Lithion-Ion Batteries

[ToddF]

I'm a fairly new mentor, so some of my thoughts may not be as seasoned as the veteran folks out there. I'm seeing some assumptions in some of the responses that I don't understand.

There seems to be an assumption that for something to be legal for use on a FIRST robot, 1) its performance needs to be completely characterized, 2) it needs to be supplied to all teams in the kit of parts, and 3) it replaces whatever components were previously legal.

Where I can see how this MIGHT apply to control system components running software, I don't see why it should apply to things like actuators. I don't see a downside in allowing brushless motors and drivers to be included in the list of options we consider. Maybe they aren't right for certain applications, but for others, they might be. Why not allow teams who want to use them to save money to do so?

AdamHeard rightly pointed out that the Jaguars (and Victors) are far oversized for the shooter wheels. So why do the rules limit us to using those and only those motor drivers? Why not allow teams to use other options?

Reading between the lines, it seems that at some point in the past, cheap motor drivers were not available, so in order to ensure a supply of reasonably priced drives, FIRST worked with suppliers to come up with custom motor controllers. To ensure that the market was large enough to keep prices down, they made rules that limited teams from using anything else. I would argue that the commercial marketplace for inexpensive motors, drives, and controllers has caught up and bypassed the needs of FIRST. Inexpensive, rugged motors and drives, both brushed and brushless, are commonly available in the RC marketplace. For the $285 cost of the cRIO FRC II Controller, you can buy EIGHT Raspberry Pi computers (I have an order of three arriving today.)

During build season, I'm all about doing the best you can with the limited set of components allowed. But, with cheaper, possibly better, components available in the commercial marketplace, why not expand the rules to allow us to use them?

Again, I apologize for hijacking the OP's thread. If anyone knows how to split this topic off into a new thread, please do so...