so bumper rules… all around 1/2 inch gap MAX
Solenoid rules were relaxed significantly
We’ll probably still see approximately zero solenoid actuators…
That rule has been expanding somewhat over the last few years, presumably to encourage more usage of the devices.
One FRC use case I remember a team doing: an electrical solenoid was used to actuate a cable-pull activation on a much larger preloaded gas shock for climbing.
That’s an interesting one. The main difference between a DQ and a Red Card is that the Red Card makes any subsequent Yellow Card a Red Card, and a DQ doesn’t.
That said, I do like the change. It keeps “someone being dumb” from really hurting the team. And, it lines up the penalty for not showing up after inspection to the penalty for not being there before inspection passes.
And yet, kept the nasty red card for the alliance for an uninspected human player in the station so we still have the confused queue staff at the start of an event and the crazy large flow chart instead of a simple yes/no =/
That one’s a before-your-time, Jeff. I want to say 2008, over around Bayou?
Team flatly refused to pass inspection because “it’s our robot design, it has much nift, we are NOT changing it and we don’t care it’s illegal*, stop trying to “help” us change it!” or something to that effect. Rules at the time allowed HP to go out to the field even if the robot wasn’t going. Team ended up an alliance captain. Talk about messy. I recall hearing that they subbed out their robot before the first match.
The rule was changed the next year. “Encouragement” to alliance partners to get the team through inspection or keep them off the field completely, plus the DQ if they’re off the field so they don’t benefit from the match.
*For reference: The issue, or so I hear, was a single motor that had previously (as in, previous seasons) been legal, was no longer legal, and was used anyways for something or other. Team refused to change it for a better motor, or remove it and “paperweight” their mechanism.
That sounds… fun.
Though, the DQ for them piece still seems like it fixes the situation, right? They don’t get the RP. They can’t be alliance captain. At picking time, they don’t have a bot so nobody is going to pick them.
The card for the entire alliance for having their human player there creates that oddity where the entire event pit admin/queuers say “get a player out there!” and get so used to that they miss the nuance early in events. It’s always “fun” to chat with a team, have them super confused, and then get to go have that chat with the lead queuer to say “stop sending them until they’re inspected” (as politely as one can)
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