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Unread 22-08-2014, 09:57
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Jon Stratis Jon Stratis is offline
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FRC #2177 (The Robettes)
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Re: blog; Motor Controller Options for 2015

The rule Todd is referring to is (from 2014):
Quote:
R13

ROBOT elements created before Kickoff are not permitted.
This is clarified in a blue box,
Quote:
Please note that this means that FABRICATED ITEMS from ROBOTS entered in previous FIRST competitions may not be used on ROBOTS in the 2014 FRC
along with the definition found in the glossary:
Quote:
FABRICATED ITEM: any COMPONENT or MECHANISM that has been altered, built, cast, constructed, concocted, created, cut, heat treated, machined, manufactured, modified, painted, produced, surface coated, or conjured partially or completely into the final form in which it will be used on the ROBOT.
So, from a strict reading of the rule, crimping or soldering connectors to the ends of leads or even cutting the leads is an alteration, and makes an item (a CIM motor, one of these new controllers, etc) illegal in future years.

Now, I ask all of you two questions. First, do you think it's the intent of the rules to make a CIM motor illegal because you spent 30 seconds adding a pair of 50 cent connectors on it? Second, do you think your inspector, LRI, or any team at your event is going to know or care?

When I read the rule, two possible intents come to mind (note that I'm not the GDC, so I could be wrong about either/both of these):

The first is fair play - we don't want veteran teams having an advantage over rookie teams by being able to pull out a robot from 7 years ago that can already play the game, and instead of spending 6 weeks build one get to spend it improving and driving one. Veterans already have enough of an advantage through their experience with FIRST and through having people (mentors, upper classmen or graduates) with first hand experience in games similar to those we're playing now (for example, the similarities between Arial Assist and Over Drive).

The second is educational - we want the students on the team this year to have the experience of designing and building a robot, not just using what someone else built before them. I've heard before (on here? In LRI training? Not sure) that reusing an assembled gear box (which ships from the supplier unassembled) is illegal... but taking that gear box, breaking it down and then reassembling it during the build season makes it legal because you returned it to the form it arrived in. That strongly implies that the educational experience of assembling a gearbox and seeing how it works is important with this rule.

As an LRI, even if I was 100% certain that a team reused a CIM motor or speed controller and the connectors they had on it from the previous year, I wouldn't say anything or hassle them in any way. On the other hand, if a team comes in with a shooter on it I recognize, and I can verify that it came from a previous robot, they'll be in trouble. When we went with the new sizing rules, there were several teams that had to be lectured, as their re-use was obvious - they used the previous years frame and (assuming) drive train without modification. In that case, the modifications made to make it fit within the sizing parameters was enough of a penalty and lesson for the teams in question, and we could let them play once they got it fixed (which took the entire practice day, and afterwards their mechanisms had issues due to the changes).
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