30 lbs allowance

[team 3311]

Hello guys,

I've got a question.
How serious are they about the 30 lbs? Would they let you go with 35?
Please tell about your experience from the other regionals this year.

Thanks for responding

[dtengineering]

How serious are you about following the rules?

Jason

[sportzkrazzy]

At Florida they weighed everything you brought in the door in terms of spare parts.

[big1boom]

They are not going to weigh your withholding allowance (or at least we have never seen anyone getting spare parts weighed, even when we brought in a whole robot as withholding at 10K lakes last year (it was within allowance)). It is up to each team to stay within the withholding allowance weight on their own. That being said, if you bring in a whole robot, some people may look and wonder if that qualifies.

[Navid Shafa]

Originally Posted by dtengineering

How serious are you about following the rules?

Jason

Well put. If it's a rule which everyone else is following, what makes you think that it should be any different for you?

[Steve_Alaniz]

No... most places do not weigh your 30 lbs... If you bring it in as raw material and assemble it there it only counts as the actual machined or altered parts... it is all very tricky... careful reading of the rules will allow you to maximize this to well beyond the assumed normal definition. Usually, they are aware that your team spent $4 - 5 thousand to register so they look for ways to bend over backwards to allow you to compete. I have seen "illegal" bumpers, illegal parts and illegal drive trains allowed to compete. In THIS year by the way, so as long as it is not blatant... and you do not gain an unfair advantage... you can compete. Oh they may try to be politically correct but 35 lbs.. 30 lbs... they have bigger fish to fry... and I wish they would.

Steve

[team 3311]

We actually weren't planning on having more than 30 lbs but our cover turned out to be very very heavy.
We could take it apart again, which would make it to spare material, but that would be just stupid taking stuff apart and back together.

No... most places do not weigh your 30 lbs... If you bring it in as raw material and assemble it there it only counts as the actual machined or altered parts... it is all very tricky... careful reading of the rules will allow you to maximize this to well beyond the assumed normal definition. Usually, they are aware that your team spent $4 - 5 thousand to register so they look for ways to bend over backwards to allow you to compete. I have seen "illegal" bumpers, illegal parts and illegal drive trains allowed to compete. In THIS year by the way, so as long as it is not blatant... and you do not gain an unfair advantage... you can compete. Oh they may try to be politically correct but 35 lbs.. 30 lbs... they have bigger fish to fry... and I wish they would.

Steve

We do not gain any special advantage. We have the cover and the bumpers out, thats all.

So you think we should be fine with that?

Thanks again for answering!

[Navid Shafa]

What bigger fish are there to fry compared to a blatant disregard of the rules? I agree that the whole "Bumpers out of the bag" arguement is rediculous, but I see no reason that any team should push the limits knowingly.

[Steve_Alaniz]

Originally Posted by Navid Shafa

What bigger fish are there to fry compared to a blatant disregard of the rules? I agree that the whole "Bumpers out of the bag" arguement is rediculous, but I see no reason that any team should push the limits knowingly.

Not to give the wrong impression. I highly recommend compliance with all the rules. We're weighing all our parts because we intend to comply with the rules as per the honor system and we will be under 30 lbs as per the rules. I'm very unimaginative when it comes to rules and bending them... I would have been a lousy lawyer. However it is sometimes unavoidable that a team may "push the limits" due to something like a robot damaged at a previous regional, But my perception of this rule... IN THE WAY IT IS ENFORCED is that it is more like speeding. At 30.1 mph in a 30mph zone, you are breaking the law and should expect a police officer to pull you over, chew you out, give you a ticket and tell you to never do that again...and possibly roll you with a nightstick for good measure. That doesn't happen. Maybe at 40... and I would hope that if someone brought in 40lbs or more of highly machined parts they would be asked to prove compliance. I guess Florida has the manpower to have someone stand by a scale and check everyone in but the volunteers at most regionals are very busy with robot inspections, moving supplies, directing teams and visitors, checking for safety glasses and appropriate shoes and the other thousand things it takes to make a regional go. As for me, PERSONALLY, if I were an official, I would just say yeah 35's ok just because I'm soft that way and I believe most people intend to follow the rules and if they are 5 lbs over bringing stuff in they are probably going to weigh in at 125lbs on the robot... and I KNOW that weight is dead serious.
<sigh> everybody takes these thing so seriously.

Steve

[rudun]

I absolutely agree with everything that has been said about staying within the rules, but a team that goes over a withholding limit by say 5lbs should not always be judged as trying to bend the rules. It was suggested that teams that go over are not planning their time wisely, however if you were in the North East like us time was certainly lost due to snow. We planned ahead but when the school is closed we cannot work and to suggest students meet elsewhere that day and drive is ridiculous because they closed schools, business, and gov't offices for a public safety issue.

So please try to follow the withholding as best as possible and for the spirit of finishing your robot not to add things.

[jkhirys]

we should really follow he rules of the competition. it will be wrong to have more than 30 lbs, and yes you will have to rebuild your robot because they are very strict about it. you must have 30 lbs and nothing more.

[taven_f]

i think that they should bring whatever they need, it really shouldntbe a problem if they go over the limit but such a little amount . but if you do get checked and they see that your over good luck . But if i was you i would stick to the rule and keep it to 30 or under

[Gary Dillard]

I'm concerned and troubled with the number of responses in this thread that basically say you'll probably get away with it so it's OK. Nothing could be further from the truth, and this is a lesson for life, not just robotics. You will forever be confronted with choosing between right and wrong, or choosing what you think you can get away with. Which way you go defines what kind of person you are. Choose wisely.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by team 3311

We could take it apart again, which would make it to spare material,

No, read the definition of FABRICATED ITEM please.

Originally Posted by Steve_Alaniz

<sigh> everybody takes these thing so seriously.

Yes, we do.

A good measure of Integrity is what you do when nobody's watching.

[Hawiian Cadder]

wait, i have a question.

due to it binding, our lift has been eating fisher prices, so we have about 9 spares in case we cant work out where the problem is, and how to fix it quickly. do these fisher prices count towards the weight? and do they if we modify the gear on the end (we are concerned there will not be a press at competition, and we have a custom jig to put them on.

question 2

we fabricate parts that can be bought cots, because we can do it cheaper. are the fabricated parts part of the 30 lbs?