Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Steele
...I can see giving a list of motors. It prevents teams from taking advantage of some special motor that they found...that no one else can find...
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I think this is addressed by the other rules already in effect though, namely cost and available power. There might have to be one other stipulation that every motor has to be costed, regardless of how it was acquired (as this might be a way to bypass the $400 rule if someone was really looking for loopholes). Also, maybe along the lines of the datasheet idea where each team would have to post datasheets for any motor they use. Perhaps this could be made public as well as opposed to just a tech item.
I guess I'm of the mindset that if one team can find a motor, any other team should be able to find that motor with some digging. Being restricted to 12V and 40A effectively limits your output potential, though those are still scary numbers in their own right (think car starter motor).
The current "any automotive door/window/wiper/seat motor" is a step in the right direction, but still seems oddly specific. Why limit it to automotive applications? If they are trying to limit power then why not just say that? If they are trying to limit cost, they could just do that as well (no motor can cost more than X dollars, which could be different than the $400 general component limit). I'm sure there's probably some ridiculous automotive motor out there that has the power to shut a 500 pound armored door that would technically be legal by the current rule set, but I'll admit I'm exaggerating a bit on purpose. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that the current wording just seems too vague. It sounds like they're trying to open it up, but I'd just like to know what they were getting at when then decided to allow "automotive" motors.