It’s a big one. If you don’t want spoilers, go and read it now.
Ready for spoilers? Ok. Most of the changes are just common sense. The changes to elevation do change the game but I think they are sensible. The huge story is the change to a 12 motor limit with no pneumatics (with the option of using 10 motors plus pneumatics instead).
This seems like at least as big of a deal as the removal of the 4 motor maximum for 393s, at the start of the Sack Attack season. I don’t think many teams will opt for the pneumatics, at least for the current season. Drives and/or launching mechanisms this year will probably be much more powerful than anyone expected.
What are other people’s thoughts on these changes to the manual?
I’m really glad that <SG6> was changed. That was the only part of the rules I really disagreed with before the update.
Also, I wasn’t expecting the change of the High Elevation definition. It seems strange that just touching the field perimeter in any way would negate your bonus.
And of course, there’s <R11>. I really wasn’t expecting that. I like the idea, though, since so many teams, particularly middle school teams, don’t know how to use pneumatics. I’m interested to see what people are planning to do with the extra motors.
No double elevation, no self elevation. Reasonable.
No ball loading tube to achieve 5 ball per sec fire rate. No fair. No fair. NO FAIR!!!
The introduction of custom washers is great. However is washer the same thing as spacer?
No double evelation in VEXU
OMGOMGOMG!!! 2 motors to replace pneumatics!!! OMGOMGOMG This is gonna be so awesome!!! 8 motor drivetrain for high school oh yeah!!! Finally enough power for flywheels!!! Do you even know what this means!!! 12 motor!!! OMG Yeah!
In summary, small disappointments, huge huge excitement! 2 more motors mean potentially less versatility than 10 pistons, but certainly a lot more power!
I’m really happy with the skills challenge change in PSC4. Once they’re done with the 4 preloads and 28 driver loads on the side they started, they’ll have to work on other programming strategies to get the remaining balls. This is good. This will definitely challenge a team’s programmer to work strategies beyond sitting in the corner to shoot 64 balls in 60 seconds.
In a Robot Skills Match, Robot Skills Loads can only be loaded in the Loading Zone adjacent to where they started the Robot Skills Match.
How are you able to have 12 motors if you only have 10 motor slots? Will you just have to have two of your motors plugged into a y-splitter and make them have identical functions?
I wish the cortex brain would report back when the PTC’s are tripped. That would allow for better troubleshooting with the students, you could have them use the LCD display or LED’s to indicate that the status of the PTC’s.
I think the 12 motor rule is great, not many teams have access to pumatics in our state
It doesnt take much troubleshooting to figure out if a PTC has tripped, if motors that have little load stop working at the same time as motors that have high load then you tripped one of your cortex PTCs, and if its a small group of motors then its motor PTCs
There is a smart motor library jpearman made that prevents PTCs from tripping at all, you can quite accuratly calculate the state of the PTCs on motors with encoders. There is no system to directly detect the state of PTCs the closest thing would be using the battery’s voltage to estimate how much load you have.
Im guessing the new cortex doesnt have PTCs but smart breakers, and possibly the ability to measure the amp draw of each breaker.
There have been rumors of a new cortex being on its way in the next few years. The new keys and the various new features of the IQ microcontroller could point to a big change for VEX EDR control system.
