View Full Version : Vex tank tread crab drive
Synergy1848
15-10-2006, 10:52
this is a crab drive I made with vex then I decided to replace the wheels with four tank tread boxes. the front wheels and back wheels are controled speratley so I can drive it like a car as well as a tank and crab in any direction.
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1182/3932697/9605655/195977180.jpg
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1182/3932697/9605655/195977167.jpg
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1182/3932697/9605655/195977148.jpg
bear24rw
15-10-2006, 11:51
lol that looks pretty sweet, it looks very clean.. do you have any videos?
good job
Synergy1848
15-10-2006, 11:53
lol that looks pretty sweet, it looks very clean.. do you have any videos?
good job
i've got some footage of it im editing into a video that will be out soon.
AdamHeard
15-10-2006, 12:48
That's pretty cool.
EHaskins
15-10-2006, 14:29
Cool robot! Needs video. :D
Chuck Glick
15-10-2006, 15:45
Great Looking robot. Any other plans for this drivetrain?
Bill_Hancoc
15-10-2006, 16:51
Very cool...how well does it work...ie turn easy, quick, lots/little scrub.
Very nice design
CraigHickman
15-10-2006, 18:17
wow... I like. Nice work on it. So how well does it turn? I'd think the tread would add a bunch of scrub for turning...
looks really clean. great job
ebmonon36
15-10-2006, 19:03
It reminds me of 461's 2001 robot. They had a similar setup as you do with the tracks on a crab drive, except when they wanted to crab, the back end of the tracks lifed off the ground so the robot was on the front end of the tracks making it easier to crab. I couldn't find a picture though. It looks really cool...I wish I could find a tank tread set at Radio Shack.
Eric
EHaskins
15-10-2006, 20:04
You can get the tank treads from www.vexlabs.com (http://www.vexlabs.com). They cost $29.99.
Direct link to tracks (http://www.vexlabs.com/vex-robotics-tank-tread-kit.shtml)
Synergy1848
15-10-2006, 22:07
the treads turn good because the vex tank treads dont have alot of tracion themselves, im planning on adding some kind of traction to them.
but because of the low tranction it turn as well as the wheels did.
ewankoff
16-10-2006, 14:10
i having trouble seeing is each wheel independent or are the front and back independent?
Synergy1848
16-10-2006, 21:06
the front and back wheels spin with each other
Lil' Lavery
16-10-2006, 21:39
Why treads though. Yeah, the vex treads don't produce that much traction (in those lengths anyway), but they still produce more than the small wheels do. The treads produce additional scrub, are heavier (and therefore recquire more torque from the steering motors) and are more inefficient than wheels would be.
Especially if we think about using a similar design in FRC terms, if you wanted large amount of traction in a swerve drive, you would use traction wheels. While they add scrub, they are still lighter, simpler, smaller, and are more efficient than treads would be.
This drivetrain is really cool, but I don't think the treads are really a step in the right direction. While it might work, from an engineering perspective, wheels should be the right choice.
Synergy1848
17-10-2006, 09:14
Why treads though. Yeah, the vex treads don't produce that much traction (in those lengths anyway), but they still produce more than the small wheels do. The treads produce additional scrub, are heavier (and therefore recquire more torque from the steering motors) and are more inefficient than wheels would be.
Especially if we think about using a similar design in FRC terms, if you wanted large amount of traction in a swerve drive, you would use traction wheels. While they add scrub, they are still lighter, simpler, smaller, and are more efficient than treads would be.
This drivetrain is really cool, but I don't think the treads are really a step in the right direction. While it might work, from an engineering perspective, wheels should be the right choice.
basicaly I made it with wheels and got bored with that so i replaced them with treads just because it looks cooler. here is my original drivetrain:
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1182/3932697/9605655/196607893.jpg
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1182/3932697/9605655/196607883.jpg
ewankoff
17-10-2006, 10:08
ive always been so interested in crab drive but ive never had a chance to learn how to build or use it on an frc bot. as soon as i get my hands on a vex kit ill build something like this.
Lil' Lavery
17-10-2006, 16:46
basicaly I made it with wheels and got bored with that so i replaced them with treads just because it looks cooler. here is my original drivetrain:
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1182/3932697/9605655/196607893.jpg
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1182/3932697/9605655/196607883.jpg
What's the structure above the RC?
Synergy1848
17-10-2006, 19:24
What's the structure above the RC?
thats a rotating/pivioting arm for picking up tetras. heres a better picture: http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1182/3932697/10076801/196746562.jpg
Synergy1848
18-10-2006, 09:51
alright here is a video of it in action.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-344912486358384631&hl=en
vBulletin® v3.6.4, Copyright ©2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.