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Originally Posted by andya
I asked the inspectors what we can change on the robot. The few inspectors that were there replied as long as we did not go over the set limits, we could make any wanted or needed changes anytime you are allowed to work on your robot as long as you come back after every change and get re-inspected. One inspector was adamant, any changes no matter how small or big needed to have an inspection after said change.
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This is what the rules call out. If you make a change, reinspect. (There are some changes that that does not apply to--if you had a 10-lb shooter, a 10 lb blocker, and a 100 lb robot, and you showed up and inspected with both but could only carry one at a time, you wouldn't need reinspection--but those are fairly rare.)
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... and appears the rules are subject to the officiating staff’s interpretation and implementation of the rules. I thought, by the rules, what parts you came to the competition with is what you had to compete with as long as the total robot weight did not go over 120lb regardless of the parts.
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Yes and no, and not quite. You're raising two points here that are both very good questions to raise.
First, the rules are implemented by the officiating staff. You've obviously read them, so you've seen the part about the Head Ref's decision is final. However, if you can show, say, the regional director, that the official is in direct violation of the rules, or of the standard interpretation, then someone from higher up will have a talk with them about correcting their interpretation and implementation. It's happened before. To take the Head Ref as an example, he can get input from any FIRST officials at the event, including any members of the Game Design Committee that happen to be present. LRIs and Head Refs and FTAs all have contact info for their leaders--and I haven't seen the Lead LRI comment here yet, but I know he's around somewhere. If that lead disagrees with the ref or inspector, the lead wins.
Second, to address the "parts you come with is what you have to compete with as long as the total weight does not go over 120lb" part: You did not read this part of the rules thoroughly enough, I'm afraid. You come in with your robot in the bag, up to 30 lb of fabricated items (not counting batteries, bumpers, and the operator console), your team members and your spirit items. But, I'm leaving something off of this list, because it's not restricted anywhere. And that is,
raw material.
You can bring in as much raw material as you can carry, typically in as many trips as you need. I know that's not explicitly called out in the Manual; it used to be, but some rules seem to disappear or become vague every now and again as they become ingrained in the various teams' mentality. It takes somebody asking questions to wake people up and confirm the rule. It used to be not uncommon for teams to come in with a couple aluminum tubing pieces or PVC pipe.
I could go into an example, but I think you get the point. Keep asking questions; we're here to provide answers, even if they aren't official ones.