R12 Physical ROBOT elements created before Kickoff are not permitted. Exceptions are:
A. OPERATOR CONSOLE,
B. battery assemblies per R4,
C. FABRICATED items consisting of one COTS electrical device (e.g. a motor or motor controller), connectors, and any materials used to secure and insulate those connectors
Please note that this means that FABRICATED ITEMS from ROBOTS entered in previous FIRST competitions may not be used on ROBOTS in the 2015 FRC (other than those allowed per R12-C). Before the formal start of the FRC Build Season, Teams are encouraged to think as much as they please about their ROBOTS. They may develop prototypes, create proof-of-concept models, and conduct design exercises. Teams may gather all the raw stock materials and COTS COMPONENTS they want.
While this is a good rule to look out for, (as is ALL the rules!), this isn’t a new rule. This type of rule has been prevalent as long as I know (2009 and forward, at least.)
It’s less similar than between 2007 and 2011, and significantly furtger apart. Mostly I’d see an issue with teams seeing the relaxed design sharing policies and thinking it applies to using those parts they already made for their designs.
I think that I might be able to locate 330’s 2003 robot, in its entirety. I think. I’m not sure for sure, but I remember last seeing it in their current build site something like 7 years ago.
If I’m right, the only thing that would prevent it from being legal (besides R12) if the electronics were swapped (along with some of the motors) would be that it was built to fit into a 30" x 36" x 60" box.
We were actually in the process of converting out 2004 robot chassis into a trailer to be pulled by a demo bot as an off season project. The lifter is sitting in our parts loft somewhere.
Most of that robot was welded when it was built, so there weren’t many practical ways to salvage the metal from it, thus it’s still hanging around, and some day, may be the base of a T-shirt cannon.
Hmm… we had a CIM on our 2004 robot. It is probably sitting around in a parts bucket somewhere. There were also some relays and speed controllers that would likely pass muster for the current competition. The catch is, however, that I couldn’t tell you whether the relay, controller or CIM was from 2004 or 2010.
Fortunately the CIM, controller and relay would all be permissible under 12C, so long as we removed any pinion gears from the CIM first. (CIM + Pinion gear = Fabricated Part)
We have EVERY SINGLE ROBOT that the team has ever built, all the way back from our rookie year, 1998. We have even run some of the older bots like 2000 and 2002.
Coincidentally and entirely by circumstance, we used our 2003 robot as one of our Control System Beta testing platforms.
We won’t be reusing any of that design. Times have changed.
I suspect that the addition of part C to this rule was spurred by the introduction of the Talon SRX as a new legal motor controller.
Previous motor controllers had connector terminals, and could thus be reused from year to year. The Talon SRX has integrated leads, so the installation of connectors on those leads is necessary to connect a motor. Installing connectors on the ends of the wires constitutes a modification away from COTS state. This meant that use of a particular motor controller on a competition bot would, under the previous rule, only be legal during the year in which the connectors were attached. Under the new rule, we may install connectors on this motor controller this year and reuse it next year.
I’m happy about this change because we have many CIMS to which we have added connectors. We are now able to use these motors this year. Under the previous rule, their use would have been illegal.
