R68: One and only one compressor

[mwmac]

Originally Posted by DonRotolo

The way I see it, R68 is extremely clear that a second compressor (such as another ViAir on the cart, or in the pit, or a shop [120 V AC] compressor) anywhere at the competition is just not allowed.

Am I mis-reading this rule?

Anyone want to take bets on how many teams attempt to use more than "one and only one" compressor at competition?

Don, I think there are a couple of points where I might differ with your interpretation of R68. Here is the rule:

R68
Compressed air on the ROBOT must be provided by one and only one compressor. Compressor specifications may not
exceed nominal 12VDC, 1.05 cfm flow rate.

First, in the event that a team suffers a complete failure of the robot compressor would you disallow them from replacing it with a like for like unmodified compressor from the spare parts station or from their own parts drawer?

Second, your interpretation fails to give any meaning to the words "on the ROBOT". IMO the rule is worded to clearly indicate that the stored compressed air in a robot's pneumatic tanks is to be provided by that robot's on-board or off-board compressor not by some other source. The purpose of the rule is, I believe, to disallow the use of a compressor identical to that of the robot's on-board compressor to fill the pneumatic tanks pre-match while keeping the on-board compressor cool and fresh for the match.

Finally, as worded, R68 clearly prohibits the use of a shop compressor for supplying compressed air to "the ROBOT" due to the voltage and flow rate specifications. Shop compressors are not prohibited from being present in the pits under this rule.