We have previously had issues with the motors overheating and were wondering wheather we could disable/ change the overheat protection allowing us to push the motors a little harder in back to back matches if we need to?
No you can’t. No it is not legal. And no you will not like the results. The temp power limiter is there so you don’t destroy the motor and its electronics. Just an FYI the higher the temp goes anyways the less power it will put out.
I would look into quick swaps and also a fan or compressed air to cool your motors. What is your drive set up that you might need to do this for? A good drive should be able to do back to back matches with some cooling.
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Not legal, and no you cannot. Generally i’d say that if your motors are overheating it is an issue with your build rather than something that should be bypassed in software, especially if doing so would likely damage the motor hardware permanently.
If you really can’t avoid overheating, then look into making your motors easier to hotswap by unscrewing them from the cap and either holding them together with zipties or rubber bands.
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You can’t change it legally, please don’t try to illegally.
Many teams have the same problem- here are some suggestions:
- Check for sources of friction. This is the main cause of overheating. Improving build quality will help overheating. Some suggestions:
a) Every shaft should have bearing flats
b) use screw joints whenever possible, especially on drive bases
c) make sure your robot is perfectly square, has excellent bracing, and uses at least 2 screws for each point of attachment
- Consider using the “hot-swap” method for motors that tend to get hot between matches, especially between elimination matches. This involves taking out the motor screws, and use either zip ties or rubber bands to hold the motor together. This allows you to swap out the “body” of the hot motor with another from your toolbox without having to unscrew the whole motor and replace it. This is also helpful if you have a motor fail in competition so that it can be replaced easily.
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I don’t believe so. If it’s a software thing built into the smart motor firmware then that would violate R15, if it’s a software thing built into the brain firmware then it violates R15, if it’s a piece of hardware on the motor/brain then it also violate R15. The only way it’s not illegal is if you can remove it in code.
However, I would highly advise against this, given that there is an overheat protection for a reason. Doing a very simple Google search will provide why: motors can be damaged permanently when they overheat. It’s just not that smart of an idea when you can swap out your motors relatively quickly if you rubberband them.
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No.
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This isn’t my area of expertise, but I’d guess the answer is no for safety reasons.
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No. This is not permissible.
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Please read the game manual which specifies what Vex parts can and cannot be modified.
You may also want to search the forum or YouTube for “hot swap motors” if you have concerns about motors overheating with tight match scheduling.
It is Illegal for safety reasons
How to Disable Motor Overheat Protection - #3 by 9MotorGang - More here
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Thanks for all your help 
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