Locking bars and arming up!

[pressure]

....Which is why, after I lost 20mm off my left hand ring finger, I will now be using locked down on my future heavies!

[SJJMcGhee]

For the guys using electric discs, can't you get slip-clutches (hope they're called that) that maybe would help stop burn outs?

I'm a complete novice so feel free to ignore if that's a stupid suggestion

[JamesDavies]

Sorry to drag up an old thread- was any official verdict reached? I notice that locking DOWN seems to be favoured in real life to locking UP. Is this a stipulation or just personal preference?

[Garfie489]

the rules now require flippers to be locked down i believe, however theres still some reservations from some in the community with some specific designs.

[JamesDavies]

Cool. Do you know why locking down is preferred? I personally would feel happier locking up, but there may well be something I haven't considered!

[Garfie489]

The main argument is that when locking up you still have an unprotected moving object (the ram). Effectively the robot still moves and is considered dangerous. The opponents to this view suggest turning bottles on slowly to visualise the problem.

The alternative view which i share is that whilst locking down should be the preferred option, there are some designs where for many reasons it is unsafe to do so. For example the ram being more powerful than the chassis holding the robot together, thus any misfire could potentially rip the robot apart (i have seen this happen). Opponents to this view suggest better design.

Edit: Jamie below is also right in that people prefer to not touch the robot after the locking bar is removed. This i agree with.

[RogueTwoRobots]

I believe it's the risk of the flipper blade dropping down and injuring someone. Could be other reasons though, pneumatics isn't something I deal with.

[JamesDavies]

Right oh, cheers for that. Stress testing from a distance might be key here!

[maddox10]

Slowely pressurizing good pneumatic setups should be mandatory.

[JamesDavies]

I quite agree!

[maddox10]

Pressurizing bad pneumatic setups is rather Darwinist.