Shielding the Shooter

[Jon K.]

Originally Posted by dhitchco

Please post the link to any offical FIRST Q&A responses here. I could not find reference to the official response to shielding.

The more "shielding" that is put in place (e.g. covvering the barrel of some shooting mechanism) runs counter-intuitive to rule <G30> in extracting extra balls from your overly-shielded robot at the end of the match.

It also runs counter-intuitive to rule <S03> about keeping the "shooting mechanism" INSIDE the 28x38x60 envelope. it just seems to be adding more "bulk" to cover the entire "mechanism" including stationary parts like the barrel, etc.

Lastly, the need to "shield" the entire mechanism seems to run counter-intuitive to rule <G13> about needing to be able to "clearly see" all of the balls pre-stored on-board the robot.

In terms of getting at the balls easy, make your shielding out of polycarb of some sort held on with like velcro or some other sort of quick disconnecting fastener. That will also allow for the quick sighting of balls stored. As for the rule about the shooting mechanism staying in the box, well thats just part of the design challenge.