Withholding Allowance

[DampRobot]

Am I going crazy, or is there no withholding allowance this year? I've looked through the rules, and done some searches, but haven't been able to figure anything about it.

Is there a withholding allowance this year?

[orangemoore]

Yes 30 Pounds

R18
At an Event, Teams may have access to a static set of FABRICATED ITEMS that shall not exceed 30 lbs to be used to repair and/or upgrade their ROBOT. Items made at an Event do not count towards this weight limit.

For Teams attending 2-Day Events, these FABRICATED ITEMS may be used during the Robot Access Period and/or brought to the Event, but the total weight may not exceed 30 lbs. FABRICATED ITEMS constructed during the Robot Access Period and bagged with the ROBOT are exempt from this limit.

Items exempt from this limit are:

the OPERATOR CONSOLE,
BUMPERS, and
any ROBOT battery assemblies (as described in R5-A).

[DampRobot]

Thank god. Thanks for the quick response.

[EricH]

It's NOT the same Withholding Allowance, though. One word was added: "static".

Instead of getting 30 lb at each event, you get 30 lb total, at least that's how I read that rule.

[orangemoore]

Originally Posted by EricH

It's NOT the same Withholding Allowance, though. One word was added: "static".

Instead of getting 30 lb at each event, you get 30 lb total, at least that's how I read that rule.

I think the rule is just clarifying that you cannot change what you are withholding during an event.


An example of what I think the rule means...
You bring an extra shooter as your allowance but in the middle of an event the intake on your robot breaks. You couldn't change out the shooter for an extra intake.

[tStano]

Originally Posted by EricH

It's NOT the same Withholding Allowance, though. One word was added: "static".

Instead of getting 30 lb at each event, you get 30 lb total, at least that's how I read that rule.

Thats not how I read it. I read it as like the stuff has to remain the same throughout the event.
I read it such that you can't have a spare gearbox assembly on day one and then the next day bring the gearbox assembly home(to your hotel) and bring something else.

[EricH]

A "static set of Fabricated Items that shall not exceed 30 lbs"...

What I see there is that the set can't change--it's static. I don't see anything saying that each event has a different set; it's possible to make that argument by implication of semantics, but some folks call that lawyering rules.

In other words, the 30 lb you bring to event 1 is the 30 lb you bring to event 2 (I would concede repairs on a broken item as being allowed, for sure, possibly some replacement of worn COTS items in Fabricated Items, but not much more).

Again, that's how I'm reading the rules. I suspect that this would be a good Q&A question; after all, we've got two interpretations, and either could be right. One is a bit more lenient; one is a bit more cautious.

[Tristan Lall]

Originally Posted by EricH

A "static set of Fabricated Items that shall not exceed 30 lbs"...

What I see there is that the set can't change--it's static. I don't see anything saying that each event has a different set; it's possible to make that argument by implication of semantics, but some folks call that lawyering rules.

In other words, the 30 lb you bring to event 1 is the 30 lb you bring to event 2 (I would concede repairs on a broken item as being allowed, for sure, possibly some replacement of worn COTS items in Fabricated Items, but not much more).

Again, that's how I'm reading the rules. I suspect that this would be a good Q&A question; after all, we've got two interpretations, and either could be right. One is a bit more lenient; one is a bit more cautious.

This will indeed be a good one for the Q&A. I considered that they could be restricting the set of parts for all of a team's events, but I think it was probably intended to prevent a team from creating a large set of extra fabricated parts, and then bringing those parts to the event (from nearby storage) on an as-needed basis. (This arises with spare robots, practice robots, etc.. This may reopen the argument about whether to limit post-build fabrication, and whether such limits disproportionately impact less-wealthy teams or teams with tighter time constraints.)

I hope they clarify it to state that the 30 lb static set must be declared at the beginning of each event, and may be changed from event to event. Even better if they instruct teams to e-mail a simple list to FIRST, for the officials' reference.

Also, I'm glad they've ditched the term "withholding allowance". It wasn't really a good descriptor anymore, and the change serves to draw a distinction between old and new rules.