Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

I hope someone is reading this, this webcast is choppy, cuts out a lot (especially before CRyptonite plays) You'd figure NASA would have the technology and bandwidth to give a quality webcast.

Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

I have had a consistent clear stream all day. Seen plenty of matches with 624.

Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

Yup, sounds like those with a choppy webcast are possibly having their own bandwidth/connection/computer issues.

Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

Someone mind sharing what happened in QF 1-1 and QF 1-2? Why did the one seed get zero points? (That is according to the Tracker app.)

Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

Someone in the Dallas chat mentioned that a team on the #1 alliance used extra batteries as dead weight on their robot for elims, but this wasn't discovered/discussed until after they had already played their first elim matches, so the disqualification happened afterwards. I'm sure someone from the event will provide more details/clarifications soon enough.

Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

I wasn't even aware that was against the rules, and after a quick search through the manual I still can't find anything on it. Can someone post which rule this would break?

Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

In theory, R31. Though that only states that the only legal source of electrical energy is one of the listed batteries.

There was a 2012 ruling against batteries as counterweights, but that year's battery rule had the verbiage: "This is the only battery allowed on
the Robot." That's notably lacking from this year's version of the rule. I think it's a pretty grey area in the current rules, really.

Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

These 2 rules could be important:

Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

NOTE: 1902 (the suspect team) reportedly has tweeted out a picture of their re-inspection sticker.

I think they also have an argument if they passed re-inspection with the extra battery in place. The T6 rule on red cards for competing when you haven't passed inspection sure sounds like it only counts whether you've passed inspection or not. Not whether or not you SHOULD have passed inspection.

Penalizing a team that unknowingly passed inspection when they shouldn't have is a recipe for disaster. One slightly mistaken or distracted inspector could, theoretically, disqualify a significant percentage of a regional in one fell swoop. And you know we've all seen teams that shouldn't have passed inspection that nevertheless passed in exactly that (usually slightly) illegal configuration.

Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

Specifies one robot battery per robot.

Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

Except R31 specifies exceptions for batteries powering certain COTS computing devices and other things. So I would read that as "The one battery that's powering the ROBOT."

Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

Here at Orlando we were told that a robot on the red alliance (the number one seed alliance) failed to get reinspected and the changes made to the robot were deemed "egregious" and were thus red carded after the matches were played. That is all the details we were given to the crowd. I would like to remind everyone not to spread rumors and wait for/if the involved parties to speak.

Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

Updated the previous post to address this. The other batteries are only allowed if they are integrated into the device.

Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

Typically elimination inspections are done after the team's final qualification match. Weight probably wasn't added until after alliance selections, so it's concievable (and quite common) to make signifant changes after getting your elimination sticker checked off.

In the event that you do, you then need to have an inspector approve of your changes.

Not sure what happened in this situation.

Re: 2014 Orlando Regional
 

So. The "ROBOT battery" is "the only legal source of electrical energy for the ROBOT during the competition". So, I'm reading that a battery that's not actually sourcing electricity isn't a "ROBOT battery".