. 4 in. (~41 cm) above carpet. In normal operation, a will naturally return to the middle of the range. A is considered if it is within approximately 2½° of parallel to carpet.

Polycarbonate ramps are located on the long edges of each

. The ramps are 1 ft. 3⅛ in. (~39 cm) long and span the full width of the . The ramps pivot and slide as the main pivoting surface moves. When the top is , the ramps are tilted at an angle of approximately 34¼° as shown in Figure 5‑9. When the is fully tilted, the lower ramps are at an angle of approximately 11° and the upper ramps are at an angle of approximately 71½°, as shown in Figure 5‑10.

The short edges of the

feature guards that restrict access to the underside of the structure.

5.4.1

CHARGE STATION

lighting

colored lights located along the short edges of the and at the 4 corners of the top surface indicate if it is .

Light State	Criteria
Off	Outside of a MATCH In MATCH : CHARGE STATION is not LEVEL
ALLIANCE color	CHARGE STATION is LEVEL

5.5

GRIDS

A collection of 3

consisting of 2 outer and a Coopertition (CO-OP) is located in front of each adjacent to the guardrail and . The full assembly is 18 ft. ½ in. (~550 cm) wide, 4 ft. ¼ in. (~123 cm) tall, and 4 ft. 8¼ in. (~143 cm) deep. A strip of ALLIANCE-colored tape is included as part of the assembly of and defines its front plane.

A

is a 3 ft. 10 in. (~117 cm) tall, 4 ft. 8¼ in. (~143 cm) deep assembly that includes the colored tape line. Outer are 6 ft. 3 in. (~191 cm) wide. The CO-OP is 5 ft. 6 in. (~168 cm) wide.

Each

contains 9 scoring locations called :

• 3
  HYBRID NODES
• 2
  CUBE NODES
  , and
• 4
  CONE NODES
  .

Each set of

is divided into 3 . A is a series of 9 horizontally adjacent where can be scored for a common number of points. The bottom consists of 9 . The middle and top each consist of 6 and 3 .

A

is a 1 ft. 4 in. (~41 cm) deep carpeted surface contained within the . The 2 outermost in each collection of are 2 ft. 1¾ in. (~65 cm) wide and the rest of the are 1 ft. 6½ in. (~47 cm) wide. have 5 in. (~13 cm) tall dividers between them. A guardrail or runs coincident to the left and right outermost edges of a collection of which limits access to outermost .

Each

is a polycarbonate shelf that is 1 ft. 6¼ in. (~46 cm) wide and 1 ft. 5 in. (~43 cm) deep. are surrounded by 3 in. (~8 cm) tall vertical walls, with the exception of the rear wall of the top which is angled. The distance from the carpet to the top of a middle wall is 1 ft. 11½ in. (~60 cm). The distance from the carpet to the top of a top wall is 2 ft. 11½ in. (~90 cm). The front of a middle is 1 ft. 2¼ in. (~36 cm) from the front face of the . The front of a top is 2 ft. 7⅝ in. (~80 cm) from the front face of the .

Each

is a 1¼ in. Schedule 40 (1.66 in. (~4 cm) outer diameter) aluminum pipe with a plug installed in the top (Caplugs part number CCF-RT-13-1). are perpendicular to carpet. The top of a in the middle is 2 ft. 10 in. (~87 cm) above CARPET. The top of a in the top is 3 ft. 10 in. (~117 cm) above carpet. The center of a middle is 1 ft. 10¾ in. (~58 cm) from the front face of the . The center of a top is 3 ft. 3¾ in. (~101 cm) from the front face of the . A polycarbonate fin runs between each middle and its adjacent top . The textured plastic surface beneath the is angled ~35° from carpet.

5.6

SUBSTATIONS

A

is an assembly used to move from humans to or onto the . There are 2 types of in each AREA: a and a .

Each

contains a - a three-dimensional volume through which humans transfer to or the .

Each

’S is attached to and in-line with their opponent’s . Each is in-line with the guardrail.

5.6.1

SINGLE SUBSTATION

A

is 8 ft. 9⅝ in. (~268 cm) wide, 6 ft. 9 ¾in. (~208 cm) tall, and 2 ft. 3 in. (~69 cm) deep. The FIELD-facing wall of the sits 3⅛ in. (~8 cm) behind the guardrail on a traditional and 4¼ in. (~11 cm) behind the guardrail on an AndyMark . Each is comprised of wire panels (Uline H-6277BL), an attachment point to the , and a chute assembly. The chute assembly is a tilted plastic enclosure in which enter the through a . The FIELD-side opening of the chute is 2 ft. 3⅛ in. (~69 cm) off the ground, 1 ft. 6 in. (~46 cm) tall, and 1 ft. 10 ¾in. (~58 cm) wide. Each includes a flap that retains until opened by a . The for the is defined by the flap, the front face of the , and the sides, top, and bottom plastic of the chute.

5.6.2

DOUBLE SUBSTATION

A

is a 6 ft. 6 in. (~198 cm) tall, 8 ft. (~244 cm) wide assembly that extends 1 ft. 2 in. (~36 cm) into the . Each contains a grate with 5 openings, a ramp, a , and 2 sliding output shelves.

Grate openings are defined by 1¼ in. schedule 40 aluminum pipes which have an outer diameter of 1.66 in. (~4 cm). The distance between pipes is 1 ft. 3 in. (~38 cm). A polycarbonate ramp spans the width of the

, is sloped at a 45-degree angle, and extends from the grate to the back of the .

The

is the volume contained between the window and the bent polycarbonate guard, as shown in Figure 5‑19.

Sliding shelves made of ½ in. (~13 mm) thick textured HDPE may be used to move

out of the and make them accessible to . Shelves are controlled by using handles. The shelves are 1 ft. 2 in. (~36 cm) wide, 1 ft. 1 in. deep (~33 cm) and their top surface is 3 ft. 1⅜ in. (~95 cm) above the carpet. Each shelf can slide from the to an edge of the .

Each

is located between the guardrail and a . The distance from the edge of the to the is 2 ft. 10¼ in. +/- 1 in. (~87 cm +/- 25 mm). The distance from the edge of the to the guardrail is 2 ft. 10⅞ in. (~89 cm) on a traditional , or 2 ft. 10 in. (~87 cm) on an AndyMark , as shown in Figure 5‑21.

5.7

ALLIANCE WALLS

The

separates from members in the . It consists of 3 .

5.7.1

DRIVER STATIONS

A

is 1 of 3 assemblies within an behind which a operates their . Each is made from a 3 ft. ¾ in. (~93 cm) tall diamond plate base topped with a 3 ft. 6 in. (~107 cm) tall transparent plastic sheet and a top rail. An aluminum shelf is attached to each to support an . The shelf is 5 ft. 9 in. (~175 cm) wide and 1 ft. ¼ in. (~31 cm) deep. There is a 4 ft. 6 in. (~137 cm) long by 2 in. (nominal) wide strip of hook-and-loop tape (“loop” side) along the center of the support shelf that may be used to secure the to the shelf.

Each

contains the following elements for :

• 1 Ethernet cable: attaches to the Ethernet port of the
  OPERATOR CONSOLE
  and provides connectivity to the
  Field
  Management System (
  FMS
  )
• 1 120VAC NEMA 5-15R power outlet (i.e. standard US outlet): located on each
  DRIVER STATION
  shelf and protected by its own 2-Amp circuit breaker. It can be used to power the
  OPERATOR CONSOLE
  .
  DRIVE TEAMS
  are responsible for monitoring their power consumption as a tripped breaker in the outlet does not constitute an
  ARENA FAULT
  . For some events in regions that don’t use NEMA 5-15 shaped outlets, event organizers may install appropriate plug adapters to be used throughout the event.
• 1 Emergency Stop (E-Stop) button: located on the left side of the
  DRIVER STATION
  shelf and is used to deactivate a
  ROBOT
  in an emergency
• 1 team sign: displays the team number and located at the top of each
  DRIVER STATION
• 1 team LED stack: indicates
  ALLIANCE
  color,
  ROBOT
  status, E-Stop status, and is centered at the top of each
  DRIVER STATION
  .

The stack includes 2 identical ALLIANCE-colored

status LEDs above a third amber E-stop LED. LED states are as follows:

• ROBOT
  status LEDs Solid: indicates that the
  ROBOT
  is connected and enabled. This only happens during a
  MATCH
  . Blinking: indicates that either the
  FMS
  is preset for the
  MATCH
  and the
  ROBOT
  is not connected yet, or it’s during a
  MATCH
  and the corresponding
  ROBOT
  is
  BYPASSED
  , has lost connectivity, or the E-stop was pressed. Off: indicates that the
  ROBOT
  is linked and
  DISABLED
  prior to the start of the
  MATCH
  . This light is also off, regardless of
  ROBOT
  connection status, after the
  MATCH
  has concluded. E-stop LED Solid: the
  ROBOT
  is
  DISABLED
  due to a press of the team E-stop button, the
  FIELD
  E-stop button, or by the scorekeeper via the
  FMS
  . Off: the
  ROBOT
  is not
  DISABLED
  by the
  FIELD
  .

• 1 string of LED
  nodes
  described in
  DRIVER STATION
  LED Strings.

• 1 timer (in
  DRIVER STATION
  2 only): displays the official time remaining in the
  MATCH
  . It is marked with white tape along the bottom edge.

• FMS
  hardware and wiring: mostly located below the
  DRIVER STATION
  2 shelf

5.7.1.1

DRIVER STATION

LED Strings

A string of LED

is mounted to the bottom of each window frame. The string is used to communicate safety information, state, and progress.

If the light string is all green, the

is safe for humans.

Light String State	Criteria	Example
Off	Outside of a MATCH : FIELD is ready In MATCH : GAME PIECE scoring criteria not met
Green	Head REFEREE has determined FIELD is safe for humans
ALLIANCE color (fills left to right when viewing from DRIVER STATION )	LINK scored (1 LINK = 20% on, 2 LINKS = 40% of lights on, etc.)
4 outer nodes yellow	DOCKED or ENGAGED scored during AUTO
ALLIANCE color and center 5 nodes are white	SUSTAINABILITY BONUS criteria met
Magenta color (fills left to right, center DRIVER STATION only)	COOPERTITION BONUS criteria met
White	within 3 seconds of the ending of AUTO or TELEOP
Oscillating ALLIANCE color for 3 seconds	Start of ENDGAME
5 center nodes yellow	Set of ALLIANCE GRIDS are complete

Light patterns layer as

score throughout the .

5.8

GAME PIECES

There are 2 types of

: and .

5.8.1

CONE

Each

is a yellow 1 ft. ¹³⁄₁₆ in. (~33 cm) tall rubber marker and weighs 1lb 7oz (~653 g). Each has an 8⅜ in. (~21 cm) +/- ⅛in. (~3 mm) square base with ¼ in. (~7 mm) tall feet. The rubber marker is made by Flaghouse (part number 4158) and sold by AndyMark, part number am-4700_syc.

5.8.2

CUBE

Each

is made of purple PVC fabric and is marked with a FIRST logo, as shown in Figure 5‑27. A is a cube-like shape, inflated to 9 ½ in. (~24 cm) +/- ¼ in. (~6 mm) as measured from face to face. A has rounded corners, may not have flat surfaces, and the length, width, and height of the sides may not be equal dimensions. A weighs 2.5 oz (~71 g). The inflatable is a modified version of a product made by Flaghouse (part number 17810) and sold by AndyMark, part number am-4700_bpc. are expected to experience wear during , and small holes may be patched with electrical tape. use a device to determine a dimensional compliance as shown in this video.

5.8.3

GAME PIECE

Holders

that begin the in the AREA are stored in containers (Uline part number S-24135) located along the back edge each AREA.

5.9 Vision Targets

Vision targets are located on each

and . There are 2 types of vision targets:

· reflective tape, and

· AprilTags.

Samples of the reflective tape material are included in each Kickoff Kit.

5.9.1 Reflective Tape

Reflective tape vision targets are made of 2 in. (~5 cm) thick strips of 3M 973-10 Diamond Grade Flexible Prismatic School Bus Marking Series White and are used to highlight each

.

A 4 in. (~10 cm) tall portion of each

is wrapped with reflective tape. The tape is ³⁄₁₆ in. (~5 mm) from the top of Top and 8 in. (~20 cm) from the top of Middle . This results in the bottom of the targets being 3 ft. 5⅞ in. (~106 cm) and 1 ft. 10⅛ in. (~56 cm) from the carpet, as shown in Figure 5‑30. Note that the reflective tape is likely hidden if a is on the .

5.9.2 AprilTags

AprilTags are 8 in. (~20 cm) square targets located on the

and . There are 8 unique markers on the , as shown in Figure 5‑31.

All markers are from the 16h5 tag family, IDs 1-8. AprilTags are mounted to and centered on a 10½ in. (~27 cm) square piece of polycarbonate. The 8 in. (~20 cm) tag is centered on the polycarbonate panel, such that the bottom of the central black square region is 2¼ in. (~6 cm) from the bottom of the panel, and the bottom of the 8 in. (~20 cm.) tag is located 1 ¼ in. (~3 cm) from the bottom of the panel as shown in Figure 5‑32. Each marker has an identifying text label.

AprilTags are likely to experience wear and marking during

and are repaired with gaffers tape.

AprilTags are centered on the width of the front face of the middle and elevated such that the distance from the carpet to the bottom of the AprilTag is 1 ft. 2¼ in. (~36 cm). Markers on the are centered on the width of the assembly and are mounted such that the distance from the carpet to the bottom of the AprilTag is 1 ft. 11⅜ in. (~59 cm).

For further marker locating information please refer to the 2023

Layout and Marking Diagram. For printable versions of the markers, please refer to the 2023 Playing

Field

page.

5.10 The

FIELD

Management System

The

Management System () is all electronics responsible for sensing and controlling the FIRST Robotics Competition . The encompasses all electronics, including computers, touchscreens, wireless access point, sensors, stack lights, E-Stops, etc.

When a

connects the Ethernet cable from their assigned to their , the Software on the computer will communicate with . Once connected, the open ports available are described in Table 9‑5.

Note that

code cannot be deployed while connected to the . Additional information about the may be found in the

FMS

Whitepaper.

The

alerts participants to milestones in the using audio cues detailed in Table 5‑3. Please note that audio cues are intended as a courtesy to participants and not intended as official markers. If there is a discrepancy between an audio cue and the timers, the timers are the authority.

Event	Timer Value	Audio Cue
MATCH start	0:15 (for AUTO )	“Cavalry Charge”
AUTO ends	0:00 (for AUTO )	“Buzzer”
TELEOP begins	2:15	“3 Bells”
ENDGAME begins	0:30	“Train Whistle”
MATCH end	0:00	“Buzzer”
MATCH stopped	n/a	“Foghorn”