Sourcing parts for FIRST, FTC, VEX and school robotics teams in Canada

Each program has its own rules for what can go on a competition robot, and they change every season. Read the current manual before spending money on electronics.

• FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC): the Competition Manual allows commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) mechanical parts and raw materials, with limits. Electronics are tightly controlled. The robot must be run by a REV Control Hub, or an allowed Android phone with a REV Expansion Hub; motors and servos must come from the allowed lists or meet the servo power and current limits; and there's a cap on how many of each a robot can carry. The manual also bans altering the power path to motors and servos, including with buck or boost converters.
• FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC): the game manual specifies the control system, such as the roboRIO, the radio and the power distribution device, and lists the motors a robot may use. In the 2026 manual, no single item outside the Kit of Parts may have a fair market value above 600 US dollars.
• VEX (V5 and IQ): robots are built from official VEX parts, with a short list of exceptions in each game manual. Third-party motors, controllers and sensors don't belong on a VEX competition robot.

That still leaves plenty a team buys outside the official kits: tools, soldering gear, wiring supplies and storage, plus parts for practice robots, test rigs, outreach demos, training and off-season projects.

• Wiring and connectors: servo extension leads, JST sensor leads, heat-shrink tubing and hook-up wire in the gauges your robot uses. See FTC robotics parts and Cables & Charging.
• Servos: spares for every mechanism, plus cheap micro servos for prototyping. See servo motors and our servo guide.
• Encoders and sensors: magnetic encoders, distance sensors, IMUs and line sensors for autonomous routines, checked against your program's sensor rules. See Sensors.
• Drive parts: mecanum wheels and their rollers wear and crack, so keep spares for the wheels you run.
• Tools: a multimeter, a temperature-controlled soldering station, flush cutters, a crimper and precision screwdrivers. See Tools.
• Training parts: Arduino and ESP32 boards, breadboard kits and sensor kits for teaching new members before the season starts.

Most event-day failures are small: a pulled connector, a stripped servo gear, a cracked wheel roller, a wire broken at a crimp. A spares box that travels with the robot fixes most of them. A reasonable starting list:

• Two spares of every servo model on the robot.
• Extension leads and sensor cables in each length you use.
• Crimp connectors, the crimper that fits them, and heat-shrink tubing.
• Spare wheels or rollers for your drivetrain.
• Zip ties, hook-and-loop tape, and screws and nuts in the sizes your robot uses.
• A multimeter and a soldering iron.

Label everything and keep a list in the box, so whoever is in the pit can find a part quickly.

Most of our parts ship directly from supplier partners outside Canada, so they take longer to arrive than parts shipped from within Canada. Product pages show an estimated delivery window to Canadian addresses when one is available; otherwise the shipping timeline is confirmed during order processing. Those estimates are best-effort guidance, not guaranteed dates, and an order with items from different suppliers can arrive in more than one package.

For a team, that means ordering early:

• Place the main order as soon as you've read the season's manual and settled the design, not halfway through build season.
• Order spares with the main order rather than after something breaks.
• Check the delivery estimate on each product page before relying on a part for a deadline, and leave a margin on top of it.
• If an event date is fixed, put it in the needed-by field when you request a bulk quote.

Our guide to ordering parts to Canada covers tracking, returns and refunds.

For larger orders, the bulk orders page lets you upload a parts list as a CSV, XLS, XLSX or ODS spreadsheet with item names, links or part numbers, and quantities. You can add your school or team name, a phone number, a needed-by date and notes. We review the request and send back a quote ID to use at checkout. You'll need to sign in to your account to send a request.

To make the quote quick and accurate:

• Give links or exact part numbers, not only descriptions. "MG996R metal gear servo" is clearer than "big servo".
• List acceptable substitutes if you have them.
• Put in the quantities you actually need, including spares.
• For a single part we don't list, use the request a product form instead.

You pay at checkout like any other order, and shipping and any applicable taxes are shown before you pay. If your school needs a purchase order, an invoice or other paperwork, contact us before ordering to ask what we can provide.

• Buy training parts, such as micro servos, breadboards and sensor kits, in quantity so every new member can have a kit to practise on.
• Keep competition-legal parts for the competition robot, and use general-purpose parts for prototypes, test rigs and outreach demos.
• Look into team grants and events through FIRST Robotics Canada and your regional organizers.
• Share tools and spares with nearby teams; helping each other in the pits is part of the culture at most events.