[Ken Streeter]

Originally Posted by Richard

Al, as I read <R29>, the word "or" in its first sentence means that a COTS part that was never used on a ROBOT entered in a previous FIRST competition can be used if it is no longer commercially available, provided that it satisfies the conditions listed subsequently.

When I read this, I interpreted this the same way as Richard did (i.e. old COTS items are still usable, provided they meet all other rules). This is a change from quite a few years ago, when old COTS items were only usable in the current year if they are still available as COTS parts.

The one thing that you do need to watch out for is that the COTS items need to be unmodified. We generally make some sort of custom mounting plate for gearboxes. We always modify and re-fabricate these mounting plates every year -- re-using last year's fabricated mounting plates this year is not permitted.