Will hardware I buy now be obsolete in September?
- Eric Suydam
- Feb 2
- 1 min read
I'm sure a lot of veteran team members, coaches, and mentors have had this thought - FIRST is switching Control systems AND Motors AND Servos AND batteries, and so we have to start all over again. The fact is, the transition will occur over many years. And when you want to start the transition, Platypus Robotics will be accepting your old hardware for store credit to help ease the financial burden.
The facts: in their December 9, 2025 Blog post (https://community.firstinspires.org/introducing-the-first-a301), FIRST confirmed that the transition will take place over many years:
Starting in the 2027-28 season with the launch of the new Systemcore and Motioncore for FIRST Tech Challenge, the FIRST A301 will be the only legal actuator for competition use with the new control system. No other motors or servos will be legal for use with the new controller ecosystem.
As mentioned in the control system update blog yesterday, FIRST Tech Challenge will continue to allow for legacy and hybrid control system configurations until at least the 2030-31 season. The legacy configuration consists of using the REV Control Hub and Expansion Hub with existing standalone motors and servos, but will not allow use of the A301. There will also be at least one hybrid configuration using a Systemcore with REV Expansion Hubs.
This should ease everyone's worries about suddenly obsolete hardware. It was also great to listen to FTC key Global Tech Partner AJ Foster chat with Brogan Pratt in this YouTube interview posted on December 20, 2025. What I took away from the interview is that FIRST is trying their best to balance between stability, affordability, and keeping up with technological advances.
Comments