Crazy Robot Inspection Stories

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Are you sure this is a rule? I've seen more than one team run with a white number outlined in black, or a yellow number outlined in black, etc.

Outlining for contrast purposes is fine, as long as the number itself meets spec. Q&A from last week:http://forums.usfirst.org/showthread.php?t=15079

[Wayne C.]

Originally Posted by Just a Mom

We had bright yellow painted numbers on our bumpers because we had a nice mom who was happy to work with two students to do the numbering. The problem turned out to be that they were over 1/2 inch wide but not 3/4 inch wide. You also can't have two colors so we couldn't just make them wider with a sharpie. The mom felt so bad that she drove an hour to the school got the paint, drove an hour back and made the numbers bigger. Hope she still volunteers next year. I know the rules are clear but no one caught the mistake.

Another team put on numbers from the hardware store. They were black and white and really easy to read. You can't have two colors so they had to take the numbers off, cut off all the white and put the numbers back on. At least the numbers were black so they could make them wider with a sharpie. Without the contrast it was hard to see them on the blue but they met the rules.

and this is what engineers need to worry about? sounds pretty sad if the rules are that picky

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by pathew100

This year, a mentor walked up to me (inspector) in the pits:

"The team next to us showed up and dropped off their robot and left. It's last year's robot. I remember because we helped them build it here at last year's event."

Sure enough, in their pit was a robot that had slick wheels and a trailer hitch on it....

And... last years bumpers. I remember seeing that this year too, one of 397's parents looked at it and got this confused look on their face.

2008 397 had problems with our launcher pushing our frame out of square. After 2 competitions where we were told that we didn't fit in the box (because the frame was off by 3 degrees) We walked to the inspection box with a hammer. Proud to say we it into the box quite well after a couple good whacks. (For anyone who didn't see that robot, its frame was made of bent 1" square tubing so it actually got unbent quite easily)

Speaking of weird looks, among the strangest looks I have ever gotten in FRC was when our forks in '08 got bent up. Ever see two people jumping on the robot to get the forks back in shape? Yup, it was fun. Turns out I don't weigh enough to do it though.

[czeke]

Originally Posted by Wayne C.

and this is what engineers need to worry about? sounds pretty sad if the rules are that picky

I thought it wa vry petty also. Our robot used orange numerals painted over
slighty larger white numerals, at the Wisconsin Reginal. Th inspectors thought that it looked really sharp, but disallowed it, until we painted out the white.

[McVey]

Originally Posted by FRC4ME

At the same regional, I watched 339 and the inspectors argue for about 30 minutes over whether the red light proximity sensors from previous years were legal. The inspectors didn't think they were because they required a 12V supply but didn't have the necessary gauge wire for a 20 amp breaker. The problem is, there smallest 12V supply on the robot is a 20 amp breaker. Eventually, the inspectors found a clause in the manual that permitted the use of any wiring provided it came already attached to the device.

While walking through the pits talking to teams I happened to see 339's (our) driver and asked what all of the yelling was about. What started as "your wires are the wrong color" turned into a mess about voltage, gauge, and some obscure rule. In short, I ran away from that conversation.

Most of my inspection woes come from FTC (also 339) though. Here's a few:

- Our team number was just shy of being thick enough, they actually came out with a ruler and checked. We then were forced to outline the letters in ballpoint pen to get inspected.
- An inspector didn't believe we fit in the box, I got up and shook the box proving that the robot had not only fit, but had room on all sides. We ended up having to make it shorter anyway.
- At the FTC Virginia State Championship, one inspector was laughing and carrying on with me after we passed inspection and asked if I wouldn't mind giving one more demonstration of the shooter for a friend of his. It then fired outside of the allowed range and we had to get re-inspected.

[Foster]

Originally Posted by Wayne C.

and this is what engineers need to worry about? sounds pretty sad if the rules are that picky

Exactly! Engineering is about the details. I hope that the engineer in training that will be designing the life support system that will save me in 10 years is a stickler for the details. I don't want the last words I hear to be "Picky Picky Picky."

[ChrisH]

One year we were weighing in and the scale was bouncing between 120.0 and 120.1. After waiting about 30 seconds for the scale to "settle" and the behavior continuing the inspector just looked at us and said "The rules don't say how LONG it has to be at 120"

Once at San Jose the scale was on a basket ball floor. We put our robot on the scale and it was a couple of tenths over weight. The inspector pointed to a spot on the floor next to the scale and said "somebody stand right there". Viola! we dropped half a pound. Interestingly that robot dropped about 2.5 lbs between SanJose and Epcot. That crate sure must have been hot!

As a result I always make sure the scales are on concrete and calibrated.

[ttldomination]

This year, we used duct tape to seal our suction system. So our mentor was still edgy on about the legality of Duct Tape, and to make sure that we weren't headed for trouble, I sent a couple of guys to ask the inspector if Duct Tape was legal. I was almost 100% sure that they would come back with a yes.

Imagine my surprise when they come back with a "No". So, the team leader and I walk over to the inspectors and graciously demanded to see the line number that outlaws duct tape.

Five minutes later we returned to the pits with a yes.

[Tanner]

A few year's ago, a inspector walked around our robot with a compass to find any electromagnetic emissions. Did he find any? No, but it remains to this day a good story.

-Tanner

[Wayne C.]

Originally Posted by Foster

Exactly! Engineering is about the details. I hope that the engineer in training that will be designing the life support system that will save me in 10 years is a stickler for the details. I don't want the last words I hear to be "Picky Picky Picky."

sorry- but this isn't a life support system. It is painted numbers on a bumper. I think there are far more important design issues that most of our teams need to worry about than whether the numbers are outlined or not.

and yes- this is ridiculously picky about a trivial item with nothing to do with the function of the game and represents just one more "gotcha" kind of thing for the kids to worry about. If there needs to be one exact set of specs for everything why don't we just get a prefab kit so the FIRST people will get the exact design they develop the rules for. It would save them the money for the Xerox Creativity Award.

WC

[Katie_UPS]

We were weighing in towards the end of Wisconsin this year to see how much weight we could play with for upgrades. Apparently we were all of a sudden 20 pounds over. The inspectors realized that the air was compressed, so let that out and it dropped to ten pounds over weight...


Then the inspector took his foot off the scale.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Wayne C.

sorry- but this isn't a life support system. It is painted numbers on a bumper. I think there are far more important design issues that most of our teams need to worry about than whether the numbers are outlined or not.

and yes- this is ridiculously picky about a trivial item with nothing to do with the function of the game and represents just one more "gotcha" kind of thing for the kids to worry about. If there needs to be one exact set of specs for everything why don't we just get a prefab kit so the FIRST people will get the exact design they develop the rules for. It would save them the money for the Xerox Creativity Award.

WC

Actually, having a prefab kit for bumpers come in the KOP would be pretty handy. Or you know, getting rid of bumpers all together.

While I agree it is a trivial nit-picky type thing the rules clearly state it. I think many inspectors are being too lenient with bumper colors and contrast this year though. I have seen blue bumpers that I swear were black. I also saw bumpers that there was no contrast between the numbers and the bumper color. Im sorry but it really isn't that hard to make sure your numbers are easy to read and your bumpers are the right color.

[ChrisR_522]

Awesome thread.

I must say, sometimes the inspectors are a little over their heads. Especially when they're younger and out to prove themselves. I understand rules are rules, but sometimes they push it, rules aside!

[Jeff Pahl]

Originally Posted by Katie_UPS

We were weighing in towards the end of Wisconsin this year to see how much weight we could play with for upgrades. Apparently we were all of a sudden 20 pounds over. The inspectors realized that the air was compressed, so let that out and it dropped to ten pounds over weight...


Then the inspector took his foot off the scale.

The tricky part was for Chris to only let off some of the weight after I told you guys to let the air out...

And Kevin Kolodziej's reaction when you figured out what was going on was priceless

[FRC4ME]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

Battery used for counter weight on a moving arm to help hold robot on pipe. This was actually legal that year.

Originally Posted by Peter Matteson

I've always wanted to do that, because I know it would bother people. To bad my 2008 trebuchet with a battery counter weight got over ruled...

In 2009, 339 mounted their battery and electronics on a pneumatic slide that would shift the entire assembly left or right six inches to decrease our moment of inertia when turning on the slippery field. We not only passed inspection, but won Delphi Driving Tomorrow's Technology...in Atlanta.

Originally Posted by Katie_UPS

We were weighing in towards the end of Wisconsin this year to see how much weight we could play with for upgrades. Apparently we were all of a sudden 20 pounds over. The inspectors realized that the air was compressed, so let that out and it dropped to ten pounds over weight...


Then the inspector took his foot off the scale.

Originally Posted by Jeff Pahl

The tricky part was for Chris to only let off some of the weight after I told you guys to let the air out...

And Kevin Kolodziej's reaction when you figured out what was going on was priceless

This is hilarious. Good to know inspectors have a sense of humor, too. The funny thing is, I probably would have been shocked: "I didn't know air weighed so much!"

It also reminds me of earlier this year when we weighed our crate. The rest of us had to leave the room to avoid bursting out laughing as we watched three engineers scratch their heads wondering how they had miscalculated the weight by 240 lbs, when one of them was standing inside the crate on the scale.