Is it illegal to have a limit switch out of its box

I was wondering if it was illegal to have a limit switch out of its original box. as it says in rule “No modifications to electronic or pneumatic components are allowed” but we are not making any modifications to any electronics on it. therefore in how we interpretate the rule we are not making any changes to any electronics. All we are doing is taking the box of the switch out to make it smaller. and as rule states “Most modifications to non-electrical components are allowed” so I would like to know if in this case it would be alowed or not

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For starters, only a Q&A could give you an actual ruling that would hold up at inspection at a competition. Or of course, for just that competition, your idea could be deemed legal by the head inspector. The vexforum cannot provide official rulings, but I digress.

Although R16-a-i does say that internal work done on the switch is allowed if it’s a repair, what you are suggesting would be a functional change because it reduces the size. Also, the casing is part of the limit switch, regardless of if it is technically electrical or not (much like with motors how the gear cartridge counts as part of the motor even though it’s just some plastic and metal).

TL;DR: use Q&A for an official ruling, but I would say this modification is not legal.

The manual explains it pretty well. R16 explains that modifications to electronics (both smart and 3-wire) are illegal. While R16a does allow you to repair limit switches, taking off the box does not qualify as a repair. You may not be modifying the actual electronics, but R16 specifies that the modification of the structure of the electronics is also illegal.

You can repair the limit switch even though it is electrical. Im not sure if you can compete with it. From mty understanding, you shouldn‘t be able to, but i dont have a clear answer.