Batteries Carried Into Competitions

[Justin Stiltner]

Depending on how you look at it, your leads with terminals crimped to the end could be considered a fabricated part, so you would need to not have that on there, but then if you just cut your terminals off, you have modified that lead into a non off the shelf state, so its still fabricated.

Actually if you want to further extend this idea, if your bringing in nuts and bolts, they would need to be separated, no nuts threaded onto bolts, unless you bought them that way.

To me, it sounds like this rule is being enforced a bit too harshly when it forces teams to start doing things like this.

HOWEVER, if you read the rule, and take its literal meaning, then it looks like we have been breaking the rules for a few years now, without realizing it. It is there in black and white, and has been for a few years now. If this is not changed before competition, you could take the leads off your batteries, then at that point the only fabricated parts are the leads for the batteries (you crimped ends on them) so only those would count in the weight, Rather than the whole battery. Also never hurts to check out the connections on your old batteries to make sure they are still good, etc (gotta look on the bright side sometimes)

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by Justin Stiltner

Also never hurts to check out the connections on your old batteries to make sure they are still good, etc (gotta look on the bright side sometimes)

I was thinking the same thing....I know we've had trouble with the terminals not being fully tightened, and coming loose.

We really have to get that big crimper, and do it right. This might be the excuse we needed.

[Racer26]

I just can't see any good reason for the GDC to all of a sudden start making calls that are SUBSTANTIALLY different than what has been the norm for many years. Teams bring batteries with anderson connectors attached. Thats the way it's always been. Why change it? Even all the bumper nonsense. If you ask me, the rules on the bumpers, as originally written in the book were not intended to be substantially different from last year. People asked questions to clarify, and the GDC goes and basically changed everything. Its silly.

[Craig Roys]

Originally Posted by 1075guy

I just can't see any good reason for the GDC to all of a sudden start making calls that are SUBSTANTIALLY different than what has been the norm for many years. Teams bring batteries with anderson connectors attached. Thats the way it's always been. Why change it? Even all the bumper nonsense. If you ask me, the rules on the bumpers, as originally written in the book were not intended to be substantially different from last year. People asked questions to clarify, and the GDC goes and basically changed everything. Its silly.

It's more than just silly - it's absolutely ridiculous. You can't tell me that having every team remove and replace battery leads at every competition was the intent of this rule. As I stated in a previous post in another thread, the GDC is doing exactly what they've told us not to do - lawyer the rules instead of judging their intent. They seem to have lost touch with what the competition is about. FIRST is going to start losing members if they continue down this path. What is inpirational about removing and replacing battery leads at every competition just to comply with some asinine ruling. I hope nobody wrote year or battery numbers on their battery - that would mean that they are now modified and no longer COTS parts. If you try to remove the marker, you might scratch the surface so it will no longer be a COTS part. Unbelievable.

[wilsonmw04]

Here is what I'm going to do:
1. I'm going to email my VirginiaFIRST rep and protest the ruling.

2. I'm not going to have my team remove the leads from the batteries. They are going to arrive at VCU, as they are now, in a black tote labeled "batteries." IF someone wants to check them as we arrive, they are more than welcome to do it. If the inspector informs us that they are illegal (Personally, I don't think that's going to happen.), we will remove the leads and put them back on 5 minutes later.

Yes, this may not be completely 'GP', but a little civil disobedience now and then isn't such a bad thing.