Quote:
Originally Posted by JRysenga
We have been debating the same question... Can we use the worm gear transmission only? If you remove everything related to the motor (armature, brushes, wires, etc.) you are left with a nice input shaft to drive the worm gears. Why couldn't we use another (un modified) motor to drive this transmissioin? R47 talks about "modifying" motors. We demolished the denso motor and threw it away! R47 also states, "The intent of this rule is to maintain the maximum power level for each ROBOT" We didn't change the maximum power level since we plan to use another (legal) motor from the kit to drive the worm gears. Think we would pass inspection?
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To the best of my knowledge and understanding of the rules taking apart a gear box or transmission should be perfectly OK as long as rules <R47> and the rules on COTS items are followed. They don't have any specific rules governing gearboxes and they're uses. And there is also this:
This intent is clearly met when a team obtains a MECHANISM or COTS items that was designed for non-FIRST purposes, and then modifies or alters it to provide functionality for the ROBOT. For example, if a team obtains a gearbox from a power drill and modifies it to use on the ROBOT, they gain insight into the design of the original gearbox purpose, learn to characterize the performance of the original design, and implement the engineering design process to create their customized application for the gearbox. According to that excerpt, taking apart a gearbox and using it in an innovative way is perfectly acceptable. This, however, is only speculation. If you want a final answer you should post this question to the official Q&A and see what the GDC has to say.