Yet more confusion over Sugru and Hot Glue

[blatwell]

In this Q&A (https://vexforum.com/t/answered-motor-wire-protection/43004/1) you stated "The hot glue allowance in R7h only refers to connections where a cable could potentially become unplugged, such as an extension cable.

The “protection” implied by R7L refers only to protection via bundling or wrapping cables as a form of cable management. It does not extend to fixing frayed wires or gluing components together.

When answering the linked question about Sugru, we had this type of “bundling/wrapping” application in mind. That answer will be updated accordingly to better reflect this."

The use I was asking about in the Sugru question and the use @BottomNotch was asking about has nothing to do with “fixing frayed wires or gluing components together” but has everything to do with “solely for the purpose of bundling or wrapping of 2-wire, 3-wire, 4-wire cables, and pneumatic tubing, for the purposes of protection, organization, or management.”

Specifically, we would like to PROTECT the wire at the point it has exited the motor casing. As you are probably aware, the wires on the vex 393 motors are often not very secure and even small amounts of accident or incidental stress can cause some of these wires to be pulled loose from the motor. By using hot glue or Sugru on the outside of the motor to PREVENT the wires from pulling out or fraying, it would seem, based on the clear reading of the rule, that this should also be legal given the use of the conjunction “or” in the series of purposes for which these things can be used.

I hope this is clear enough such that it is understood exactly what we are wanting to do and it would fit fully within the rule as written in the manual, notwithstanding any potential lack of clarity someone might have after reading somewhat related rulings.

[VEX_GDC]

Thank you for clarifying your previous question.

R7L exists so that teams can use products outside of the VEX EDR product line to organize their cables (or pneumatic tubing) through bundling or wrapping. Typically, this means products like cable sleeves, Velcro wraps, cable carriers, etc. This is why it begins with the phrase, “solely for the purpose of bundling and wrapping cables”. The latter half of the rule describes the acceptable functions of this bundling/wrapping: cable protection and management.

With that in mind, there are other legal ways to accomplish the type of protection that you are looking for. You mentioned that the failure mode you are trying to avoid is wires being “pulled loose” from the motor. One way you can avoid this is to add some strain relief by anchoring a small amount of extra wire just outside of the motor casing. This way, when wires get pulled, the stress is concentrated on the external anchor point, not on the point where the wire enters the motor.

For another idea, R15a-ii lists legal modifications or repairs that may be made to VEX wires:

External wires on VEX electrical components may be repaired by soldering, using twist/crimp connectors, electrical tape or shrink tubing such that the original functionality / length is not modified in any way. Wire used in repairs must be identical to VEX wire. Teams may make these repairs at their own risk; incorrect wiring may have undesired results.

Electrical tape or shrink tubing may also be able to achieve this goal (especially if combined with strain relief technique described above).