[David Brinza]

One might ask:

Is it OK to disassemble and reassemble an OI outside of the fix-it window?

It may be necessary to remove joysticks, etc. in order to safely transport the OI after the competition (when you pack up in the pits). If you reassemble the OI within 48 hours, you haven't violated the fix-it window. But if you wait 4 days to re-assemble the OI - do you comply with the rule? In either case, you must disassemble the OI to transport to Atlanta - did you now break the fix-it window rule?

I'd say NO. Other than removing components from an assembly to allow safe transport, you haven't worked on (as in modified) the OI. You are not attempting to gain unfair advantage by making improvements outside of the fix-it window.

Back to your situation:

If you had attempted the modified OI with a different panel (one that you wouldn't take to Atlanta), this would be a no brainer - no work was done on the competition OI panel. In this case, you've attempted some modifications that have, shall we say, left some scars on your OI. Maybe the changes didn't work so you're going back to the old configuration. So the dilemma you're wrestling with is "I didn't gain any advantage as a result of the modifications to the OI panel, so maybe it's OK" versus "I worked (modified) on the OI panel outside of the window, but I'm not going to use the modification I made".

Part of FIRST is learning to resolve these dilemmas yourself - to develop your own sense of ethics that you'll carry further in life. There's no FIRST police (other than your teammates and your own conscience) for these "honor-code" based rules. I think, because you are forthright enough to raise the question in an open forum, you'll consider your options and will do the right thing.