Construction Parameters

[random-person]

Hey, does anyone know if we can use a DIGITAL caliper at competition? Construction parameters say that "electrical components and electric devices are not permitted except calculators"(c.), and event parameters say that "Each team must bring and impound one Vehicle, alignment devices(if used)"(a.) and "Teams may bring data and a stand-alone calculator of any type and non-electric tools which do not need to be impounded"(b.).
I want to use a digital caliper for my brakes(i'm planning to remove it after setting my car up, i will not be attaching it to the car) and from what I understand the rules say that it's not allowed to be on the vehicle but that I can bring it to competition, but I don't know if it's considered as an "alignment device". So do the construction parameters also apply to the event or just to the vehicle itself? Does the caliper count as an alignment device? And would the caliper even be allowed in competition? (Sorry if it's a dumb question)

[knightmoves]

I would think that a digital caliper is quite clearly an electric tool. (I'm assuming you don't have a mechanical digital caliper, which would be a cool device, but probably impractical to build.) I think it's illegal.

[random-person]

Huh. construction parameters are confusing... :/ I thought they meant that it just couldn't be part of the vehicle, not that it wasn't able to be used at all. thanks for replying

[knightmoves]

Huh. construction parameters are confusing... :/ I thought they meant that it just couldn't be part of the vehicle, not that it wasn't able to be used at all. thanks for replying

The rules are usually rather terse (which comes from trying to squeeze a complete ruleset on to a small number of sheets of paper). This means you usually have to read them very carefully to see what they say. And they've usually evolved, meaning that in a previous year some team exploited a loophole, and rather than rewrite the rules from scratch, the committee has added an extra sentence somewhere to say "you can't do that thing."

In the case of Mousetrap, rule 2b allows you to bring non-electric tools (and so does not allow you to bring electric tools).
Rule 3c tells you you can't use electric or electronic components in your device, and re-emphasizes rule 2c's statement that the only electric device you can bring is a calculator.
Rule 5c tells you again that electric tools may not be used.
Rules 5e and 5f tell you, again, that certain specific tools you can use must not be electric, even if you thought you'd found a loophole and your "alignment device" wasn't a "tool".