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Originally Posted by EricH
I'd suggest that if you err, you want to err on the side of caution. If you choose to go the non-caution route, develop a backup plan that can be installed in an hour or two at competition; the inspectors are likely to figure that illegal materials connected to legal materials are still illegal.
You could also try to get the magnets off... but there are some things that may just be really really unsafe/not smart/impractical. What's the mount like, other than really secure?
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That is exactly what I was thinking. Our currently functional robot is going to remain unaltered as the backup, and we are going to test a new minibot with the magnets. However, as Tristan said, trying to remove these magnets will not only be next to impossible, but it will also be incredibly dangerous and unwise.
Tristan, thank you very much for the golden response. It perfectly addressed the question and was incredibly helpful. Your point about the magnets from a "sold as" point of view is puzzling, as you are exactly correct. I know the magnets in question were some that my Dad removed from an old hard drive, and I don't think it's going to be possible to find a vendor with these
exact magnets. In that case, it is a modified hard drive, which would be illegal. I'm going to post this in the Q&A per your suggestion and see what kind of results I get. Thanks again for the great input.
Edit: I just searched around on the FIRST Q&A Forum and found someone who asked essentially the same question I did. Here is the response from the game design comittee:
Quote:
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Per Rule <R92>, magnets are permitted. All other materials (i.e. mounting plates) must meet requirements presented in Rule <R92> to be used on the MINIBOT.
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I gather from this that the mounting plates are therefore illegal because they are not explicitly listed as an allowed material in Rule <R92>. This really bites because, like Tristan said, these magnets are nearly impossible to remove from the mounting plates safely and without breaking them. Bummer. Any suggestions?