Weight increase

[cavecrusher]

BonX went to Robogames 2007, came 6th if i remember correctly

[teamstorm]

Let's be honest, the 'weight amendment' for the featherweights was more driven by a personal desire by an individual(s) than a programme of harmonising weights between the US and the USA.

On the issue of 'adding 10% to a weight limit makes life easier' - I do think I need to point out that this is all totally arbitrary. Why not stop there, surley adding another 10% would make it easier still so why not go with 1.6Kg.... ? Changing the weight doesn't make any difference to how hard something is, it's a limit, and people will always try to build up to that limit. Just like the change for heavyweights from 80Kg to 100Kg, I would challenge a member of the audience to spot the difference, and I can assure you that building 'new' for 100Kg is just as tough as building 'new' for 80Kg.... yes you can do more with the weight, perhaps thicker armour than before, or a better weapon - but it doesn't get any easier to do.

Sorry if that seems like a micro-rant, but tweaking weight classes in the name of 'easier' building seems a waste of time. 1.36Kg is just a number, 1.5Kg is apparently 'easier' to build.... 1.55Kg would be easier still (apparently)... except it's not. Everything scales with the weight.

Rant over.... leave it as is

Ed

[typhoon_driver]

"Everything scales with the weight"

Not necessarily. Feathers still use drill motors after the change from 12kg to 13.6kg. Proportionally these weigh less than they previously did so you can use more weight for other stuff.

Mind you having lipo around these days helps a lot with the weight when I think back to using SLAs

[teamstorm]

You've kind of proved my point Gary... changing the weight limit hasn't caused everyone to run out and buy more powerful motors or do anything in an easier way, they've just scaled something else in line with the extra weight they've been given.

.. and likewise, as technology develops you can do more with the weight you have.

Actually fiddling with the weight limit is fairly inconsequential

[maddox10]

Just keep the weightlimits as is. Changing the weightlimits doesn't make the game more popular, doesn't add to the excitement or makes it easier in the end.

Of course, the weightchange for the heavies from 80 to 100 kg gave a boost to the amount of eligible participants. But did it improve the total playing field? Nope, we did see more less competitive machines appear on TV, but works of art still were a rarity.

Same for the feathers. Changing from 12 to 13.6 kg, in exchange for the consumable rule in all classes didn't add a lot. Rather the opposite. Still there are people succeeding in building 16 kg rambots...

[Max]

At the end of the day it doesn't really matter what the weight limit is as it is virtually a new weight class in the uk and makes little difference to the parts used. 1.5 may just be a number but it is a nicer, rounder number that is practically the same and is easier to put on a poster/sign or explain to an audience member. Everyone I talk to is always confused as to why it is 13.6kgs when its such an odd number. Also it appears the decision has already been made.

[swanaldo]

Ok here is where we are at. There was a completly pointless vote and discussion on the weight increase on the beetleweight class. There has been no talk on it and no results. The FRA in my opinion are just too slow and always have been and it does my head in. Nothing ever gets done. We need a concrete limit because there is progress in this class and a lot of interest.

The weight limit at our Slaughterhouse events will be 1.5kg. If you want to build to 1.362 then feel free but we will allow up to 1.5kg