$3500 limit - Who does not have questions

[Raul]

This $3500 limit rule is one great example of what I meant by giving us rules we could discuss and clarify ahead of time so we could be more productive during the 6 week period. See this link for more details.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...threadid=15638

I don't know about you guys, but I am frustrated waiting for answers to simple questions. How can we proceed with our design when we have so many unanswered questions?

If you go through all the rules, you will find many that could have been distributed early so we could have discussed them since they could not possibly remove any of the surprise of what the game would be!


I think FIRST could use some help - they are obviously overwhelmed.

[Jim Meyer]

I agree Raul, it would also give them time to "fix" any problems that they discover. Keeping track of how much solder or glue you use is crazy. To follow the rules to the letter, this is exactly what you would have to do.

We need an "Additional Hardware" list!

[meaubry]

I don't see why not, a general topic for discussion such as; How would you feel about a rule that .... (K3) would have generated many opinions and concerns that probably weren't even tought about. Lord knows, this site isn't short of people willing and able to voice their opinions. A rule that is has such an impact on the way teams operate should have been discussed during the off season to allow time to modify what ever the rule makers were thinking about doing. Every team is impacted by trying to balance buying this part vs. making that part. Seems simple, but it sure has messed up my 6 week planning schedule. More build time will be required, and less (if any) drive time for practicing. But, maybe the folks developing the rules weren't allowed to do that. Who knows, but it sure helps to discuss controversal rules that don't give away the game - ahead of time. Hopefully, the next Update will help clear things up about the K3 rule.

[MacZealot]

I don't think it'll be a huge deal if you use 1 oz of solder or something, and dont' count it.

Think about it, maybe $2 or something, and considering it, I'd just write off whatever's leftover after all the big $ items as "supplies"

You spend $2900 on a bot, that including any paid labor, or etc. $600 in supplies? take an estimated guess.

I'm thinking in the $100 ballpark, it depends on what you use, you will be fine with just a guess, though

[rbayer]

In the latest update (#3), they say that as a general rule you don't need to count things that cost less than $1. Thus, you don't have to count rivets, washers, nuts unless they are REALLY expensive. Look on page three of the update for details.

[Travis Hoffman]

I don't believe this has been specifically addressed in the rules, but does anyone know if the cost of custom operator station components (button boxes, switches, pushbuttons, alternative joysticks, etc.) for the operator control station count toward the $3500 spending limit for the robot? They never really state whether these components are considered part of the robot or are instead a separate system. I'm guessing they count, but I'm not sure.

I'll post this question in the FIRST forums shortly, but I get the feeling that I'll be waiting until 2095 to receive an answer....

Thanks,