Wetzel, my guess is that you’re correct–or they may call an “interference” penalty for “interfering with the ball counting mechanism.”
–Petey
The ball corral’s are quite deep, and the light bar for the counter system is almost all the way in the back (from the HP’s perspective), so while possible, the ramps may be steep enough that a dropped ball will fall below the light bar, and bounce to the bottom, thus not interfering at all.
Is it really an interference though? You’d be helping the opponent. They talk about reaching into the ball chute to interfere with it, but not really the corral. Besides, how do they assume an interference (intentional implied) if a ball slips out of your hand onto the lighted panel, or if you have so many in there, one bounces enough back up the inside ramp over the panel again?
How about this question?
- Is it legal to score for your opponent (since it’s encouraged) by dropping the ball on the lighted panel?
I suppose No. Reading G05 again, it says once a ball is scored for an alliance, it cannot score again until it’s re-entered on the field.
So the real question might be - how do they prohibit or rather, assess an accidental droppage or roll of a ball that might get counted on the light panel again while still in the corral? I don’t see a penalty (besides interference) for that kind of thing on the HP or a means to subtract those points. DQ for interference call in this case seems harsh for a true accident. Good one for the Q/A!!
I guess I sorta take back my initial thought 2 posts ago.
My team has a question…
Before game play, in the beginning, does each team in the alliance have a choice on placement on the field? like on red side, middle, or blue side? or is it at random??
thanks.
[quote=<G10>] Starting Positions - At the beginning of a match, the three alliance ROBOTs must be placed inside one of the three 5’ x 5’ robot starting zones located at mid-field to the right of the DRIVER’s station and not
touching the tape boundaries. It is the responsibility of the head referee to verify that this rule is satisfied prior to the start of the match. The match will not be started until all robots are in the starting position.[/quote]
Emphasis mine. They have left it up to the alliance to figure out who goes where.
Wetzel
Yeah for field placement, it sounds like it will be done like last year’s, but it will be a little more interesting this year since autonomous programs will probably be very similar this year. Something to keep in mind when programming 
As for the ball counting, I’m sure there will be an official watching every single chute and corner. Officials have to watch for robots crossing the line in the corner zones, so they must also have to keep on eye on ball count. I know I wouldn’t like to do that, but hey, it has to be done.
orginally posted by AmyPrib Is it legal to score for your opponent (since it’s encouraged) by dropping the ball on the lighted panel?
yes, you can score for your opposing alliance, if you deem it necessary. this could be advantageous because your team’s Ranking Points are based upon the score of your opponents score.
Rule Clarification?
<S03> Shooter mechanism must remain inside the ROBOT. - Any mechanism used to throw balls must be contained within the original 28" x 38" x 60" starting envelope of the ROBOT and must be shielded such that the mechanism cannot make contact with other ROBOTs. A ROBOT that violates this rule will be considered unsafe per <S01>
Does the shooter mechanism include the “muzzle”? This would mean that a turret would have to have a short barrel. Any Thoughts?
Team 1188 Oaktown Crewz 
has a few questions relating to the rules so if anyone could answer them it would be great.
- GR13: Do you have to have clear sides so the balls are visible or are holes allowed?
- Can you at any time go on your opponents ramp?
- Can we use air pressurizers with pistons or would that be counted as making our own pneumatics?
thanks guys
-melissa
Yes, but remember to keep one robot back while you are on offense.
Wetzel
I dont know if this questions been answered, but has anyone put any thought towards which approach is better, or which one will most likely be used the most, between: picking up the balls and holding and releasing into the corners, being able to pick up the balls and shoot them, or just a defensive bot
I Love that theres going to be flying balls!! hehehe =D ~~mz.fancy
Does anyone know where to find all of the specs on the motors.
All the specs for the stuff included in the kit is here
Does anyone know specs on motors specificly. The CIM belt motor?