Quote:
Originally posted by WakeZero
However, I don't mean to burst everyone's fun bubble... but I thought I remember rules not allowing us to use these types of input devices? I know there are some rules on what we can and can't use, they may change this year, but it's never a bad idea to check and see what was allowed in the past 
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After a little searching, I found
this rule, which states that we aren't technically allowed to modify the "The Operator Interface, Robot Controller, Servos, Speed Controllers, Relay Modules, Radio Modems, Batteries, Battery Charger, Power Supply, 9-pin cables, Maxi-style breaker panel, ATC breaker panel, circuit breakers, fuses, and joysticks". Also,
this rule addresses custom control boxes. Without it, I don't think we'd be allowed to use any input devices except for the provided joysticks (uck).
The joystick ports each have a pin for +5VDC, fused at 1.25A, through F2. They state that "+5V Aux is to be used for potentiometers in Joysticks and custom I/O boxes" in the IFI OI Reference Guide, but that's not the official rulebook. I'm not sure how a FIRST representative or knowledgable volunteer inspector would react to a system that generates control signals. I'm thinking specifically of making an intermediary box to operate on actual driver input, and then output processed data to the OI. Anyone know of a precedent for this kind of thing?