Legality of third party fans

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by Sparky3D

This rule bothers me. DC powered "computer" fans are pretty ubiquitous, using a different brand/model isn't going to give you a competitive advantage. On top of that, it's borderline unenforceable. Does the GDC really expect all inspectors to have a list of every year's KOP and try to match model numbers on every fan that shows up on a robot?

Sorry for the rant, but it would make things so much easier if the rule were something along the lines of "DC powered computer fans of size X or smaller are legal". Easier and cheaper for teams who need to cool a compressor/motor, and much easier for inspectors to enforce.

Having built a few computers in my day, I know that not all fans are created equal. There are some out there that get much more airflow than others, despite being the same size. So the rule does have some practical applicability.

That said, when inspecting the robot, I'm not going to be closely examining every fan that's attached to a speed controller. If it looks like one of the fans that's stacked up in my team's electrical closet, then I'm going to assume it's legal. If it's a some blue one with built in LED's, then I know it's not legal (and yes, they sell ones like that, for people who want "cool" looking Computer cases!). If your using the fans to do something other than cooling on motor controllers, I'm going to take a closer look at them.