Scioly.org

retired1 wrote:That puts a premium on using photogate timers as much as possible. Using lasers significantly reduces timing errors. Having timers practice several times has proven to decrease the variability between timers.

Another thought, If you go really fast thru the 8.5m gate you are going to have a bit of a problem stopping the car if the ES choses to have the end point at the allowable 9.0 m.

That is not nearly as difficult to accomplish as getting one's car to go a certain distance in a specified time according to a ES. I have already came up with a couple ways to do it which don't require a whole lot of difficulty.

Now that the rules have been out for a while, what motors are you using or would use (if you aren't competing)?
High torque low speed?
High speed low torque (with gear box)?
High Speed, High Torque, High price?

My students are planning their car and they had questions that I was unsure of the answer to and I'm going to submit a rules clarification. I thought someone might give a quicker response here so I they can get started on their idea before I hear back on the rules clarification. So two questions:

Can you have the car reverse direction during it's run. (Not prohibited in the rules so I'm assuming the answer it yes)

How far beyond 12 m should the track be unobstructed. (Nothing in the rules about it so I would think it would at least be a meter to allow cars to go past 12 m)

Thanks

AlterNSO wrote:My students are planning their car and they had questions that I was unsure of the answer to and I'm going to submit a rules clarification. I thought someone might give a quicker response here so I they can get started on their idea before I hear back on the rules clarification. So two questions:

Can you have the car reverse direction during it's run. (Not prohibited in the rules so I'm assuming the answer it yes)

How far beyond 12 m should the track be unobstructed. (Nothing in the rules about it so I would think it would at least be a meter to allow cars to go past 12 m)

Thanks

As always, this isn't the place for official statements or clarifications. That said, I'd refer you to General Rule #1: http://soinc.org/ethics_rules regarding your first question. Regarding the second one, that's entirely going to be up to the individual event supervisor and the facilities they have available.

AlterNSO wrote:My students are planning their car and they had questions that I was unsure of the answer to and I'm going to submit a rules clarification. I thought someone might give a quicker response here so I they can get started on their idea before I hear back on the rules clarification. So two questions:

Can you have the car reverse direction during it's run. (Not prohibited in the rules so I'm assuming the answer it yes)

How far beyond 12 m should the track be unobstructed. (Nothing in the rules about it so I would think it would at least be a meter to allow cars to go past 12 m)

Thanks

Something you should ponder before going with the backwards idea; If the procter sees your vehicle start to decelerate, their is a decent chance he will stop time while the car is transitioning from forwards to backwards

I'm assuming they meant they were going to reverse direction after the 8.5 m mark so time would have already stopped at that point. I would agree though if you reverse direction while time is still being taking it could be a problem. Any opinions on whether that would be legal though?

AlterNSO wrote:I'm assuming they meant they were going to reverse direction after the 8.5 m mark so time would have already stopped at that point. I would agree though if you reverse direction while time is still being taking it could be a problem. Any opinions on whether that would be legal though?

Ahh I see. I would say yes (this is not the place for official clarifications, just my opinion), but it would be simply because there really is no advantage of it unless you have a sensor to sense the external environment which is illegal. What are the motives behind this idea that your students have in mind?

windu34 wrote:..... a sensor to sense the external environment which is illegal. ....

Can you point to which part of the rules makes this illegal?

chalker wrote:

windu34 wrote:..... a sensor to sense the external environment which is illegal. ....

Can you point to which part of the rules makes this illegal?

I don't have the rules with me at the moment, but I see what you are getting at...
Even if sensor are legal, how could you possible be able to benefit from it? We don't know the color, the size, the shape, or any other attributes of the end point. additionally, how could you use it to go straight without a centerline? Cracks in the floor or between tiles would be tough to detect and would not be perfectly straight.
Can someone explain?

windu34 wrote:

chalker wrote:

windu34 wrote:..... a sensor to sense the external environment which is illegal. ....

Can you point to which part of the rules makes this illegal?

I don't have the rules with me at the moment, but I see what you are getting at...
Even if sensor are legal, how could you possible be able to benefit from it? We don't know the color, the size, the shape, or any other attributes of the end point. additionally, how could you use it to go straight without a centerline? Cracks in the floor or between tiles would be tough to detect and would not be perfectly straight.
Can someone explain?

I can't find anywhere in the rules that says sensors of any kind are illegal...