POOL NOODLES NEEDED ASAP!!!
Does any team in Florida have any extra 2.5" pool noodles? We are willing to pay and pick them up. We are making our bumpers right now and realized our pool noodles (which say ~2.5" on the package) are actually only 2.00".
Thank you all so much!!!
Does home depot or another plumbing store near you have pipe insulation that is equivalent to pool noodles?
We will trade pool noodles for CANivore
Home Depot is sadly out of stock of 2.5" Pipe Insulation
We just looked back at the box… it says 2.375… so we do not think they will be considered legal. We ordered these noodles off of a suggested amazon link on a chief delphi thread.
DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS LINK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BY1S2US/ref=pe_386300_440135490_TE_item They are selling 2.00" Noodles labelled as larger noodles
Sorry, we don’t have any. Our team doesn’t use it and has never. If I hear of any teams that have I’ll let you know!
In my experience, even noodles sold as 2.5" noodles are not 2.5" in diameter. I believe I’ve seen 2.5" nominal noodles as small as 1.9", but most are about 2.25" in diameter.
This is similar to the plywood rule, where 3/4" plywood is generally actually 23/32" plywood, but is sold as 3/4".
To quote the rules,
“a stacked pair of approximately 2 1/2 in. (nominal, ~63mm) round, petal, or hex “pool noodles” (solid or hollow)”
My interpretation of this is that if you have 2.375" noodles, which corresponds to approximately 60mm, you should be fine, but @Al_Skierkiewicz (sorry for the ping) or the Q&A likely has a more definitive answer than I do.
Thank you so much for your response. The noodles were supposed to be 2.375" (Says 2.375" on the website and the box), but they are actually 2.0". We think that 2" may be pushing the tolerance a bit too much.
As I mentioned, I’ve seen some really oddly sized noodles that are supposed to be 2.5", but are as small as 1.9" or so.
Pool noodles are not a particularly high-tolerance part.
I’d recommend waiting for Al or the GDC to weigh in before buying new noodles unless this is something you can’t wait on - If you’re already at an event, ask the LRI if they’ll be OK.
Can you make a lengthwise “slice” of noodle of a thickness to fit between the two whole noodles so the total width is closer to 5 inches?
When do you need them by?
So, the GDC response in the Q&A is the definitive one. That being said we know that tolerances and conditions lead to dimensions that are not 2.5 inches. I have never seen 2.5 noodles be under 2". Many teams do experience shrinkage when left in a hot shed over the summer and some expand when subject to high humidity. However, the add does say 2.375" diameter and given known tolerances, those could end up being much less than 2". In this case, I am sorry but I would return them. An inspector could ask you to show the packaging and that would be the deciding factor. I have seen noodles for sale at Dollar Tree of all places just a week or two ago.
As to pipe insulation, that is not the same and not legal. The whole intent of bumpers is to protect robots from damage, either from collisions with the field or other robots. This was a requirement that Woodie came up with long ago and he was satisfied with the results. Pool noodles, 3/4" plywood covered in strong fabric has prevented the type of damage we had seen prior to their introduction.
Out of curiosity, besides “it’s not pool noodles”, is there any reason why pipe insulation is not a suitable substitute? They’re both polyethylene foam, and in many cases pipe insulation is easier to source locally in more specific sizes during build season since any hardware store is likely to carry a variety of sizes. I wouldn’t expect it to be legal this season, but it would be nice if this would be allowed in future seasons as an acceptable substitute.
Pool noodles from the dollar store are not 2.5" - even though they are labeled. We only found them at home depot in a large box - at about $3 each. Also try a pool supply place
Most pipe insulation is softer than a pool noodle and more easily compressed. Also, not sure about the 2.5" variety, the majority of foam pipe insulation is slit down the side to allow installation on existing plumbing.
Both of these would vary from the specifications given in the manual under R408C.
What is sold as pipe insulation varies widely by source. As pointed out above, very few are the same compressability as pool noodles and all have a slit.
Try pool supply stores. Even some of my local supermarkets were selling pool noodles in the middle of winter. Unfortunately, it was at a regional Texas chain so it won’t help you in Florida. Ask your teammates and their family to keep their eyes open as they go about their lives.
@Al_Skierkiewicz what about pool noodles that measure somewhere in the range of 2.25 to 2.75" if there is no claim to the size visible on the label, the box they are sold in or on the vendor’s website? Do pool noodles have to have a “spec” that a team can show to an RI?
Wouldn’t it make a lot more sense and be a lot simpler to just have an acceptable range of pool noodle thicknesses in the rule…?
Get out of here with your reasonable and half-decent ideas.
