Q&A

Hello,

R13

Decorations are allowed. Teams may add non-functional decorations, provided that they do not affect Robot performance in any significant way or affect the outcome of the Match. These decorations must be in the spirit of the competition. Inspectors will have final say in what is considered “non-functional”. Unless otherwise specified below, non-functional decorations are governed by all standard Robot rules.

In order to be “non-functional,” any guards, decals, or other decorations must be backed by legal materials that provide the same functionality. For example, if your Robot has a giant decal that prevents Scoring Objects from falling out of the Robot, the decal must be backed by VEX material that would also prevent the Scoring Objects from falling out.

a. Anodizing and painting of parts is considered a legal nonfunctional decoration. b. Small cameras are permitted as non-functional decorations, provided that any transmitting functions or wireless communications are disabled. Unusually large cameras being used as ballast are not permitted. c. VEX electronics may not be used as non-functional decorations. d. Decorations that visually mimic field elements, or could otherwise interfere with an opponent’s Vision Sensor, are considered functional and are not permitted. This includes lights, such as the VEX Flashlight. The Inspector and Head Referee will make the final decision on whether a given decoration or mechanism violates this rule. e. Internal power sources (e.g. for a small blinking light) are permitted, provided that no other rules are violated and this source only provides power to the non-functional decoration (e.g. does not directly or indirectly influence any functional portions of the Robot). f. Decorations which provide feedback to the Robot (e.g. by influencing legal sensors) would be considered “functional”, and are not permitted. g. Decorations which provide visual feedback to Drive Team Members (e.g. decorative lighting) are permitted, provided that they do not violate any other rules and serve no other function (e.g. structural support).

R16

Robots have one microcontroller. Robots must ONLY use one (1) VEX V5 Robot Brain (276-4810). a. Any other microcontrollers or processing devices are not allowed, even as non-functional decorations. This includes microcontrollers that are part of other VEX product lines, such as Cortex, VEXpro, VEX RCR, VEX IQ, VEX GO, or VEX Robotics by HEXB

R21

No modifications to electronic components are allowed. Motors (including the internal PTC or Smart Motor firmware), microcontrollers (including V5 Robot Brain firmware), extension cords, sensors, controllers, battery packs, reservoirs, solenoids, pneumatic cylinders, and any other electrical component or pneumatics component of the VEX platform may NOT be altered from their original state in ANY way.

a. External wires on VEX electrical components may be repaired by soldering, using twist / crimp connectors, electrical tape or shrink tubing such that the original functionality / length is not modified in any way. Wire used in repairs must be identical to VEX wire. Teams may make these repairs at their own risk; incorrect wiring may have undesired results. b. Teams must use the latest official VEXos firmware updates, found at www.vexrobotics.com. Custom firmware modifications are not permitted. c. Teams may make the following modifications to the V5 Smart Motor’s user-serviceable features. No other modifications are permitted. i. Changing or replacing the gear cartridge with other official replacement cartridges. ii. Replacing the V5 Smart Motor Cap (276-6780). iii. Replacing the threaded mounting inserts (276-6781).

BLRS Wiki - V5 ESD Protection Board https://wiki.purduesigbots.com/vex-electronics/v5-esd-protection-board

It is my understanding these boards are illegal for use during competition. But, as these boards don't violate <R16> or <R21> when unplugged on a robot, if the team follows <R13>, these would be considered non-functional decoration. Is this a correct interpretation?

Thank you for your time!

Nit picking question for sure but since it came up at an event it would be helpful to get clarification. Are 3D printed license plate holders allowed to hold custom and/or VEX standard license plates? I assume they would be per <R13> and <R27> just as the game manual notes custom 3D printed plates are, but the question arose as to whether they were in fact functional due to the fact that they are "holding the license plate".

<R27> notes that "License Plates are considered non-functional decorations" Perhaps adding "license plate attachements/holders" to this description would clarify should this be the case.

Thank you!

Hello,

There has been debate in the community about the legality of dyeing rubber.

R6

Robots are built from the VEX V5 or Cortex system. Robots may be built ONLY using official VEX V5 and Cortex components, unless otherwise specifically noted within these rules. Teams are responsible for providing documentation proving a part’s legality in the event of a question. Examples of documentation include receipts, part numbers, official VEX websites, or other printed documentation.

R6-D

Any parts which are identical to legal VEX parts are permitted. For the purposes of this rule, products which are identical in all ways except for color are permissible. It is up to inspectors to determine whether a component is “identical” to an official VEX component.

R13

Decorations are allowed. Teams may add non-functional decorations, provided that they do not affect Robot performance in any significant way or affect the outcome of the Match. These decorations must be in the spirit of the competition. Inspectors will have final say in what is considered “non-functional”. Unless otherwise specified below, non-functional decorations are governed by all standard Robot rules.

2013 Q&A https://www.vexforum.com/t/answered-boiling-wheels/23048

Recently it has come to my attention that there is a way to modify the opaque green rubber of the dual roller omni wheels and high traction tires through the process of submerging the wheel in a pot of boiling water.

Dyeing Rubber wikiHow (Method 1) https://www.wikihow.com/Dye-Rubber Step 2

Fill a pot with water and heat it on a low to medium stove setting. The water should be hot, but not boiling—close to, but less than 212 °F (100 °C) is ideal.

Step 4

Place the object in the bowl and leave it to soak. Keep it in the pan for up to 2 hours, depending on how strong or bright you want the new color to be.

The 2013 Q&A states that “hyper-hydrating” rubber is illegal for use in VRC because it is ‘not safe’. Hyper-hydrating rubber only requires boiling water while teams are allowed to use more dangerous power tools like bandsaws and dremels.

The community would like an official test done by the GDC to see how “hyper-hydrating” 3.25, 4” and the different durometers of flex wheels modifies their properties.

1. Does “hyper-hydration” change the properties of rubber enough to affect the outcome of a match (and to break R13)?

a) If the answer to the bolded question is no, is boiling wheels with the intent of “hyper-hydrating” with no intent of modifying color legal?

b) If the answer to the bolded question is yes, is there a specified amount of time and water temperature that would be considered “hyper-hydration”? There have been teams who get a nice rubber color with water at 190F and a higher dye concentration.

2. Is there a preferred way teams should dye their omni-wheels and flex wheels that doesn’t cause it's properties to be changed enough to break any rules?

Thank you for your time

<R13f> clarifies that small power internal power sources are permitted for powering nonfunctional decorations:

f. Internal power sources (e.g. for a small blinking light) are permitted, provided that no other rules are violated and this source only provides power to the non-functional decoration (e.g. does not directly or indirectly influence any functional portions of the Robot).

Additionally, past rulings (#698) have stated teams are permitted to power and control light strips via an externally accessible port on the V5, provided that teams do not violate <R13g> or other robot rules in the process.

g. Decorations which provide feedback to the Robot (e.g. by influencing legal sensors) or to Drive Team Members (e.g. status indicators) would be considered “functional” and are not permitted.

Some LED Light Strips additionally have a wireless IR receiver (built in) and remote which allows them to be remotely controlled (switching colors, blink configurations, etc.).

Are these light strips legal? Would it be legal to change these light strips during a Match?

Would a scuff controller add-on to the VEX IQ controller be legal?
We've seen a few of these in the VRC game, and our IQ teams are asking if something similar would be legal in Squared Away.

https://events.vex.com/VRC/2019-2020/QA/337

R13: Parts may NOT be modified. a. Examples of modifications include, but are not limited to, bending, cutting, sanding, gluing, or melting. b. Cutting metal VEX IQ or VEX EDR shafts to custom lengths is permitted. This is the only legal exception to this rule.

Are teams allowed to mark, label, or color code buttons on their controller by using something like a sharpie or stickers?

<R13> says:

a. No physical or electrical modification of the Controller is allowed under any circumstances.

Do labels count as physically modifying the controller?

Last year, the rules for cutting shafts was permitted as long as they were "equivalent to legal VEX IQ shafts", to quote from the updated game manual:

<R13> Parts may NOT be modified. a. Examples of modifications include, but are not limited to, bending, cutting, sanding, gluing or melting. b. Cutting metal VEX EDR shafts to lengths which are equivalent to legal VEX IQ shafts is permitted. This is the only legal exception to this rule.

but this year, the rules state that custom lengths are permitted:

<R13> Parts may NOT be modified. a. Examples of modifications include, but are not limited to, bending, cutting, sanding, gluing, or melting. b. Cutting metal VEX IQ or VEX EDR shafts to custom lengths is permitted. This is the only legal exception to this rule.

Will this be a permanent change to the rules or will there be a chance that the rules will change back to them being equivalent to legal VEX IQ shafts?

Hi, if a modular connector breaks a tab, how do we repair it to official Vex IQ specifications? Is it allowable for a team to cut off the bad connector and replace it with a new industry standard DEC 6P6C DEC modular connector using a DEC RJ11 crimp tool?

Hello there, Hope you are doing great.

We would like to acquire plastic sheets, precisely 228-7888 > 228-2500-2712, to increase consistency for our robot. However there were some problems regarding stocks. We have placed our purchase order, yet it will take time to receive those parts but not before the tournaments we would like to take part in.

Could you please inform us about is there any possibility for teams to use previous tournament's field elements? In the 2021-2022 VexIQ Challange Pitching in tournament there were plastic sheets. And those sheets from previous tournaments were huge. So we reshaped them to practice regarding the item, mentioned above. As in the <R13> it is not allowed to modificate parts.

Well, is it legal to use previous VexIQ field element parts in the recent tournament or not? We are asking for clearification regarding those points.

Thank you in advance.

Can you cut Capped or Motor shafts?

<R13> Modifications of parts. Parts may NOT be modified. Examples of modifications include, but are not limited to, bending, cutting, sanding, gluing, or melting. a. Cutting metal VEX IQ or VEX V5 shafts to custom lengths is permitted

is it legal to cut a 12" shaft to legal VIQC sizes?

When looking at our vision sensor while other robots are on our field we noticed that it picks up the red on the gears and would interfere with how we sense mobile goals. I know that if they are being used then they are non functional decoration but are they still legal if they interfere with the vision sensor?