Important Q/A forum responses

[Billfred]

Here's one that's going to get a lot of people, if it's not publicized...

Originally Posted by FRC1618

Just to be crystal clear, can a team utilize a battery other than the 2007 FRC-legal batteries for pre-charging a pneumatics system before a match, provided a legal battery is swapped in before the robot takes the field? For moving some appendage of the robot into position before a match under similar circumstances?

Originally Posted by GDC

Non-competition batteries may be used on the practice day, and in the pits for development, debugging, etc. However, all operations of the robots during the competition matches (qualifier matches and elimination matches), and done to prepare the robot for competition (e.g. charging the pneumatic system for a match, or positioning an arm for the start of a match) must be conducted with the competition batteries.

We allow teams to have an offboard compressor to reduce the weight of the robot. However, control and power must come from the competition robot, and therefor the competition batteries. Per Rule <R46>, you must use competition legal batteries in preparation for a competition match.

[Swan217]

Originally Posted by Billfred

Here's one that's going to get a lot of people, if it's not publicized...

I agree - this is a VERY important Q&A that will be missed.

Even though the rule makes a lot of sense in the theory of "all power from the robot," logistically, it's a disaster. Hypothetically this means that you cannot use an offboard battery to power the compressor, even if you're using it at the competition. Why? Because the battery to power the compressor would count as a SECOND battery, and you're only allowed one battery to power your robot per match. Teams will HAVE to find a way to "port in" to their robot to power the compressor (like an electrical outlet). This is easily accomplished by having a couple of unused Anderson Connectors attached to the outside frame of your robot, connected to the rest of your wiring harness. Just plug, pressurize, and go!

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Please remember that at the base of this issue with off board compressors is the need to demonstrate that the compressor will shut down under RC control which precludes the need for the compressor to be powered through a spike from the same battery used to power the RC.

[Kevin Sevcik]

Originally Posted by Dan Swando

Even though the rule makes a lot of sense in the theory of "all power from the robot," logistically, it's a disaster. Hypothetically this means that you cannot use an offboard battery to power the compressor, even if you're using it at the competition. Why? Because the battery to power the compressor would count as a SECOND battery, and you're only allowed one battery to power your robot per match. Teams will HAVE to find a way to "port in" to their robot to power the compressor (like an electrical outlet). This is easily accomplished by having a couple of unused Anderson Connectors attached to the outside frame of your robot, connected to the rest of your wiring harness. Just plug, pressurize, and go!

I'm pretty sure an offboard compressor has always needed to be powered by an onboard robot battery. Atleast thats how I've always read the rule.

I'm much more concerned about the fact that ALL robot prep must happen with the competition battery. I understand the logic there, but keeping track of whether you're testing and debugging or actually resetting devices on your robot for a match will be a real nightmare. What if you've been debugging over lunch with a non-comp battery and parts of your robot end up in reset position and then you forget that you did so over lunch and don't re-reset them with a comp battery? I'm thinking that they'll almost have to be a bit lenient with this one and only come down on blatant repeat offenders. It's not as if you can scan the robot with a tricorder and find out if the quantum wave stat of the last electrons to course through it match a competition battery...

[Peter Matteson]

Originally Posted by Kevin Sevcik

I'm pretty sure an offboard compressor has always needed to be powered by an onboard robot battery. Atleast thats how I've always read the rule.

I'm much more concerned about the fact that ALL robot prep must happen with the competition battery. I understand the logic there, but keeping track of whether you're testing and debugging or actually resetting devices on your robot for a match will be a real nightmare. What if you've been debugging over lunch with a non-comp battery and parts of your robot end up in reset position and then you forget that you did so over lunch and don't re-reset them with a comp battery? I'm thinking that they'll almost have to be a bit lenient with this one and only come down on blatant repeat offenders. It's not as if you can scan the robot with a tricorder and find out if the quantum wave stat of the last electrons to course through it match a competition battery...

(Begin Sarcasm) Does this mean we have to use the battery to reset all stored power too, sine power is work over time and work is a change in energy. I mean so many teams are using gas springs, springs, latex tubing, gravity, etc. to activate mechanisms on their robot that they must clearly follow this poorly worded explanation by creating a Rube Goldberg powered off their battery to reset any and all mechanisms just to follow the rule because you know power is power and since it has to come from the battery all power on the robot must come from the battery. (End sarcasm)

The wording in that was poorly thought out but the intent is clear. They don't want you to use the old batteries in a way that may allow for them to get in the robot for competition. Don't lawyer like I did above and don't do something stupid like showing up to the field with an old battery on your robot or cart, and you'll probably be fine.

Pete

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by Peter Matteson

... The wording in that was poorly thought out but the intent is clear. They don't want you to use the old batteries in a way that may allow for them to get in the robot for competition. Don't lawyer like I did above and don't do something stupid like showing up to the field with an old battery on your robot or cart, and you'll probably be fine.

Pete

Thanks for cutting to the chase, Pete. As you point out, the intent is clear. And competition officials will be looking for incorrect batteries in and around robots that are near the field. Inspectors will be looking at teams' pneumatics charging procedures in the pits.

[Kevin Kolodziej]

Originally Posted by Billfred

Here's one that's going to get a lot of people, if it's not publicized...

Here's where this rule gets hairy, in my opinion. Its good practice to come back from a match and run through all your functions to make sure everything is in working order. In doing so, positions will be reset to competition ready. Are they saying that this post-match assessment needs to be done with the competition battery? These actions are not the same as debugging.

While we won't be charging the pneumatic system at that time, its likely that the "pit" battery will remain in the robot during pit maintenance and it just makes sense to charge the system, using that battery, while still in the pit, then swapping in the new battery, then heading to the match. Not all teams can charge their system in the pit for a variety of reasons, and I realize it would be rediculous to say if you charge in the pit, you can use a different battery...but this rule just doesn't seem add any fairness or take away any advantage or anything like that. The two things it does is limit the number of non-competition batteries that make it to the field (a very good thing) and suggest that teams purchase more and more new batteries (not such a good thing for all teams).

Kev