Are we allowed to use a DC planet geared motor? We just found the list of accepted motors and turns out we aren’t allowed to. Also, we have a 3103 neverrest motor and the allowed one is 3104. Are the judges going to look that closely?
The inspectors will look at that very closely. You are only allowed to use the motors listed in R32.
probably a good idea to read the manual week one rather than week 6
While the inspectors will look very closely at which motors you can use you may be fine with what you have. Can you post a part number for the “DC planet geared motor” it may be a combination of a legal motor and a gearbox.
That is the case with the NeveRest motor you have. Part number 3104 is the part number of the motor itself. Part number 3104 is a combination of 3103 and a 60:1 gearbox.
Actually, the am-3103 is the am-3104 with a gearbox, I think that FRC specced the 3103, so they wouldn’t have to specify a gearbox, so the 3103 would be legal, since it is the 3104 with a 60:1 gearbox on the output.
Ouch.
However, there is truth to this. 6401 sounds like a rookie team number. Welcome to FRC! I hope you guys have been enjoying the madness that is the six-week build season. The fact that you’ve found Chief Delphi means you have a huge wealth of information and ideas, so make yourself at home here!
Yeah, it is vital that you guys read and understand the entire manual. Your whole team, not just your mentors or your lead students. Everyone needs to know it well. It has a lot to say about what you can and cannot do. They will inspect your robot at competition and if you fail inspection you will not be allowed to compete until you fix it. Yes, this has meant teams completely disassembling and chopping up their robots because it was too big or too heavy or used illegal parts!
I’ve seen rookie students go from stars-in-your-eyes excitement at being at their first competition, to outright tears as they realize their hard work isn’t allowed to compete without major last-minute changes. I really don’t want you to go through that experience!
This year please pay particular attention to:
- the list of allowed motors
- the rules about your robot size
- the rules about how to make your bumpers
Good luck!
Also, an inspection checklist has been released for teams to inspect their robots before leaving home for the venue. This will go a long way toward ensuring that your on-site inspection goes smoothly.