Q&A

Under rules <R12>, <R16>, <R17>, may teams using the V5 Control System use a Cortex VEXNET 2.0 Key as a non-functional decoration?

If, using a v5 system, if a team were to directly attach the pneumatic tank to the actuator, without using the solenoids (or any electrical device) to control them, would it still count against their motor count, reducing it to 6 instead of 8? The reason for asking is that a team wanted to use a constant pressure output which never needed to change throughout the round.

Game Manual ver. 1.1 - Conflict between R14 (may be used) and R17 (illegal modification).

R14 sub-section i - "Food-safe lubricants (grease, oils, or other lubricants) may be used on Robots, provided they are used in moderation and cannot contaminate the Field, other Robots, Field Elements, and/or Scoring Objects."

R17 - "Examples of illegal modifications include, but are not limited to, bending, cutting, sanding, gluing, lubricating, taping, and melting"

I know you can not use the 2x8 smooth plate as a license plate, but can they be used as a decoration? Thank you.

<R17> Apparently VEX Robotics has purged FLEX Wheels from their website. As written, in the Game Manual, the parts must appear in the VEX Robotics product website or on the legacy/discontinued parts list. FLEX Wheels do not exist in either location, and the link in the Game Manual to VEX Pro line goes to "404 page not found".

Can the GDC make this a G3 situation and allow for FLEX Wheels this coming competition week? Or should Head Referees deem them an illegal for V5 competition?

When motor cartridges are purchased from the VEX Robotics website, they contained oil (see photo). As the cartridges are used, the oil wears out making new cartridges perform better than used ones.

<R17> Robots are built from the VEX V5 system. Robots may be built ONLY using official VEX V5 components, unless otherwise specifically noted within these rules. Product pages on the VEX Robotics website should be used as the official definitive source for determining if a product is a “V5 component.”

<R20b> Any non-aerosol-based grease or lubricating compound, when used in extreme moderation on surfaces and locations that do NOT contact the playing Field walls, foam Field tiles, Blocks, or other Robots. Grease or lubricant applied directly to V5 Smart Motors or Smart Motor cartridges is prohibited.

Given that new V5 Smart Motor cartridges come pre-lubricated from the factory. Per R17, does this make lubricated cartridges legal and does this have precedence over the conflicting rule R20b which prohibits lubricating them? Is it legal for teams to restore them to their factory state?

Thank you for your time to consider this clarification.

I was talking with a coach who's team's robot has an elevator. He said they are using a sharpie to mark on the beams where to stop the elevator. My gut reaction was, "Oooh... I think that would be considered a functional decoration or modifying a part and thus would be illegal." My research and thoughts are as follows:

<R15d> Prohibited Items: Tape and/or any other material that adheres to or changes a legal part, other than non-functional decorations as permitted by <R17>. *** Does the Sharpie "adhere" to the part? Does it "change a legal part?" I think we can argue that it does since it is placed for a competitive purpose. <R17> 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. *** Does this sharpie "decoration" affect performance or the outcome of the Match? Again, I think we can argue that it does. b. To be considered “non-functional,” any decorations must be backed by legal materials that provide the same functionality. A simple way to check this is to determine if removing the decoration would impact the performance of the Robot in any way. *** Performing this simple check would impact the team's ability to drive the robot but not the robot's performance, per se, so is that "impacting the performance of the robot?" I feel that it is.

In conclusion, I feel that adding Sharpie to help you align something is illegal. BUT at the same time, I feel nit-picky for possibly reading too much into the rules I referenced, since they seem written to address a physical part addition and not some writing on a beam AND because I received mixed answers when I posted on the Referee forum on Facebook.

So the net question of all this is: Is marking a part on the robot with a sharpie/pen to aid a driver in operating the robot illegal?

In Q&A 2815 a team was asking if commercially available plastic rivets were legal and used a photo of plastic rivets that looked like 276-2215 which is on the list of VEX discontinued products but still competition legal: Discontinued V5 Products

I just want to clarify that this VEX product, if in your robotics toolbox, is still legal to use in competition as indicated under R17 c - from the question it was unclear if they had found a non-VEX supplier for this part.

<R17>

Thank you in advance!

<R17>

<R17> Pneumatics are limited. A Robot’s pneumatic sub-system must satisfy the following criteria:

a. Teams may use a maximum of two (2) legal VEX pneumatic air reservoirs on a Robot.

b. Pneumatic devices may be charged to a maximum of 100 psi.

c. The compressed air contained inside a pneumatic sub-system can only be used to actuate legal pneumatic devices (e.g., cylinders).

The intent of R17a and R17b is to limit Robots to the air pressure stored in two reservoir tanks, as well as the normal working air pressure contained in their pneumatic cylinders and tubing on the Robot. Teams may not use other elements for the purposes of storing or generating air pressure. Using cylinders or additional pneumatic tubing solely for additional storage is in Violation of the spirit of this rule.

The intent of R17c is to ensure that pneumatics are being used safely. Pressurized systems, such as a Robot’s pneumatic sub-system, have the potential to be dangerous if used incorrectly. This rule ensures the safety of participants, and prevents potentially unsafe uses in the future.

Another way of thinking of R17c is that pneumatics should only be used with pneumatics. Teams should not use compressed air as a means of actuating non-pneumatic devices such as screws, nuts, etc. For example, pulling a pin with a pneumatic cylinder is okay, but using air to actuate the pin itself is not.

The attached image shows two configurations of pneumatic components with no solenoid. When the shutoff valves are closed, the cylinders essentially behave as gas shocks. The force of the gas shock can be great enough to replace rubber bands in some robot applications, particularly if configuration "B" is used and the system is first charged to grater-than-atmospheric pressure.

Questions:

1. If the system is charged to 100psi or below with the cylinder fully extended before a match, but exceeds 100psi when the cylinder is compressed, would that be a violation of R17b? If so, how should inspectors/referees determine whether the pressure exceeds 100psi when the cylinder is compressed?

2. If the cylinder is compressed using power from a V5 motor (e.g. when pulling back a catapult), would this be considered an element "generating air pressure" as prohibited by the R17 red box?

3. Would configuration "B" in the attached image (where the cylinder is connected directly to a shutoff valve with no reservior) be legal? Q&A 1209 concerns using pneumatic components without a reservoir, however this configuration is somewhat different to the use case described in that question.

4. If configuration "B" is used on a robot, but there is also a reservoir elsewhere on the robot connected to different cylinders, is the answer any different? In other words, do all of the cylinders used on a robot need to be connected to a reservoir?