Hello! 
We were wondering if we could bring in replacement mechanisms beyond the 30 pounds allowance (parts identical to those on the robot), such as modified wheels already assembled, in to the competition.
Thank you!
Team 2601
Based on the past years I believe we are allowed to bring extra parts, because the parts that is a part of the 30lb allowance is from what I understand are going to be worked on after stop build day and be put on at the regional.
Replacement parts that are COTS parts (not assembled into something bigger) are not part of the 30lbs. Anything you modify (e.g cut to length for your bot) or assemble out of two or more parts is included in the 30lbs. Whether these are spare/replacement part or upgrade parts is not relevant.
Do you have a rule that says that? According to this topic:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103363
…the consensus seems to be no.
If they are not COTS, they have to be in the 30 lb. Past years’ rules do not apply to this year! If it’s a modified wheel, bring the COTS wheel to the event and modify it there, or put it in the 30 lb limit.
R26:
Teams may bring a maximum of 30 lbs of Fabricated Items to each competition event to be used to **repair **and/or upgrade their Robot at the competition site. The Operator Console and any battery assemblies (see [R03]-A) are not applicable.
emphasis mine.
I believe the “repair” wording in this rule would include spare/duplicate fabricated parts, which would naturally be used to repair the robot. should something break.
This is notably different from last year (and the years prior?). In the 2011 manual for LOGOMotion, The withholding allowance was pretty much defined in R23. However, R24 went on to specify that additional replacement parts could be produced after the ship date. I can’t find an equivalent rule this year.
It’s really pretty simple: If the parts are COTS*, bring as much as you want. If they are modified, bring up to 30 pounds.
*COTS - Completely unmodified parts that you get. Not cut to length (but OK if just cut smaller for ease of transport - so it still needs to be cut for use)