Which of the following new parts will be legal for robot construction at the 2010 VEX Robotics World Championship?
-VEX Cortex Microcontroller
-VEXnet Joystick
-VEXnet System Bundle
-NEW 7.2V NiMH 2000 mAh Battery
The only new product on the above list that is legal for robot construction at the 2010 VEX Robotics World Championship is the new 7.2V NiMH 2000 mAh Battery.
Specifically, the Cortex, VEXnet Joystick, 2-Wire Motor 393 and the Motor Controller 29 are not competition legal for the 2009-2010 season.
Some people have asked why the new 7.2V NiMH 2000 mAh Battery has been made legal for the upcoming World Championship. The main reason for this decision is for our international teams. Many countries have outlawed the use of NiCd batteries, meaning that our existing batteries cannot be used in their country. As such, we wanted to provide them with a battery that they can use and then bring home. This battery uses AA size battery cells opposed to the sub C size cells used in the current NiCad battery pack. The actual max current draw available on the new NiMH 2000mAh battery is 6 amps. The current NiCad 2000mAh battery has a max current draw of 10 amps. After extensive testing by the VEX Robotics engineers, it has been determined that there is no advantage or disadvantage to this model of NiMH battery in comparison to the existing VEX NiCd batteries. Finally, by making these batteries available at the World Championship, all teams have equal access in case they want to use them.