Control system components and withholding allowance

[brian3795]

Can we withhold our control system as part of our withholding allowance? We're aware of <R33>, but it specifies fabricated components, so it's unclear to us how strict the interpretation is of "fabricated" (for instance, one could argue that putting all the control system components on a piece of Lexan constitutes a "fabrication" of sorts).

[Mark McLeod]

The Blue Box under <R24>

The primary intent of this rule is to allow teams to withhold the ROBOT control system, the OPERATOR CONSOLE, and selected relevant subsystems and access them after the shipping deadline. This will allow teams to have the maximum time possible prior to each competition event to develop and complete the software for their ROBOT while maximizing the potential capabilities provided by the control system.

[brian3795]

Somewhere else the rules state that blue-box notations are advisory only, and do not supersede the rules themselves. But I suppose this case is an exception to the rule.

Thanks for the clarification.

[EricH]

They are not the rules. But they do tell how the rules will be enforced, or what the intent of a particular rule is. The interpretation is almost as important as the rule itself.