Quote:
Originally posted by kmcclary
Can anyone from FIRST please comment on why we have these artificial limits to the electronics and pneumatics now? There may be an excellent reason that I simply don't see from this perspective. Thanks!
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I'm not an "official" word on this, but from what I do know, it comes down to one thing: safety. The pneumatics kit is not a random set of parts like much of the rest of the kit is, but rather all of the fittings, etc. are hand selected to work together. As for the electronics, if an "anything goes" solution was allowed, FIRST would lose much of the safety/fairness/rule enforcement controls(emergency cutoff/timer shutdown) that they have with the current system.
However, in both of these cases, there are possible solutions. I propose the following:
Regarding Pneumatics:
I agree with FIRST that some limitations need to be placed on pneumatics for obvious safety reasons. Because of that, I propose that the current PSI limits and connector methods provided in the kit and rules remain. However, I propose the following: on the operating side of the pneumatics(60 PSI max), ANY pneumatic device whose primary purpose is not destruction(no pneumatic saws) is allowed if and only if the connection components(quick connects, elbows, etc) provided in the kit OR IDENTICAL PARTS purchased by the team were used to connect the device. NO MODIFICATION to off-the-shelf pneumatic components in regards to range/type of motion or pneumatic connections would be allowed.
Regarding Electronics:
In an attempt to open up the electronics capabilities of teams, I propose the following:
The existing control system be overhauled to consist solely of the following components:
-Radio modems(similar or identical to current)
-Operator Interface Block(OIB) - A provided electronic component which would connect to the radio modem and competition control cable, then providing a documented standard I/O stream on one or more ports, allowing a choice of interface options. An operator interface module similar to the existing system could be provided if teams did not want to design a complete custom system.
-Robot Interface Block(RIB) - Connecting to the radio modem and the PCM on the robot, this would provide a standard interface for the robot side control/logic systems. It would provide a standard means of connecting whatever logic systems a team decided to use. If a team did not have the resources or the desire to create a custom system, an addon to the RIB would be available which would expand it into roughly the equivalent of the current Robot Controller.
-Power Cutoff Module(PCM) - Mounted on the robot, and connecting to the RIB device, all speed controllers/relays on the robot would be required to recieve power from this device. This would allow for a safety or timer cutoff by FIRST, still giving them control over when you can control your robots on the field.
What do you think?