<R20> Reads, "No modifications to electronic or pneumatic components are allowed. Motors (including the internal PTC or V5 Smart Motor firmware), microcontrollers (including V5 Robot Brain firmware), cables, sensors, controllers, battery packs, reservoirs, solenoids, pneumatic cylinders, and any other electrical or pneumatics component of the VEX platform may NOT be altered from their original state in ANY way.
d. For the purposes of this rule, the gear cartridges found within the V5 Smart Motor are considered “part of the motor”. Therefore, any physical or functional modifications to official gear cartridges is not permitted."
In Q&A 1106 from this season it was ruled that the removal of the back plate on the V5 optical and distance sensor was not allowed. However the precedent of <R20> in VEXU has already been disregarded with Q&A 1146 / Q&A 612 where it has been made legal for VEXU teams to modify the internals of the motor cartridges as long as the electronics of the motors were not interfered with.
Given the precedent set by the ruling on motor gear cartridges would it be legal for VEXU teams to manufacture custom back plates(a non electronic component) for the V5 Optical and Distance sensors out of permitted materials and methods, as long as the electronics of the sensors were kept intact and unmodified in the same way V5 motors are?