What to use for ballast

[Mr V]

Originally Posted by GreyingJay

This is how I understood the rules, but I keep being told by other people on my team "no, we can't bring weights".

Bringing a COTS weight, such as a dumbbell or a piece of steel bar, and figuring out how to modify it AT the event to attach it to the robot (assuming that velcro straps are unacceptable), is legitimate, according to how I read the rules.



But that makes it not a COTS part, right? So this cylinder-full-o-junk is considered part of the 30 lbs? But if you bring the empty cylinder, the plugs, and a bag of bolts and put it all together at the event, then it's not?

Sorry if this seems like a n00b question, I'm new here and still trying to figure out the rules

Us it is perfectly fine to bring an unmodified weight in and it will be considered COTS. No Velcro would generally not be considered suitable for holding ballast of any significant weight and neither would duct tape or zip ties.

You are correct that the cylinder filled with misc "junk" is not a COTS part so it would be part of the 30lb withholding but if the cylinder and the "junk" were brought in separately then it would be a collection of COTS items and not a fabricated assembly.