<VUR13> point (e) states:
If commercially available 12V solenoids are used, these are considered Additional Electronics and must therefore satisfy all conditions listed in <VUR12>. 12V solenoids may be either powered by an additional power source (per <VUR12c>), or by a 5V-12V step-up converter from the V5 Robot Brain. If an external power source (or other Additional Electronics device) is used to interface with the solenoid, Teams MUST be able to demonstrate that there is no way for the solenoid to receive power while the Robot is receiving a Disabled state from the field controller.
Q&A #2525 previously asked for further clarification around this clause, where it was answered that powering a 12V solenoid from a V5 Brain using a smartport is intentionally prohibited due to it not using a "5V-12V step-up converter".
- Does sentence 2 in <VUR13e> (and by extension Q&A #2525) apply to only 12V solenoids, or to all solenoids?
- Scenario A: A robot has a commercially available 11V solenoid that recieves power from a V5 brain's smartport. Is this scenario legal, provided that the team demonstrates that the solenoid cannot change state while disabled?
- If sentence 2 applies to all commercially available solenoids, are voltage converters other than a "5V-12V step-up converter" a legal component for powering non-12V solenoids if using the brain as a power source from an ADI (3-wire) port?
- Scenario B: A robot has a commercially available 11V solenoid that recieves power from an ADI (three-wire) port on a V5 brain. The solenoid uses a 5-11V step-up converter to recieve power. Is this scenario legal, provided that the team demonstrates that the solenoid cannot change state while disabled?
- If sentence 2 applies to only 12V solenoids, what is the intent behind this clause? Why are specifically 12V commercially available solenoids placed under this power source restriction?
- What constitutes a legal non-external power source for a solenoid assuming that solenoid recieves power from the brain?
- Scenario C: A robot has a commercially available 12V solenoid that recieves power from a coprocessor designed to control solenoids. This coprocessor recieves both power and data from a V5 brain's smartport. Is this scenario legal, provided that the team can demonstrate that the solenoids cannot change state while disabled?
- Scenario D: A robot has a coprocessor designed to control eight separate 12V solenoids. The solenoids are powered by a legal external battery in compliance with QA #2525. This coprocessor recieves data and power from the brain through a smartport, but does not provide power to the solenoids using power from the brain. Is this scenario legal, provided that the team can demonstrate that the solenoids cannot change state while disabled?
- Does a solenoid plugged into a V5 3-Wire Expander (276-5299) constitute a solenoid "being powered from the V5 Robot Brain via the power rail in a smart port"?