Important Rules - 2007 Season

[Lil' Lavery]

• Do not add music to the cart.

While music carts may be cool and all, they really don't serve any practical purpose other than being cool, and are kinda distracting in the pit/transit area. Pit+Tools+Distraction=bad

[Richard Wallace]

This one isn't a rule, but it is an excellent suggestion:

Originally Posted by Section 2 Team Organization

2.5.1 Game Rules Monitor
Responsibilities
Learn Game Rules: Read and understand the rules of the game and communicate them to the team members so they know the ins and outs of the game.
Know Point System: Be sure the team understands the system; implement the best strategy.
Know Penalties: Be sure all mentors and operators know and understand all penalties.
Learn Web System: Check the on-line Manual for rules, changes, and web-based question and answer system.
Monitor Team Updates: Communicate any changes in the updates to the team.

Some of you students out there may be asking yourselves, "can I aspire to be a FIRST legend and all-around great person, like (e.g.) Billfred?"

Becoming your team's Game Rules Monitor would be an outstanding way to start down that path to glory.

[ChrisH]

For the past several years we have been using the same crate. It has a welded aluminum frame and skin on a wood base with provision for forklift handling. When closed it will support a couple of grown men on top (approx 400lbs).

But from the sound of these rules it is no longer acceptable. Have they opened Q&A yet?

BTW at least one damaged crate I saw met the above specifications. But in that case it looked like the damage was not inadvertent. Seeing as it was all in the area around the lock

[Raul]

Originally Posted by ChrisH

For the past several years we have been using the same crate. It has a welded aluminum frame and skin on a wood base with provision for forklift handling. When closed it will support a couple of grown men on top (approx 400lbs).

But from the sound of these rules it is no longer acceptable. Have they opened Q&A yet?

BTW at least one damaged crate I saw met the above specifications. But in that case it looked like the damage was not inadvertent. Seeing as it was all in the area around the lock

Chris,

That same rule has been in the manual for many past years. They are not saying it is against the rules to have your crate weigh more than 400lbs. They are just saying that you will have to pay an extra fee at the competition if it does.

Raul

[Donut]

Originally Posted by Raul

That same rule has been in the manual for many past years. They are not saying it is against the rules to have your crate weigh more than 400lbs. They are just saying that you will have to pay an extra fee at the competition if it does.

This is true; are crate last year required $50 extra to ship because it was over the 400 lb. limit. I'm not worried at all about it getting busted though.

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by Raul

Chris,

That same rule has been in the manual for many past years. They are not saying it is against the rules to have your crate weigh more than 400lbs. They are just saying that you will have to pay an extra fee at the competition if it does.

Raul

I wasn't concerned with the weight. Empty, we have one of the lightest crates around. What I'm concerned with is that they are apparently mandating the use of plywood for crate construction. There are other alternatives that can be made lighter and are just as effective.

On the other hand if we need to build a new, conforming crate I'd rather get started now. Assuming they don't declare the crate to be part of the robot and therefore must be built during Build season in another, yet to be revealed, section of the rules.

[Joe Matt]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

While music carts may be cool and all, they really don't serve any practical purpose other than being cool, and are kinda distracting in the pit/transit area. Pit+Tools+Distraction=bad

I agree, IN THE PIT. Now, when you're oustide and stuff (like one team did in ATL) and play music, I think that's fine. As they said, no music, not no speakers.

[chris31]

Originally Posted by Joe Matt

I agree, IN THE PIT. Now, when you're oustide and stuff (like one team did in ATL) and play music, I think that's fine. As they said, no music, not no speakers.

Agreed. In the pits it would be a distraction but what about outside of the pits? Well it says " • Do not add music to the cart." so what good are speakers without music.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by chris31

Agreed. In the pits it would be a distraction but what about outside of the pits? Well it says " • Do not add music to the cart." so what good are speakers without music.

Personally I plan on going around the pits blasting audiobooks....

[ChuckDickerson]

4.3.4. Required Crate Contents
Teams must include the robot and may include the two batteries and other equipment. When shipping the batteries in the crate, carefully and completely follow all instructions listed above in “Battery Packaging.”
1) Non-North American teams cannot ship batteries with their crate(s). They must make arrangements with FIRST to pick up a battery for competition at their initial event.)
2) SAFETY NOTE: Don’t pack all of your safety glasses in your crate. You will need them when uncrating!
FIRST will allow you to keep all of your robot controls (Operator Interface, OI power supply, joysticks, etc.) and not ship them with your robot on Tuesday, February 20, 2007. This will allow you to continue to work on your programming. If you decide not to ship controls with your robot, remember to bring them to your initial competition. FIRST does not have replacement controls.

It looks like they have cleared up one of the questions that comes up year after year. You do not HAVE to ship the 2 batteries but you MAY if you want to. I suppose you cannot ship more than 2 though?

It also looks like they are still going to get hit with the obligatory "Can we keep the Robot Controller? Is it part of the robot controls?" question. I am pretty sure we couldn't keep is in 2005 and 2006 but I seem to remember we could in 2004. Someone correct me if I am remembering incorrectly. In any case, if we can't keep the RC the what is the point of the statement "This will allow you to continue to work on your programming."?

[Andrew Blair]

Originally Posted by DeepWater

It looks like they have cleared up one of the questions that comes up year after year. You do not HAVE to ship the 2 batteries but you MAY if you want to. I suppose you cannot ship more than 2 though?

It also looks like they are still going to get hit with the obligatory "Can we keep the Robot Controller? Is it part of the robot controls?" question. I am pretty sure we couldn't keep is in 2005 and 2006 but I seem to remember we could in 2004. Someone correct me if I am remembering incorrectly. In any case, if we can't keep the RC the what is the point of the statement "This will allow you to continue to work on your programming."?

My question- what happened to the "no programming after Ship" ?

[eugenebrooks]

Originally Posted by Andrew Blair

My question- what happened to the "no programming after Ship" ?

This statement also appears in the 2006 crate contents rules,
so I would not get excited yet...

Eugene

[clean399]

It does say in there "to continue to work on your programming" assuming you will download it to the RC you would keep it.

[Tristan Lall]

Originally Posted by DeepWater

It looks like they have cleared up one of the questions that comes up year after year. You do not HAVE to ship the 2 batteries but you MAY if you want to. I suppose you cannot ship more than 2 though?

I don't see why you couldn't ship more than two. Call it "other equipment".... As long as it's legal in the countries through which the robot is travelling, and safe to transport, I don't see an issue.

But I guess it's time for a robot rules question that follows directly from this: is the (one, I assume) main battery considered part of the robot, and if so, is there any specific exemption from it being shipped with the rest of the robot. I know, I'm being pedantic, but since non-North-American teams aren't supposed to ship batteries in their crates, and yet we're presumably supposed to ship the robot in its entirety, what becomes of the battery (a robot part)? Can a North American team decide it wants to ship zero batteries in its crate, or is it required to pack one as a robot part (detached from the robot, of course), to satisfy the need to ship the entire robot?

Also, though I hesitate to call the crate specifications "rules", you can't really follow all 10, because some of them aren't things that you must do (e.g. "All Crates must: *Don’t use particleboard..." is a grammatical abomination). But despite the poor phrasing, I think the intent is obvious.

[Joe Matt]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Personally I plan on going around the pits blasting audiobooks....

iTunes currently has the John Hodgman book available for free Sean......

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/M...94253&s=143441