FRC Q&A Forums Opens Wed Jan 13

Competition Rules/Strategy
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In visiting the FIRST Q&A this morning, I noticed a few FRC rules questions were posted in the “New Topics” area of the forums.

Please note: the official Q&A Forum for FRC 2010 (Breakaway) will go live on Wed. Jan. 13 at noon EST. When the Q&A Forum opens, only an authorized team member can submit questions.

Please be aware: the FIRST Q&A Forum is NOT like Chief Delphi!

It is even more important to first read the manual thoroughly, then search the official FIRST Q&A forum before posting a question. Duplicate questions will be handle by referring to the original question.

One other note, make certain you ask your question properly. The GDC is famous for not providing the answers to the INTENT of your question. If they can, GDC will provide trivial responses to the literal meaning of your question.

Remember that the FIRST Q&A forum is there to provide official responses and interpretations to rules questions, whereas CD is the place to discuss the game.

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I would also suggest compiling a list of questions to ask Q&A from what is here on CD. This is as good a place as any… (I won’t have access to ask questions.)

  1. From Section 9.3.5 and 9.3.7, it appears that the Coopertition Bonus is included with the seeding points in the seeding score. Is this accurate?
  2. From <G44>, if a robot has a top shield that is shaped to direct the ball downwards in a certain way, or otherwise specifically affect the velocity of the ball in either speed or direction, will the robot be counted as carrying if a ball does hit said top shield during a match? 2a) Specifically, if a team should put a chute on top of their robot to guide the ball, and stop moving when a ball hits the chute so that the ball is in motion relative to the robot, is this counted as possession, and therefore, carrying?
    *]From <G45>, if a robot has a mechanism above the bumper zone that is movable during a match, but does not move it when it is hit by a ball, is the mechanism considered an active mechanism?
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  1. If a robot is SUSPENDED or ELEVATED and a ball rolls below it, does that violate <G46>?

  2. How much time will alliances be allotted to change bumper colors between quarter-finals and semi-finals, or between semi-finals and finals, if they have to play back-to-back matches?

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  1. If a ball is scored after 11 seconds is left on the clock, does it still need to be returned to the field?
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  1. <G30>a says, “Solely for the purposes of interacting with a BALL, MECHANISMS that are below the BUMPER ZONE may extend up to the BUMPER PERIMETER, for a period not exceeding two seconds.” Does that mean the entire MECHANISM must be below the BUMPER ZONE, or only those parts of the MECHANISM that extend past the FRAME PERIMETER? For example, if the robot has a kicking “leg”, the “toes” may go beyond the FRAME PERIMETER. Is that true even if the “knee” hinge of the kicker MECHANISM is in or above the BUMPER ZONE?
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  1. G30a If multiple independent mechanism are present to manipulate the ball, must each mechanism independently obey this rule, or does the rule apply to all the mechanisms as if they were one? For example, if I have two ‘feet’ on my robot, separately activated, can the robot put one foot out for two seconds, retract it, and put the other foot out .5 seconds later, since this is a different mechanism?
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One question down… One more added!

  1. A robot is designed to drive on its top when flipped over. Two different implementations are described below, with questions related to each particular one:
    a) The robot has a second set of drive wheels on top, fixed so that should the robot flip, it will simply keep driving with the bumpers in the bumper zone. It seems to me that there is no violation here, as there are two drivetrains that both put the bumpers in the bumper zone with no actuation or articulation of the frame perimeter. Is this correct?
    b) The robot has a drivetrain that can move vertically within the robot. When it flips, it moves the drivetrain up or down so that the bumpers are moved to bumper zone. To me, this seems like a violation of <R11>'s prohibition of articulated frames at the frame perimeter. Am I correct here?
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10: Regarding the definition of CARRYING:

Given the recommendation to design robots to avoid in inadvertent CARRYING, the top side of the robots will typically have sloped surfaces such as a pyramid or dome shape. Can the upper surfaces of the robot be designed in such a way as to significantly influence the location and manner in which a stray ball falls off of the robot, or would this be considered CARRYING? This would be done with no active mechanisms involved so as not to violate rule G45.

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  1. If a robot is sitting on top of the platform in its tower at the end of the match, is it ELEVATED or not?
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Its 6:05 PM EST and not one question has been posted correctly in the official Q&A forum.

Remember only the authorized team member can post the question.

The 2010 username and password for your authorized team member can be obtained through TIMS by your primary contact.

Everyone is asking questions in all the wrong ways. Do not go to new posts. Instead go through FIRST Programs > FIRST Robotics Competition > 2010 FRC Q&A - Breakaway

If you are logged in as the authorized team member you will have access to the questions area, otherwise you’ll only see the Q&A Responses.

Think McFly Think! :rolleyes:

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The posts that are made correctly are hidden until answered. Thus, it isn’t possible to tell how many are posted correctly, just that there are many posted incorrectly.

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Yes I understand that, but did you see how many posts were in the open forum including posts by team’s official representative. The GDC doesn’t need to be burdened with repeating “This is not the correct forum” over and over.

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Then they probably want to make it more clear where to post… especially if I was new to the Q&A forums, I would post where it looked like there are other posts, not in empty forums…
This wording is VERY tiny:
This is a place for the FRC community to informally discuss topics/concepts among themselves.
And my guess is people are missing that…

It might be useful if they sent out an email that says:
Submit your official questions here: http://forums.usfirst.org/forumdisplay.php?f=1408
And
Read official responses here: http://forums.usfirst.org/forumdisplay.php?f=1353

(or just move the “discussion” board off of that page entirely…)

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FIRST forum moderators have repeatedly posted in these areas that those questions should be posted in the official Q & A forum and some of the posts include the link (this is how I figured out how to get to the FIRST Q & A forum page.

Here is the link for the OFFICIAL Q & A Page
http://forums.usfirst.org/forumdisplay.php?f=1353

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Anyone have any idea when responses will be able to be viewed? Unless I’m missing something.

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Evidently anything about the rules is not a topic/concept worthy of us discussing informally amongst ourselves.

When they forumlate an answer. Some answers are easy; others might require a change in the rules. It at least requires a consensus between GDC members. We might see some answers yet this week.

17

I can’t seem to get to the Q&A :confused:
I can look at other forums, but every time I click on one of the replies from a mod locking the thread and saying to post the question in the Q&A, it says that I do not have permission to be there

I signed up, I am a registered user…what is going on? is there something I am missing or misunderstanding?

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I’m guessing that you’re not signed on as a team main contact. The main contact is the only one allowed to post questions, IIRC.

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OH okay…thats frustrating how only the contacts can even VIEW the forum…
Im not going to put myself out there as the contact…I don’t want to mess anything up…

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I think everyone should be able to view the forum here. Thus far, no responses have been posted.

Only team main contacts (or their designee) are permitted to post questions.