When will the arena be ready? Will we have access to it?
Soon, early winter quarter, the arena will be available in the prototyping shop (machine shop) in Ford, outside of the main operating hours of the shop.
Can we have samples of the black optical tape, the reflective tape, and the steel balls?
Yes
Some teams already have a PIC board and compiler! (2007-11-08)
Some students came to Robotics Club today, built a PIC board and got the compiler installed & running. All teams will have a chance to do this in plenty of time.
What's in the QuickStart kit? When do we get it?
It's not decided yet, exactly. It will be distributed about a week after the teams register (Nov 26), so that we know how many to get. Last year it had some electronic test and construction equipment, some sensors, and a motor.
Teams that can get the sensors and electronics working will be given a PIC microcomputer, an 18F4520. You can read about that on the wiki.