1. 2017-2018 FTC Robot and Field Inspections
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2. TIP
READ THE MANUAL
Following taken from FIRST Tech Challenge Game Manual Part 1 Rev 1
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3. Robot Rules Simplified:
I1 – Robot must pass inspection
Conduct self-inspection using checklist, submit completed checklist at tournament check-in
I2 – Robots must be inspected before participating in practice rounds
I3 – Robots must be inspected before participating in qualifying matches
I4 – Robots must be reinspected if significant changes affecting performance or reliability are made
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4. Robot Rules Simplified:
I5 – Robots must be designed to operate and function safely
I6 – Robot inspection is pass/fail; all requirements must be met to pass
I7 – Robot must be inspected with all mechanisms, configurations, and decorations that will be used on the Robot during competition
Sum total of all electronics used may not exceed constraints set within rules
I8 – Inspectors have the authority to request a wheel/tread test if they feel they might cause damage
Robot is placed on a field tile and against an immovable surface, wheels run at full power for 15 sec; if any damage results the wheels/treads fail inspection, not including discoloration or black marks
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5. Robot Rules Simplified:
RG01 – Robot shall not have components that could:
Damage playing field (including the drive system)
Damage or flip other robots
Contain hazardous materials
Pose a risk of entanglement
Contain sharp edges or corners
Contain animal based or liquid/gel materials or materials which when released can cause delay
Ground robot frame to floor (e.g. chain dragging)
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6. Robot Rules Simplified:
RG02 – Robot shall not exceed 18”x18”x18” and must fit and be self supporting in sizing box by:
Mechanical means with power off (all means must remain attached during match)
Initialization routine to pre-position in autonomous op mode (if used a warning label is needed)
Tip: DO NOT MAKE YOUR ROBOT 18”x18”x18”! It must fit in box in any orientation and no part may be supported by the box – think laser box.
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7. Robot Rules Simplified:
RG03 – Robot Controller is recommended be mounted to be readily accessible and visible to competition personnel
Should be mounted such that screen is protected from contact with robots and playing field elements
If the robot controller isn’t visible, you may not be able to receive adequate support from field personnel
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8. Robot Rules Simplified:
RG04 – MUST have a flag holder at/near top
Must be clearly visible throughout the match
RG05 –MUST display team numbers
Visible -On at least two sides (180 degrees apart)
At least 2.5” high with ½” stroke width with contrasting color from their background
Arial font, Bold 250pt meets this requirement
Your team number must survive the rigors of match play – a piece of paper taped to your robot probably won’t!
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9. Robot Rules Simplified:
RG06 – Energy only from:
Approved batteries
Change in position of center of gravity
Storage achieved by deformation (e.g. a spring, but must be deemed “safe”)
RG07 – Robot parts may not be launched, even if connected e.g. via string or wire
RG08 – Limitations on game elements launched – should be just enough to score
6 feet above playing field vertically
16 feet horizontally in the air
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10. Robot Mechanical Parts :
RM01 – Materials and COTS parts
Raw materials and Post Processed materials that are readily available to majority of teams from standard distributors
E.g.: Sheet goods, extruded shapes, magnets
E.g.: Perforated sheet, injection molded parts
RM02 – COTS parts with max of one degree of freedom
RM03 – Holonomic wheels (omni or mechanum) are allowed (as long as they don’t cause field damage)
RM04 – 3D printed parts are allowed
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11. Robot Mechanical Parts :
RM05 – All materials can be modified provided no other rules violated
RM06 – Welding, brazing, soldering and fasteners of any type allowed
RM07 – Any type of COTS lubricant, provided it does not contaminate surroundings
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12. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE01 – Robot must have a main power switch to control all power from main battery
Separate switch, e.g. Tetrix, Matrix, or REV required
Core Power Distribution Module no longer allowed as main power switch
Power switch must be positioned such that it is readily accessible to competition personnel
Must have MAIN ROBOT POWER image near power switch
Label must be at least 1” x 2.63”
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13. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE02 – Batteries MUST be securely attached in a place where it will not make direct contact with other robots or Playing Field
RE03 – Robot main power provided by 1 battery pack connected to single PDM or through a switch to the PDM
Voltage / current sensors allowed between battery and PDM
See game manual for list of approved batteries
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14. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE04 – Fuses not replaced with higher rating than specs or shorted out, must not exceed the rating of those closer to the battery
RE05 – Powered devices must be powered by ports on the PDM except:
PDM powered by Robot main battery
Robot Controller powered by internal battery
Allowed sensors connected to Device Interface or Core Legacy Modules
Light Sources per RE12
Video cameras per RE13
External power adapters or voltage converters are not allowed
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15. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE06 – Android devices must be one of the following:
ZTE Speed
Motorolla Moto G 2nd Gen
Motorolla Moto G 3rd Gen
Motorolla Moto G4 Play
Google Nexus 5
Samsung Galaxy S5
No other devices are allowed as either Robot Controllers or Driver Stations in competitions (even if they work!)
See RS03 for operating systems
Only 1 Android as Robot Controller, connects via USB to PDM
Only 1 Android as Driver Station
Robot Controller may not use external battery, but can use the charging features of the REV Expansion Hub; Driver Station can use a COTS USB external battery pack connected to the allowed USB hub
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16. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE07 – Limits of control module quantities:
Exactly 1 Core Power Distribution Module
No more than 2 Core Device Interface Modules
No more than 2 Core Legacy Modules
Any quantity of Core Motor and Core Servo Controllers
No more than 2 REV Expansion Hubs
The REV Control Hub is NOT allowed
No more than 2 Legacy Motor/Servo controllers (unified module)
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17. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE08 – Motor and servo controllers must be one of two configurations, without mixing:
Core Motor, Core Servo, REV Expansion Hub, REV Servo Power Module, Legacy TETRIX DC Motor, and Legacy TETRIX Servo Controllers in any combination
Legacy MATRIX DC Motor/Servo Controllers (unified module)
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18. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE09 – Maximum of 8 DC motors allowed
See Game Manual part 1 for list of acceptable motors
RE10 – Maximum of 12 servos are allowed
Any servo compatible with the attached servo controller is allowed
Servos can only be controlled by an allowed Servo Controller, REV Expansion Hub, or REV Servo Power Module
May be rotary or linear, but must be 6V or less with 3-wire connector
VEX EDR 393 motors are considered servos, up to 2 allowed (included in total count of 12 servos)
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19. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE11 – Sensors are subject to following constraints:
Sensors from any manufacturer allowed
Legacy Sensors allowed, must connect to Core Legacy Module
Current and Voltage sensors allowed, except on output ports of motor or servo controllers
Voltage and current sensors allowed between battery pack and REV Expansion Hub or CPDM
Simple I2C multiplexors allowed if connected to and powered from I2C connections on Core Device Interface
HiTechnic Touch Sensor Multiplexor (NTX1060) allowed
HiTechnic Sensor Multiplexor (NSX2020) NOT allowed
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20. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE12 – Light sources are allowed, but may not be focused or directed (no lasers or mirrors).
May be powered by internal battery pack or battery holder, Core Power Distribution Module, a motor-control port on the Core Motor Controller, a motor-controller port on the Legacy TETRIX DC Motor Controller, or a REV Expansion Hub (see manual for details)
RE13 – Video recording devices (e.g. GoPro) are allowed provided they are used for non-functional post-match entertainment and are not operating in wireless mode
Must be powered by internal battery
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21. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE14 – Robot wiring constraints:
USB surge protectors allowed
Ferrite Chokes allowed
Mini USB to OTG Micro Cable or Mini USB adapter and OTG Micro Cable to connect Robot Controller Android to USB port of PDM
Cannot ground electronics to robot frame
Logic level converters used for the REV Expansion Hub are allowed
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22. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE14 – Continued
Stand alone non-powered USB hubs allowed to be connected to the CPDM
Anderson PowerPole and similar crimp/quick required for downstream electronics. Power distribution splitters recommended where appropriate. All should be insulated.
Installed connectors may be replaced, e.g. with Anderson PowerPoles
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23. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE14 – Continued
Power and motor control wires use consistent color coding with different colors used for + and -
Wire and cable management products of any type permitted when used to insulate or secure wires
Motor control, servo, encoder and sensor wires may be extended with constraints:
Power wires 16 AWG or larger
Motor control 22 AWG or larger
PWM (Servo) 20 or 22 AWG
Sensor same size or larger than original
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24. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE15 – Approved electronic devices may be modified to make more usable; may not be modified internally or in any way that affects their safety
See manual for examples
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25. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE16 – Drivers station must have ONLY:
One Android Device
One OTG cable
No more than 1 non-powered USB hub
No more than 2 gamepads
Driver Station must be connected to either a micro USB to OTG cable to a hub, or one gamepad
Allowed gamepads are Logitech F310 or Xbox 360 Controller for Windows
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26. Robot Electrical Parts:
RE17 – Electronic devices not specifically addressed in preceding rules are not allowed. Forbidden electronics include but are not limited to:
Arduino boards
Raspberry Pi
Relays
Custom Circuits
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27. Robot Software Rules:
RS01 – Name Android official team number and RC for Robot Controller (i.e RC); team # and DS for Driver Station
Spares should have an additional letter starting with B inserted, e.g B-RC or C-DS
RS02 –Java is the recommended programming language; programming must be done on either:
FTC Blocks Programming development tool (built into robot controller ap v 2.2 or greater)
Android Studio
App Inventor
Java Native Interface (JNI) and Android Native Development Kit (NDK) (teams can incorporate native code libraries using JNI or NDK)
There may be mandatory updates announced by FIRST; teams are required to install them prior to competition
Beta software versions are allowed
Does not require updating to latest version unless the update is deemed mandatory
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28. Robot Software Rules:
RS03 – Allowed Android operating systems for both the Robot Controller and Driver Station are:
For the ZTE Speed: 4.4 (Kit Kat) or higher
Motorolla Moto G4 Play: or higher
All other Android devices: 6.0 (Marshmallow) or higher
Upgrading to the latest software is not required
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29. Robot Software Rules:
RS04 – Immediately prior to start of autonomous period and at pause between autonomous and driver controlled periods, robots shall be motionless except initialization of servos.
Violations subject to random repositioning by head referee and repeated violations may be considered egregious behavior and subject to penalties
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30. Robot Software Rules:
RS05 – Teams must demonstrate that their robot switches between autonomous and driver controlled modes correctly.
RS06 – Robot Controller must have FTC Robot Controller app set to be the default application for Core Robot modules
RS07 – Teams must:
Install official FTC Driver Station app onto Driver Station Android device
Use the Driver Station app to control their robot during the match
Match version numbers to Robot Controller app
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31. Robot Software Rules:
RS08 Robot Controller and Driver Station must be set to airplane mode and Bluetooth turned off
Robot Controller must have the FIRST Tech Challenge Wi-Fi Direct Channel Changing App installed (ZTE Speed only)
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32. General Tips
Read the manual – goes into more detail than was presented here
Read it again! It is teams’ responsibility to be compliant with the rules *before* arriving at the inspection table.
Check the Q and A forum at:
If you have a question, check forum above and/or submit question to forum
If you make it to the next level of competition – DON’T FORGET THE RULES STILL APPLY TO REDESIGN
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33. GOOD LUCK TEAMS!!!
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