Gearbox pt 2

[Kevin Sevcik]

Sadly, I think it's questionable using anything from a place called "Surplus Center". At least as the rules were last year. If they don't have enough stock on hand to service a good percentage of FIRST teams, they don't count as a COTS supplier. Looking through the inventory, I don't think you could defend something if they only have 61 in stock. Unless you can find it actually for sale in single units from somewhere else, in which case I'd think you'd cost it at that retail price but actually purchase it from the surplus center. So the sprockets would be fine since those come from McMaster, MSC, etc. But I'd be rather wary of most of those gear boxes.

[Elgin Clock]

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/1306

Gives you this:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/13413

Not sure if any of any of those components are legal nowadays (we used it in 2002) but it's pretty easy to make with limited resources, and it's from Baker's team originally so you know it was probably the inspiration behind some of the AndyMark stuff.

[Dick Linn]

I'm sure you'd have to watch the rules on assemblies such as those gearboxes. I'm not that familiar with the rules. I'm sure there are many "off the shelf" items where a supplier doesn't stock hundreds and hundreds. AndyMark transmissions and other parts might fit in that category. In the case of these surplus transmissions, they were used in lawnmowers, so there may be many floating around, and parts may be available locally.

[ChuckDickerson]

I tend to agree that in the spirit of the rules from previous years most items at Surplus Center or any of the other surplus dealers are probably not legal. I have purchased lots or stuff from Surplus Center over the years for my personal projects but the only thing I think we have ever purchased from them for use on our FIRST robot was #35 chain master links. A couple of years ago I was ordering some other stuff from them for a personal project and ordered a bunch of their #35 master links (like 50 IIRC). At $.35 each they are about as cheap as I have ever seen anywhere. We are still have probably 30 left so we should be good for a few more years. The current stock is over 9000 so I would think they would legally count as a COTS part equally available to all teams.

This brings up a question: Since these are less than $1.00 and are technically a fastener for chain should they or should they not be included in the cost accounting?