8 ROBOT Construction Rules

Example 1: A team orders 2

Example 2: A team obtains openly available blueprints of a drive module commonly available from Wheels-R-Us Inc. and has local machine shop “We-Make-It, Inc.” manufacture a copy of the part for them. The produced part is not a

Example 3: A team obtains openly available design drawings from a professional publication during the pre-season and uses them to fabricate a gearbox for their

Example 4: A

Example 5: A team has a

Example 6: A team has a

For example, a

The intent of this definition is to be as inclusive as possible to permit access to all legitimate

FIRST desires to permit teams to have the broadest choice of legitimate

Ideally, chosen

To determine the

Example: A

Figure 8‑1

If a

The allowance for minor protrusions in this rule is intended to allow protrusions that are both minor in extension from the

If a

Be sure to consider the size of the

Teams should expect to have to demonstrate a

See Section 7.4.3 Game Rules: In-MATCH:

For additional information, see G416. For an example of a design that violates this rule, see Figure 7‑6.

Examples of items that will violate this rule include (but are not limited to):

A. shields, curtains, or any other devices or materials designed or used to obstruct or limit the vision of any

B.

C. any devices or decorations specifically intended to jam or interfere with the remote sensing capabilities of another

D. exposed lasers other than Class I,

E. flammable gasses,

F. any device intended to produce flames or pyrotechnics,

G. hydraulic fluids or hydraulic items,

H. switches or contacts containing liquid mercury,

I. circuitry used to create voltages in excess of 24 Volts,

J. any ballast not secured sufficiently, including loose ballast e.g. sand, ball bearings, etc., such that it may become loose during a

K. exposed, untreated hazardous materials (e.g. lead weights) used on the

L. tire sealant, and

M. high intensity light

Teams are encouraged to consider G501 when developing their

Teams should be ready to show

The Analog Devices IMU

The FMV of a

The FMV of

The FMV of FABRICATED parts is the value of the material and/or labor, except for labor provided by team members (including sponsor employees who are members of the team), members of other teams, and/or event provided machine shops. Material costs are accounted for as the cost of any purchasable quantity that can be used to make the individual part (i.e. the purchasable raw material is larger than the FABRICATED part).

Example 1: A team orders a custom bracket made by a company to the team's specification. The company’s material cost and normally charged labor rate apply.

Example 2: A team receives a donated sensor. The company would normally sell this item for $450 USD, which is therefore its FMV.

Example 3: A team purchases titanium tube stock for $400 USD and has it machined by a local machine shop. The machine shop is not considered a team sponsor but donates 2 hours of expended labor anyway. The team must include the estimated normal cost of the labor as if it were paid to the machine shop and add it to the $400 USD.

Example 4: A team purchases titanium tube stock for $400 USD and has it machined by a local machine shop that is a recognized sponsor of the team. If the machinists are considered members of the team, their labor costs do not apply. The total applicable cost for the part would be $400 USD.

It is in the best interests of the teams and FIRST to form relationships with as many organizations as possible. Recognizing supporting companies as sponsors of, and members in, the team is encouraged, even if the involvement of the sponsor is solely through the donation of fabrication labor.

Example 5: A team purchases titanium tube stock for $400 USD and has it machined by another team. The total applicable cost for the part would be $400 USD.

Example 6: A team purchases a widget at a garage sale or online auction for $300, but it’s available for sale from a

If a

If the modules are designed to assemble into a single configuration, and the assembly is functional in only that configuration, then the total cost of the complete assembly including all modules must fit within the price constraints defined in this rule.

In summary, if a

Example 7:

Example 8:

Example 9:

Please

Functionally equivalent items are items that closely resemble a

Parts with precision machined (mill, CNC, etc.) features may still meet part E.c. of this rule if functionally equivalent features could reasonably be made within the restrictions specified.

Example 1: A team designs and builds a 2-speed shifting transmission during the fall as a training exercise. After Kickoff, they utilize all the design principles they learned in the fall to design their

Example 2: A team re-uses a CRESCENDO-legal motor from a previous

Example 3: A team re-uses a piece of aluminum tubing from a previous

Example 1: A team realizes that the transmission designed and built in the fall perfectly fits their need for a transmission to drive the

Example 2: A team developed an omni-directional drive system for the 2019 competition. In July 2019 they refined and improved the

Example 3: The same team decides to use LabVIEW as their software environment for CRESCENDO. Following Kickoff, they use the previously developed C++ code as a reference for the algorithms and calculations required to implement their omni-directional

Example 4: A different team develops a similar solution during the fall and plans to use the developed software on their competition

Example 5: A team develops a transmission prior to Kickoff. After completing the project, they publish the CAD files on a generally accessible public forum and make them available to all teams. Because they have made the design publicly available before Kickoff, they can use the design to create an identical transmission, fabricated after Kickoff, for use on their CRESCENDO

For the purposes of this rule, official events begin as follows:

• Regionals, District Championships, and FIRST Championship: at the start of the first designated load-in period, according to the Public Schedule. If the Public Schedule is not available or there is no designated load-in period, the events begin at 4pm on the day prior to pits opening.
• District Events: when pits open

Examples of activity prohibited by this rule include:

A. working on the

B. working on

C. running a 3D printer or other automated manufacturing process overnight producing

This rule is intended to increase equity between teams with significant travel to an event and those nearby (close teams would otherwise have an advantage by being able to work on their

This measurement is intended to be made as if the

Example 1: A

Example 2: A

As a guideline,

The

The ½ in. (~13 mm) stroke width requirement applies to the majority of the stroke. Font elements less than ½ in. (~13 mm) such as serifs, rounded edges, small hairlines or gaps, etc. are permitted as long as the majority of the stroke meets the sizing requirement and the numbers are unambiguous.

As a guideline, spacing between digits or groups of digits which exceeds ~4 in. (~10 cm) may be ambiguous.

There is no prohibition against splitting team numbers onto different sections of

This marking is intended to display the team number only, not to intentionally change the surface characteristics of the

If a multi-part attachment system is utilized (e.g. interlocking brackets on the

¾ in. plywood and OSB refer to items sold by

“2½ in. (~63 mm) pool noodles” are pool noodles either sold as 2½ in. (~63 mm) diameter or that measure between 2⅛ in. (~54 mm) pool noodles and 2¾ in. (~70 mm) diameter.

All pool noodles used on a

Minor noodle compression as a result of smoothing

Silk and bedding are not considered rugged cloths, however 1000D Cordura is. Tape (e.g. gaffer’s tape) matching the

It is expected that there may be multiple layers of cloth as fabric is folded to accommodate the corners and seams of

Non-woven materials such as leather or pleather are not considered cloth.

The intent of this rule is to make sure the

For servos,

Given the extensive amount of motors allowed on the

AndyMark PG Gearmotors are sold with labeling based on the entire assembly. Assemblies labeled am-3651 through am-3656 contain legal motors specified in Table 8‑1. These motors may be used with or without the provided gearbox.

Examples that are not considered propulsion motors include:

A. motors that primarily alter the alignment of a wheel in contact with the

B. motors that run

C. motors that change the speed of the drive wheels using a shifting

The intent of this rule is to allow teams to modify mounting tabs and the like, not to gain a weight reduction by potentially compromising the structural integrity of any motor.

"Nut and bolt style" refers to any style battery terminal where the connector is secured to the battery using a threaded fastener.

Examples of batteries which meet these criteria include:

A. Enersys (P/N NP18-12, NP18-12B, NP18-12BFR),

B. MK Battery (P/N ES17-12),

C. Battery Mart (P/N SLA-12V18),

D. Sigma (P/N SP12-18),

E. Universal Battery (P/N UB12180),

F. Power Patrol (P/N SLA1116),

G. Werker Battery (P/N WKA12-18NB),

H. Power Sonic (P/N PS-12180NB),

I. Yuasa (P/N NP18-12B),

J. Panasonic (P/N LC-RD-1217),

K. Interstate Batteries (P/N BSL1116), and

L. Duracell Ultra Battery (P/N DURA12-18NB).

Teams should be aware that they may be asked to provide documentation of the specifications of any battery not listed above.

Batteries should be charged in accordance with manufacturer’s specification. (Please see the FIRST Safety Manual for additional information.)

A

For example, teams may not use additional batteries as extra weight on their

“SB type” refers to SB type only (e.g. SB-50, SB-120, etc.), not SBS or any other part type beginning with SB. All batteries supplied by FIRST (such as Spare Parts and international batteries) will have a red or pink SB50 connector installed which may not be removed.

The pink connectors included in the CRESCENDO

Compliance with this rule is checked by observing a >120Ω resistance between either the (+) or (-) post within the APP connector that is attached to the

All legal motor controllers with metal cases are electrically isolated. They may be mounted directly to

Examples considered not “quickly and safely accessible” include breakers covered by an access panel or door, or mounted on, underneath or immediately adjacent to moving

It is strongly recommended that the 120A circuit breaker location be clearly and obviously labeled so it can be easily found by

While the main breaker must be accessible, consider positioning or shielding it such that it’s protected from accidental actuation (e.g. it’s unlikely to be hit by a

“Visible for inspection” does not require that the items be visible when the

Please reference Vivid Hosting’s 2024 FIRST Championship Radio page for wireless bridge wiring information.

If multi-point distribution of circuit power is needed (e.g. to provide power to multiple

This rule does not prohibit the use of smaller value breakers in the

In order to show compliance with these rules, teams should use wire with clearly labeled sizes if possible. If unlabeled wiring is used, teams should be prepared to demonstrate that the wire used meets the requirements of this rule (e.g. wire samples and evidence that they are the required size).

Slip rings containing mercury are prohibited per R203.

A noise filter may be wired across motor leads or PWM leads. Such filters will not be considered

Acceptable signal filters must be fully insulated and must be 1 of the following:

• 1 microfarad (1 µF) or less, non-polarized, capacitor may be applied across the power leads of any motor on your
  ROBOT
  (as close to the actual motor leads as reasonably possible) or
• a resistor may be used as a shunt load for the PWM
  control
  signal feeding a servo.

There are no rules that prohibit co-processors, provided commands originate from the roboRIO to enable and disable all power regulating devices. This includes motor controllers legally wired to the CAN bus.

The

While FIRST makes every effort to provide a wireless environment that allows teams access to a full 4 Mbits/second data rate (with about 100 Kbit used for

Devices that employ signals in the visual spectrum (e.g. cameras) and non-RF sensors that don’t receive human-originated commands (e.g. “beam break” sensors or IR sensors on the

Teams are encouraged to mount the wireless bridge away from noise generating devices such as motors,

Please see How to Wire an FRC

Please

Please

For more information about modification O, please see this OM5P-AC Radio Modification article.

A

An

The “network of

As long as the CAN bus is wired legally so that the heartbeat from the roboRIO is maintained, all closed loop

“Wired directly” includes via any series of

For documentation on how to wire the CAN bus connections see How to Wire an FRC

Only 1 wire should be inserted into each Weidmuller CAN connector terminal. For documentation on how to wire the CAN bus connections see How to Wire an FRC

Any additional CAN bus added in this manner satisfies the requirements of R714 (i.e. you may connect motor controllers to this additional bus).

Any pressure specification such as “working,” “operating,” “maximum,” etc. may be used to satisfy the requirements of this rule.

It is recommended that all pneumatic items be rated by their manufacturers for a working pressure of at least 60 psi (~414 kPa, 4.1 Bar).

Do not, for example, paint, file, machine, or abrasively remove any part of a pneumatic

Examples of acceptable valves include Parker PV609-2 or MV709-2.

Examples of acceptable valves include Norgren 16-004-011, 16-004-003 or McMaster-Carr 48435K714.

To be considered functionally equivalent the valve must be preset or adjustable to 125 psi (~862 kPA, 8.6 Bar) and capable of relieving at least 1 scfm (~472 cm3/s).

The following devices are not considered pneumatic devices and are not subject to pneumatic rules (though they must satisfy all other rules):

A. a device that creates a vacuum,

B. closed-loop

C. air-filled (pneumatic) wheels, and

D. pneumatic devices not used as part of a pneumatic system (i.e. used in a way that does not allow them to contain pressurized air)

A

Examples of acceptable valves include Norgren regulator P/N R07-100-RNEA and Monnier P/N 101-3002-1.

It is recommended that all

Instructions for adjusting the pressure relief valve can be found in the Pneumatics Manual.

The REV Robotics Analog Pressure Sensor may only be used with

Manifolds, shuttle valves, and other devices which do not combine output airflow, even though it may be plumbed into the same device, are not violations of this rule.

Teams are permitted to use a portable computing device of their choice (laptop computer, tablet, etc.) to host the

Teams are strongly encouraged to use pigtails on the Ethernet port used to connect to the

There is a 4 ft. 6 in. (~137 cm) long by 2 in. (nominal) wide strip of hook-and-loop tape (“loop” side) along the center of the

Please

Examples of prohibited wireless systems include, but are not limited to, active wireless network cards and Bluetooth devices. For the case of the FIRST Robotics Competition, a motion sensing input device (e.g. Microsoft Kinect) is not considered wireless communication and is allowed.