I’ve heard multiple times that the intent of r23 was to prevent teams from cheating with non-vex C-channels, however I don’t understand how this prevents that at all. This only prevents custom C-channels that are different colors, however cheaters could easily just create custom c-channels that are grey and could get by with this new rule. The other intent I’ve heard about this rule is to stop sensors from getting mixed up, but this has never been a problem with other seasons, like high stakes where nearly every robot had a color sensor. In all, this rule provides zero foreseeable benefit and only harms regular people with colored parts, so what even is the point of it?
Technically by powder coating/painting illegal channels, it makes it impossible to conclusively determine what material the channel is made of without forcing a team to scrape off the paint/powder coating. Its a measure to ensure ease of verification, not to stop the cheating.