Overconfident code, under-tested batteries, and the one soldering lesson I'll never forget.
Competition day is a machine for turning small oversights into spectacular failures. My first event taught me all of them at once.
The big one: I tested batteries in the garage that had not been discharged and recharged on a real cycle. A fresh-looking pack sagged in heat two and the robot simply stopped mid-match. Charge, cycle, label — every single pack.
Code wise, I trusted my start sequence without a physical countdown. The robot's idea of 'ready' and the referee's idea of 'go' did not match, and mine lost.
And soldering: I took a soldering iron to a glossy, dirt-covered pad without cleaning it first. Cold joint, dead sensor, lost match. Clean, then tin, then solder.