Fabricating own Controller

[Nuggets08]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on ChiefDelphi. I was wondering if it was against the rules to make your own controller. One of my mentors and I have been talking about making our own, and we have prototyped it. Is this legal? We couldn't find anything about it in the rules.
Thanks!

[dtengineering]

I apologize for not taking the time to check the rule book for the specific rule... we are in the middle of a build session right now... but the rules are very clear that you must use the Robot Controller and the Victor speed controllers. It is great that you are developing your own controller, but don't use it on your competition robot.

Jason

[Nuggets08]

No, no, no. You misunderstood, or I misworded =). I meant controller in the sense of Joystick, or XBOX360 controller as some teams are using. Sorry about that.

[ebmonon36]

Yes, you are allowed to manufacture your own control device.

[kaszeta]

Originally Posted by ebmonon36

Yes, you are allowed to manufacture your own control device.

Indeed, a few seasons ago, Team 95's OI included a ball-control throttle made out of the KOP bimba cylinder, pressure transducer, and a bracket. Worked rather well, in fact.

[JamesBrown]

In 2005 team 1100(I think) had a model of their arm with pots attatched that they used to control the real thing. I believe they won an award for it.

[Andrew Blair]

Absolutely. As long as it only sources power from the OI- no external sources allowed- its legal! In many cases, developing such a controller can enable you to achieve far greater and more intuitive control of your robot than what just a joystick can provide.

[Nuggets08]

Yay, that makes my day. I will start working on it ASAP. I'm not going to reveal what it is or what it will do, but everyone will see it after we get hosting for our website. Thanks for your help!