Q&A Discuss: parts as dead weight?
 

Thread created automatically to discuss a question in the Q&A Forum.

parts as dead weight?

How I viewed the question so quickly, and why I didn't respond:
 

I was sitting by my computer at work when the e-mail notification came through that you had posted a question.

I could have given an answer similar to ChrisH's, since I was thinking about the times when we have added sheet lead as ballast. But I hadn't personally researched the rules, so I decided to keep with the spirit of this forum, and forego giving a half baked response -- giving someone else a chance to give a more authoritative answer.

I think as time goes on, more and more of us will get practice in providing solid answers in the question forum. It wasn't easy when I first joined part of the FRC engineers as a volunteer helping with answering some of the questions on the Yahoo board. It took a lot of reading other people's answers, and looking through the rule book.

But in the end, I got enough practice, and was really glad I went through all that to be better at it. It was a very valuable experience, and I learned a lot more about how the rules and what FIRST thinks behind the big thick manuel. That's one of the reasons why I suggested starting a question forum... So more people can experience the same thing, and at the same time be more helpful to other FIRSTers.

Parts as dead weight
 

In the past, there have been rules against using motors and compressors unless they were attached to some sort of output (regardless of how functional).
I take this to be the spirit of the rules in general.
Raw material is easier to use for weight anyway.