[fox46]

Here is my interpretation of the rule- and please jump in if you think I'm wrong. It has always been my understanding that you can hold back 30lbs worth of your competition-ready robot. For example, when there have been years of extreme weather when teams have been unable to make it to their shops to build, FIRST has upped this limit to 60lbs dictating that you only have to ship half your robot.

Lets say your team puts a shooter on the robot but prior to shipping, decides to remove it for use on their practice robot. This shooter counts as part of their 30 lbs which they can fine tune and then bring with them to the competition for reinstallation on the machine. If however, they leave it on the robot as bagged and bring an identical duplicate mechanism to the competition, this counts as a replacement part and is not included in the weight allowance. If the team leaves the shooter on the robot and builds an improved version of the same mechanism, this would count as part of the 30lbs since it is unlike the one on their machine. However, if only the shooter wheel was different, they could remove the wheel and count the shooter chassis as a direct replacement part, excluded from the 30 lbs and the wheel itself as an upgrade part - part of the 30 lbs.

Furthermore, if a team ships a kit chassis and then decides to build a 30 lb loader and shooter, they can indeed bring this mechanism as a an "upgrade part" to the competition limited by the 30 lbs. BUT if they were to build the shooter and bag it, the kit chassis, motors and control system could be brought seperately as a COTS item provided it had not been assembled or modified in any way.

To take this even further, run with it if you will- this team could bag nothing, bring the kit chassis and all components in unassembled state, fabricate a custom launcher after the build date weighing less than 30lbs and bring the whole lot to the competition. They could walk in and assemble the KOP frame, install their custom <30lb shooter and install their COTS control system components to effectively assemble their robot at the competition without being affected by StopBuild day. I would feel that this contravenes the spirit of the competition but could be a strategy for time-strapped rookies.

Direct replacement parts and components as purchased from a supplier would be excluded from the 30lb limit. Ie: a window motor is considered a COTS item, but bolt it to a custom mounting plate that is not currently in your bag and tag, the window motor and mounting plate bolted together count as a fabricated item for part of your 30 lbs. Unbolt the window motor from said plate and only the plate counts as part of your 30 lbs.

If an identical plate exists on your robot as bagged, the window motor and plate in any state of attachment are counted as replacement parts.

Is this correct? I have talked with quite a few teams and this seems to be the understanding.