Quote:
Originally Posted by EricVanWyk
I'm actually a fan of the 0.32CV rule, and I forgive it for appearing to be petty and random at first blush. It reduces cost to teams for free, so I hope we see similar changes in the future.
In the past, we were only allowed to use specific part numbers for valves. Now we can use any valve we have... that isn't better than those specific part numbers. Combined with the 24V ruling, it allows teams to use many valves that weren't available last year, thereby reducing probable cost. Even though your particular valves aren't available, many teams have been able to tap into existing unused resources.
Your complaint is that it doesn't go further, and I agree with you in principle - not enough to complain this year. 0.32CV is low hanging fruit, because we've proved it out over the last however many years and increasing the flow rate could arguably require testing/validation/etc. I'd rather the GDC pick as much low hanging fruit as possible before moving up the tree.
That said, I do hope it opens further next year.
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I just looked up last years rules, and saw that the .32 Cv rule came in then. (we didn't use pneumatics last year), but in 2008, there was no restriction on valves. We have a quantity of valves from 2008, they meet all rules, but Cv=~.4 Now we have to buy more valves, and at $50-$75 each, that is not a cost reduction. Teams already had access to the pool of valves you point out.
Limiting the Cv, but not limiting the number of valves allowed (It is allowed to hook up as many valves as you wish to a single actuator, this has been answered in Q&A) only punishes teams that can't afford a lot of valves, and those teams that have access to valves that would otherwise be legal.
The smaller Cv doesn't hurt us, but the $$$ we now have to spend to get legal valves does.