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Unread 03-16-2015, 03:58 PM
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FRC #2177 (The Robettes)
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Re: Dangerous precedent set by Q&A 461: Loaning Parts/Assemblies to other teams

Apparently I don't read the ruling at all the way you did. Let's break it down...

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A. R1 (R15, R17 & T7 may also apply) is specific that the ROBOT that a team uses in competition was built by that team.
This seems like a rather obvious statement that in no way changes how anything is ruled.

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R1 A Team must submit their ROBOT for Inspection. The ROBOT must be built by the FRC Team to perform specific tasks when competing in RECYCLE RUSH. The ROBOT must include all of the basic systems required to be an active participant in the game – power, communications, control, and movement. The ROBOT implementation must obviously follow a design approach intended to play RECYCLE RUSH (e.g. a box of unassembled parts placed on the FIELD, or a ROBOT designed to play a different game does not satisfy this definition).
This is just a restatement of R1, nothing new or earth shattering here.

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We strongly encourage you to provide support to all teams (especially those with limited resources) at your events, whether that is helping fabricate elements, assisting in construction, assisting in writing software or development of game strategy.
Clearly stated that you can help teams at events, no big surprise - this is something we actively encourage just to get everyone on the field and moving!
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As always, teams may work on their ROBOT while at events during the time that the pits are open per R15. Withholding allowance is determined at the time that team loads in per R17. No other FABRICATED PARTS may be brought into the venue after that time.
This makes sense, and I hope everyone recognizes that this has always been the case.
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Elements and assemblies built at the event by one team to give to another do not satisfy R1 above.
This might be where you have a problem with the answer. What they're saying here is that my team can't build something, hand it to your team and say "put this on your robot so you can now do X." It's easy to take that to extremes... But combined with the previous statement about helping teams it's clear that it shouldn't be taken to extremes. I can help you by giving you a COTS part, even if there may have been a slight modification or two (like attaching connectors, assembling a gearbox in the standard, intended way, etc). In that case I'm not building anything, I'm giving you a COTS part that may be slightly used. But I can't build a ramp and give it to you to attach to your robot. I can't give you a specially designed winch to use to lift totes. That's going way, WAY beyond helping by supplying a few COTS pieces.

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Please remember that the addition of any item to any ROBOT requires re-Inspection prior to any MATCH in which that ROBOT competes per T10. That re-Inspection also requires an update to the team's BOM reflecting the the change in ROBOT parts.
Reinspection is a well known aspect of competition, even if teams sometimes forget about it.
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So, to answer your questions by number: 1) No. 2) No. 3) No, but you may certainly assist another team in building new parts for their ROBOT at the event, and we encourage that.
Please note that, per this year's rules (for batteries) and last year's (for bumpers), batteries and bumpers are not part of the robot. That exempts them from a lot of rules, like being included in the withholding allowance or needing to be constructed after kickoff.

Keep in mind that it's ALWAYS been legal to have others machine stuff for you - you can give a CAD file to a machine shop during the season and collect parts later for use in the robot. How is that different than utilizing a machine shop at an event, or a team's tabletop bandsaw?
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