Hi Teams,

The following question came to us from a coach in NC.  The answer is from another NC coach with input from Lee Barger, our Sr. Lead Robot Inspector.  We ran this past Frank Merrick before passing along.  His only caveat - this is NOT official and does not come from FIRST HQ.  As always, ready the rules, read the rules, read the rules.  With that said, we know that more and more teams are building 2nd robots and we thought this might be helpful.
Happy building!

Question:

We were considering creating 2 robots this build season and were wondering if we could continue to work on code after bag & tag (during our ROBOT Access Period).

Answer:

Yes, you can.  You can continue to work on anything code related as well as up to 30 lbs. of WITHHOLDING ALLOWANCE, include vision systems or other programmable devices.  What you cannot do is connect to the roboRIO in the bagged robot to change or test code.  That will have to be done within the 6-hour ROBOT Access Period (See the 2018 FRC Game Manual Rule R19 for more details about the “hands-off” bagged robots and the ROBOT Access Period).

 Obviously, we are all on the honor system, but there are some things that may be tempting that are strictly prohibited by the rules. The following are strictly prohibited:

1.  Continuing to work on and develop mechanical system on the second robot, and then moving more than 30 lbs worth of hardware from one robot to the bagged robot during the 6 hours un-bag time.  Of course, you can develop code on the practice robot and transfer that to the bagged robot and test during un-bag time.
2.  Continue to build and develop the practice robot and then simply swap robots during un-bag time.
3.  Have your second robot in a trailer at competition and swap robots just before or during competition.
4.  Keep 30 pounds off the bagged robot, alter or develop and practice those 30 lbs, then during un-bagging, put those 30 pounds back on and take a different 30 pounds off.  That would put teams that are going to regional at a disadvantage.  I know this is gray and debatable, but I keep it to the original 30 pounds.  Anything beyond that we try to change or modify during competition, and get re-inspected if required.  I believe that you can withhold a different 30 pounds when you re-bag after a completion event, just like any other team.  If you were abusing this, you could literally rebuild (or finish) your robot with 3 unbag periods of 2 hours each, 30 pounds at a time. 

The way I reason this with my students is to think about what we would be doing if we didn't have a second robot or if we were going to a regional.

Also, keep in mind that the 30 pounds is a historic figure and could change.  Always read the rules after the game is announced (and follow team updates during the build AND competition seasons).

A note from NC’s Senior LRI: The 30 pounds of withholding includes items brought un-bagged to an event AND items added to the robot during the 6-hour access window.  Withholding applies to any custom part or assembly not made during the regular build or access window, but does not include commercial off the shelf (COTS) components.  Where this gets especially tricky is in cases such as gearboxes and motors.  A commercial gearbox, assembled by the manufacturer, and an unmodified motor are considered COTS and are not part of the withholding.  If the motors are not mounted to the gearbox by the supplier, and the team performs that assembly operation, the new assembly is no longer COTS and would be part of the withholdings.