OHHHHH NOOOOO CONTROLLER!!!

[GrammarNazi]

We just read R72
Our controller is in the back of our robot. You can see it from the back and both side but you cant see it from the front unless you kneel. Can we use mirrors so its visible from the front? Is this even a problem, or do we have to do a crapload of rewiring.

[EricH]

Take it easy. You could always start backwards. (At least that was how it worked last year.) However, this is not the place to ask to get official answers, and this is not addressed in the manual (other than <R72>).

Q&A is the place to ask this.

[dtengineering]

Interesting... I don't know if anyone has asked the Q&A about using mirrors to view the control board before. I'd get that question posted ASAP... they can usually get an answer back in 24 to 48 hours, sometimes less if you are lucky.

But I wouldn't count on the answer being yes.

On the other hand, the rule states that it has to be visible from the front of your robot when the robot is in its starting configuration. So if you put your current "front" against the player station wall, and the RC is visible to an official standing on the field, that is fine. It might mean that you have to turn 180 as soon as auto starts... but often robots don't care whether you drive them forwards or backwards. Maybe you do the first length of the playing field in reverse, and only have to make a small turn to do the second length in "forward".

Jason

[seanl]

lol.. we had the samething happen, were just going to start out backward. i think that there no rule keeping us from driving "backward" so making the front of the robot the back would cause no problem and nice idea about the mirrors it will make a good Q and A question.