Can we use old Victors

[KMAC42]

We have some old victor 884's with the blue sticker and we were wondering if we could use those or if we needed to purchase new ones for this year. Victors are kinda expensive.

[Billfred]

Even the 884s with the red stickers should be legal--they're unmodified (or should've been, lest the robot from that year not pass inspection), and more of them is explicitly allowed.

[AJ R]

Originally Posted by Billfred

Even the 884s with the red stickers should be legal--they're unmodified (or should've been, lest the robot from that year not pass inspection), and more of them is explicitly allowed.

Last year we used a 884 with a red label and the inspector had us switch it out for one with a blue label. An old one with a blue label should be fine.

[ntroup]

Originally Posted by AJ R

Last year we used a 884 with a red label and the inspector had us switch it out for one with a blue label. An old one with a blue label should be fine.

Unfortunately, even inspectors can be wrong at times. Both 2006 -AND- 2007 manuals state that -any- Victor 884 can be used:

<R29> Only Innovation First Incorporated “Victor 884” speed controllers and “Spike” relay modules are permitted. Other makes and models of relay modules and speed controllers (including the Victor 883 and 885 speed controllers) cannot be used.

In the days of the Victor 883, there were physical differences between the Red Label and the Blue Label Victors. There -were- rules back then about which ones you could use. With the release of the 884, however, this different went away. The Red and Blue labels are identical. Both IFI, and the Q&A from last year (obviously, last year's rules are not this year's rules) stated as much.

-Nate

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by AJ R

Last year we used a 884 with a red label and the inspector had us switch it out for one with a blue label. An old one with a blue label should be fine.

AJR,
Teams were asked to change out the red label Victors on advice from several fronts including FTAs and others. It was determined later in the season (the question was brought up at an inspector's meeting following that weekend) that it was not neccessary and that IFI was confidant that any red Victors in the market place were the same as blue ones. I am sorry about the trouble at Milwaukee.

[Dave Flowerday]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

It was determined later in the season (the question was brought up at an inspector's meeting following that weekend) that it was not neccessary and that IFI was confidant that any red Victors in the market place were the same as blue ones.

This response suggests that it was actually a rule that was later changed, which is not the case. It never was a rule. As one of the inspectors at Milwaukee last year, I was told I had to enforce this "rule". I did not agree with it as no one could show me where it was written in the rules, but we were told to enforce it anyway. After returning home from that event I posted this question on the Q&A which confirmed my beliefs.

AJ, your team deserves an apology, and since I'm one of the inspectors who had to enforce this decision (not sure if I inspected your team or not), I will offer that apology. The bottom line is that someone thought they remembered a rule (when they were really thinking about the red/blue 883 rule from many years ago) and enforced it incorrectly. I feel very bad that the actions of the inspection crew in Milwaukee caused several teams to have to do quite a bit of unnecessary work to swap out perfectly-legal speed controllers which is why I posted the Q&A right after I got home.