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Originally Posted by KenWittlief
here is where your thinking is slightly offtrack - we are not allowed to modify the motors to enhance their performace, whether you open them or not
if you add field coils to a motor, with the intention of altering its torque and speed characteristics, how can you say the motor has not been modified?
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The sense of the word "modification" from <R31> seems to be referring to physical changes only. ("The intent is to allow teams to modify mounting tabs and the like, not to gain a weight reduction by potentially compromising the structural integrity of any motor.") We know, obviously, that they want to limit robots to a certain power output level, but they have only described physical changes to the motor that might cause this level to be exceeded. They don't actually mention entirely new components that exist outside of the intact motor.
Also, to preempt this question, I don't think that the external coils constitute a distinct additional (i.e. illegal) motor. They don't posess a rotor (unless the CIM is part of an assembly, which is a perverse way of looking at it, given that motors are typically considered to be components), so how can they be a motor? (No mention of linear induction motors, please; they're not relevant—but they do have the
equivalent of a rotor.)
Now, one thing that I didn't address before: safety. By increasing the power output, you're also increasing the heat generated by the motor. Since we assume that the motor is designed for its rated power, and no more (even if there is a margin of safety, we're not privy to how big it is, and can't convieniently calculate it), it would be fair to assume that adding extra power could cause thermal damage to the motor. The increased risk of smoke and fire would likely be a fair reason to disallow it, unless, of course, the team using it could prove that it was safe (which would be challenging, I think).