I painted parts using spray paint, which was legal in the years previously. With the new changes for restrictions regarding the visual modification of parts, it is no longer legal to paint VEX parts. I want to know if it would be legal to use parts that were painted but had the paint layer removed using chemical or mechanical processes. For example, I am sitting on a ton of metal that is painted with black glossy spray paint. If I used acetone to remove all the paint on the metal and restore the metal to its original condition, are these said parts legal to use under R23?
I also wanted to know how much R23 applied to parts not bought from VEX. Many of the Robosource products for VEX VRC V5 are painted. Are these parts legal to use under R23?
The official Q&A is the place to ask questions not addressed in the game manual and get an official response. It will open May 14th. I assume the link will be posted in the game manual then. The link will also be available on RobotEvents.
As mostly everyone knows, rule R23a states the following: “Anodizing, painting, dyeing or changing the color of any legal VEX part is prohibited.”
I am confused about this, because from what I have seen the intent of the rule is to prevent teams from using illegal non-aluminum or steel c-channels. However, are certain commercially available parts such as screws, nuts, standoffs, and spacers also subject to this rule if they are VEX-identical but purchased from another place? (WhimsyTech, Robosource, McMaster-Carr, etc.).
My team wants to purchase VEX-identical colored standoffs and nylon spacers, and we want to order ASAP and get working on our Override bot, but we do not know if these colored parts will end up being illegal. I interpreted the part that says “Any legal VEX part” to mean “any V5RC legal part that VEX sells”, but most people seem to have interpreted it as “any legal part allowed in the V5RC competition”. I know this is kind of a Q and A question, but my team doesn’t want to wait until late May when it opens to order parts.
If anyone knows how this is supposed to be interpreted or if anyone could clear this up, that would be great!
Yeah, this is true, but I know alot of teams are asking the same question. Do you think the GDC could give some input on this after worlds? (I know you aren’t on the GDC, but you are an adult who has more of a neutral stance on the whole issue, and I don’t know if my request is overly ambitious)
One of the reasons the Q&A does not open immediately is that many members of the GDC will have been in St Louis for over two weeks and need a break, many of the staff are pretty exhausted from three back to back events.
I’m neutral in as much as I accept this years game rules and don’t have strong opinions either way (and obviously also a VEX employee so support any decisions VEX or the GDC make).
I will say that having been involved with VEX for more than 15 years I’ve seen multiple rule changes. For example, at one time the number of pneumatic air reservoirs used on a robot was unlimited, robots would often have 8 or more and it was getting out of hand. The next year limits were put in place, everyone had to adapt, now it’s normal and accepted.
Decorations that cover or obscure identifying features of electronics and/or pneumatics parts are not legal.
i. Teams will be asked to either replace the electronics and/or pneumatics part entirely, or remove the decoration if possible.
ii. Identifying features include, but are not limited to, VEX logos, part numbers, and other distinctive colors or features of the part that allow an inspector to easily confirm it is a legal part.
We’ve had all the vex plastic sheet logos removed from almost all our pneumatic tanks and pistons, some for aesthetic reasons like putting logos on the tank and others because they’ve been torn and cracked on the pistons and just pulled them off. This is for pneumatics for five teams.
I honestly don’t think that either I can absorb the hit for $300-400 per team for a new kit and extra pistons, and I don’t trust VEX’s supply channels to be able to provide new, labeled items for so many teams across the world,