Can I place the battery on its side?
Or is there some rule that says I shouldn’t…?
There is no rule prohibiting this.
although there is no rule against it you should make sure that the battery is not going to fall out.:ahh:
If you mount it on it’s side, make sure the terminals can’t short out against the frame. I’ve heard some horror stories about that.
One of our mentors told us that we shouldn’t mount the battery on its side because it would provide less power (something about the electrolyte settling). From what I know about gel cells, this does not make much sense to me.
Anyone know who’s right?
Electrical arcing to an aluminum robot frame creates enough heat to melt the metal. The short circuit current can severely damage batteries, to the point of breaking the containment – this can have disastrous consequences, such as acid burns, noxious fumes, fire, etc.
Don’t let it happen on your robot.
I guess specifics are a bit more . . enlightening. 
We have been running our batteries on their sides for as long as I have been on the team with no trouble.