11506 - The Flaming Tacos

FTC Team 11506 The Flaming Tacos is a group of high school students who love designing, building, and programming robots. Our goal is to inspire future engineers by showing that students can build real useful technology through hard work, leadership, and cooperation.

We are a school team that loves hands-on engineering. Our members. Build custom parts, construct metal components, write software code , and document every step of the process. By working, we aim to create great robots, learn as engineers, whilst also representing our school and community with pride.

Our robotics program has a history. Over the past decade our school’s FTC teams have won several awards. This season was one of our best years yet. And we are only getting better.

2025–26 Season Achievements

This year was a fantastic season for The Flaming Tacos. Our engineering, documentation, and robot performance were recognised at events.

Awards Earned:

* Think Award – Winner

* Design Award – Winner

* 3rd Place Alliance Captain – Regionals

* Sustainability Award – 2nd Place – Australian Nationals

These achievements show our commitment to engineering excellence and continuous improvement.

Our Current Project – El Taco

This season’s robot, El Taco is the culmination of months of testing and iteration. Our engineering process involves brainstorming, prototyping, testing, and optimizing solutions. This approach helps us learn and improve our designs and adapt to challenges.

Key Engineering Highlights:

* Custom drivetrain with special plates for weight reduction

* High-grip wheel launcher with tuned compression for consistent scoring

* Dual-vision system for auto-aiming

* Auto-aiming shooter that adjusts power based on distance and battery voltage

* Retractable odometry for autonomous navigation

* Five major robot iterations improving weight, reliability, accuracy, and subsystem efficiency

Each iteration addressed risks and improved performance resulting in a reliable robot.

Impact Beyond the Robot:

The Flaming Tacos are committed to outreach and STEM education. This season, we reached over 7,492 people through events like LEGO STEM days and school expos. We also developed open-source scouting software powered by machine learning.

Why PCBWay’s Support Matters

As a school robotics team, we love designing and manufacturing custom metal parts. However, producing these parts can be challenging. PCBWay’s support would help us take our custom fabrication to the next level.

With PCBWay’s help, we would be able to greatly improve our robots getting them to world class level, produce more accurate robot components, rapidly prototype new designs, and teach students real-world manufacturing workflows. PCBWay would empower us to combine our passion for custom metal fabrication with professional-grade manufacturing.

Looking Forward

Our vision is to continue growing as engineers, innovators, and leaders. With PCBWay’s support, we can expand our custom fabrication capabilities, strengthen our outreach impact, and continue representing Australia at regional and national competitions.