Official FTC Documentation
Telemark teaches practice. It is not the rules, and it is not the vendor documentation. Both change between seasons, and an inspector, a referee, and a support engineer all work from the official source rather than from us.
This page is the shortcut to those sources. When a decision touches legality, sizing, the control system, or a specific part, read the primary document.
Every rule document is season specific. A manual, checklist, or forum answer from a previous season may no longer apply. Check the season and revision date before relying on it.
Rules and the game
| Source | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Game and Season Info | Game manuals, team updates, field drawings, and the season's official documents |
| Game Manual Part 1 | Competition structure, awards, conduct, and event rules |
| Game Manual Part 2 | Robot rules, the size envelope, legal parts, and inspection |
| Robot Inspection Checklist | The exact list an inspector works through at your event |
| Q and A System | Binding official answers on rule interpretation |
FIRST publishes Team Updates throughout the season. They can change scoring or affect whether a strategy is legal. Assign someone to read each update when it appears and report any change that affects the robot.
Control system and electronics
| Source | Use it for |
|---|---|
| REV DUO Control System | Control Hub and Expansion Hub wiring, ports, firmware, and troubleshooting |
| REV Robotics documentation | Motors, servos, sensors, and build system reference |
| goBILDA documentation | Part dimensions, motor specifications, and hole patterns |
| Limelight FTC guide | Vision pipeline setup and the FTC API |
Motor specifications matter more than any other vendor number on this page. Free speed, stall torque, and stall current drive every calculation in Module 6, and they are revised between production runs. Read them off the page for the exact part number you ordered.
Software
| Source | Use it for |
|---|---|
| FTC SDK on GitHub | The SDK itself, release notes, and sample OpModes |
| RobotCore Javadocs | The API reference for every SDK class |
| FTC Docs | Official guides for the control system and programming |
| Pedro Pathing | Path following, tuning, and follower configuration |
Use the sample OpModes included with the SDK when you need a working reference. They are maintained with the SDK and updated as its APIs change.
Community references
These are not official. They are good, and they are wrong sometimes.
| Source | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Game Manual 0 | Community written guides on design, build, and programming |
| FTC Discord and forums | Asking questions and reading how other teams solved something |
Use community guides to understand an approach. Confirm rule-dependent claims against the current manual and part specifications against the vendor's current documentation before you build around them.
What to check before an event
- The current Game Manual Part 2 sections on the size envelope and legal parts.
- Every Team Update released so far this season.
- The official inspection checklist, run on your own robot twice, as in Module 11.3.
- The REV documentation for any control system component you replaced.
Citing sources in your notebook
When a design decision follows from a rule or a specification, write down which document and which section. Judges ask where a number came from, and "the manual" is a weaker answer than a rule number. It also gives the team a source to check when members remember a rule differently later in the season.
Stuck on this lesson?
Ask about anything on this page. It can see which lesson you have open and which part you are reading.