Quote:
Originally Posted by Karthik
This seems like a good compromise. If FRC could do some testing and give us a list of certified safe air tanks, teams would have plenty of notice and an unambiguous set of guidelines to work with.
As for general limits on the volume of storage, I would hope we wouldn't see those return. Prior to 2011, those volume limitations made it very difficult to use pneumatics without having an on-board compressor. With the weight and battery issues caused by a compressor, teams often skipped pneumatics entirely, with the exception of their shifters. Once the limits were removed we saw a huge increase in the usage of pneumatics, coupled with many unique designs which were previous infeasible or very difficult ( 254's jaw in 2011, 2056's shooter in 2013). There's been a definite evolution in design as a result of these more relaxed rules, and I'd hate to see us take a step backwards in terms of the functionality of robots.
|
I couldn't agree more about with respect to the evolution of design that the current state of the rules has allowed.
When it comes to limiting the allowable tanks, I see this as limiting a teams ability to research alternative storage tanks. There are a number of suppliers out there as well as custom options that would be more then acceptable under the current rules. As always, size and weight are a trade off in design. FRC558 has been looking into alternative tanks in the offseason, one potential source is the
automotive aftermarket, since air suspension is a popular modification in the car world. I wish that there was a direct supply for an old KOP air tank, I believe we only received them in
2011 (Shown on pg. 11). There is always the old KOP tanks from
Clippard.