<R20>
Certain non-VEX fasteners are allowed. Robots may use the following commercially available hardware: #4, #6, #8, M3, M3.5, or M4 screws up to 2.5” (63.5mm) long. Shoulder screws cannot have a shoulder length over 0.20” or a diameter over 0.176”. Any commercially available nut, washer, standoff, and/or non-threaded spacer up to 2.5” (63.5mm) long which fits these screws. The intent of the rule is to allow Teams to purchase their own commodity hardware without introducing additional functionality not found in standard VEX equipment. It is up to inspectors to determine whether the non-VEX hardware has introduced additional functionality or not. For the purposes of this rule, weight savings is not considered additional functionality. If a key component of a Robot’s design relies upon convincing an inspector that a specialized component is “technically a screw,” it is probably outside of the spirit and intent of this rule. All specific dimensions listed in this rule are intended to be ‘nominal’ references to hardware sizes found within the VEX V5 product line and/or their metric equivalents.