Quote:
Originally Posted by AdamHeard
What if that team is just filling because they are going to be testing in pit, or going to the practice field? The new Vair compressors are not robust, and limiting runtime on them is important to not enter a match preheated.
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It doesn't matter when it's done... using a shop compressor to fill the robot bypasses safety mechanisms. It would be very easy to over pressurize the system when using a shop compressor (an no, the blow off valve isn't a guarantee for this... I've seen teams that went through 2 regionals, Champs, States, and then show up at an off-season in the fall who swear they never changed it, yet have their valve set at 150+PSI. Unfortunately, not everything is caught by inspectors), and in fact we've seen teams do just that, intentionally. When in the privacy of your own shop, teams can set their own safety rules... when at an event, I personally would ask you to be respectful of the safety of everyone around you and only operate your robot as listed by FIRST, which means using a legal compressor set up to charge your pneumatics every time, even when not going to the field. I would also probably ask the Lead Safety Adviser to chime in on the issue as well - It would probably fall under their purview more than the LRI's, unless the compressor is used before sending the robot to the field.