pic: 254/968 Swerve Modules! [Archive]

David Guzman

31-01-2008, 18:04

WOW, :eek:

I honestly didn't think you were serious. I bet this will be a design that raises the bar for swerve drive.

Can't wait to see it.

Michael Corsetto

31-01-2008, 18:08

Ditto.

This will be epic.

Ericgehrken

31-01-2008, 18:09

Just as I thought!
Another amazing 254/968 drive train!
Great job!

Greg Needel

31-01-2008, 18:31

This reminds me alot of the thunderchickens swerve. I know there have been others but I was looking at it reciently so it is the one I think of with this style of single part design. http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/img/68c/68c6528ee6c2c3b003a15fc31ddcdbc2_l.jpg

edit: I realized it would alot less obnoxious with a link then the embedded photo.

Qbranch

31-01-2008, 18:38

:eek: is that a casting that's machined? a huge block of machined aluminum? either way, ahh!

Amazing! Can't wait to see it in action. Where are you all going?

-q

s_forbes

31-01-2008, 19:08

Very cool, I was hoping you weren't kidding about the swerve drive! Can you tell us the dimensions of them? They look pretty small (at least compared to other team's swerve modules).

thefro526

31-01-2008, 20:24

dang thats cool. This shall be a swerve of epic greatness...

lukevanoort

31-01-2008, 21:35

Woody1458

31-01-2008, 21:40

http://gizmodo.com/351353/nasa-chariot-lunar-rover-looks-like-something-i-made-with-legos-when-i-was-8

Is it a coinsidence that NASA just prototyped a swerve drive lunar bot?

Triple B

31-01-2008, 22:16

dont you mean, "here's the poof" ?
mike d

Dan Petrovic

31-01-2008, 22:16

Are these going to weigh 1.3 pounds and take one minute to assemble as well?

Richard Wallace

31-01-2008, 22:27

Those are some wicked sweet clevises.

(I'm not from New England, but I visited there last week. :cool: )

Joe Ross

31-01-2008, 22:29

It's all a part of their master plan. For the past three years, Travis has been posting beautiful photographs that are almost too good to be real. Now people are used to it, so he slips in a rendering, and everyone thinks it's real.

CraigHickman

31-01-2008, 23:16

Although I can't think of any other uses for these parts, I am still reluctant to believe that there is a swerve drive in the works. For one, I don't see how the previously posted bearing blocks fit into these parts (and I somehow doubt that 254/968 would spend their time machining a ton of bearing blocks just to throw them away).

Well, 254 seems to be building a drive base for a team that shares their shop... So maybe those parts were for them?

Anyway, whatever these end up doing, they sure do look beautiful!

Uberbots

31-01-2008, 23:22

you guys are insane...

Cory

31-01-2008, 23:35

Hmm... Blue wheels on a PINK robot, a Cheesy swerve that RAWC's, and some Cheesy Cookies that are out of this world.

Should be an interesting season, eh? :cool:

Travis Covington

31-01-2008, 23:36

Well, 254 seems to be building a drive base for a team that shares their shop...

Correction... they've helped make a few parts for the drivetrain.

CraigHickman

31-01-2008, 23:50

Correction... they've helped make a few parts for the drivetrain.

Cool. I have a friend who just joined that team. Sounds like a fun program.

Can't wait to see what that RAWC/Poof Leviathan is this year...

Sam N.

31-01-2008, 23:54

How were those machined? Was it an aluminum block milled down?

Maybe it was 1/4in rectangle bar placed in a CNC bender. Either way, those are beautiful pieces.

Sam

GUI

01-02-2008, 00:22

looks like c-channel or rectangular tubing with the bearing holes milled out.

Cory

01-02-2008, 00:23

looks like c-channel or rectangular tubing with the bearing holes milled out.

They were machined from solid.

Rafi Ahmed

01-02-2008, 00:44

How long did it take to machine those?

rachal

01-02-2008, 00:44

All that machined out of solid....that's just obscene. They are amazing looking though.

I was convinced they were joking about swerve.

AdamHeard

01-02-2008, 01:30

how thick are they?

Arefin Bari

01-02-2008, 01:59

:ahh:

Madison

01-02-2008, 02:06

They were machined from solid.

Is this why you went through all of your coolant?

razor95kds

01-02-2008, 04:40

these pieces look more like a universal joint than a swerve module to me. I still think 254/968 and swerve are not to be this year.

Paul Copioli

01-02-2008, 07:25

Since they posted a picture I can break my silence. In the Fall, some members of 254 asked me to send them some cross section views of our 2002/2003 swerve modules. Those forks look awefully familiar ...

About the bearing blocks: The swerve forks allow the drive transmission to be remotely located so the bearing blocks could be somewhere else on the robot.

Those forks look sweet.

-Paul

Brandon Holley

01-02-2008, 09:25

Nice job guys...lookin good

Cant wait to see you swervin around

tdlrali

01-02-2008, 09:33

Looks like coaxial - correct?

Also, aren't those heavy? The sides look like 1/2in...

RobJ

01-02-2008, 11:08

It looks like you and Kirk did a good job making those, I can't wait to pick them up tomorrow!

JackN

01-02-2008, 11:16

Hmmmm, looking at this picture and knowing 254/968's propensity for making 2 practice robots, are we looking at a two wheel swerve ala Simon (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/17473)? Or a really crazy 8 wheel swerve. Or two sets of 4 four a basic swerve.

Ryan Dognaux

01-02-2008, 12:35

This will be epic.

My thoughts exactly. And knowing these guys, this could be one of the lightest swerve setups FIRST has ever seen.

=Martin=Taylor=

01-02-2008, 12:46

They were machined from solid.

You need to find someone with a wire EDM machine. It would be WAY easier.

Mike Hendricks

01-02-2008, 13:12

You need to find someone with a wire EDM machine. It would be WAY easier.

Maybe .. Wire EDM is expensive .. especially for something that thick .. I think in the end, it would just be cheaper to take a ton of fast passes on a mill.

Those do look very thick .. I'm with tdlrali .. thinking 1/2" - what was the size of the raw aluminum? How many ops? Machine time?

Very hot though. And Adam .. I believe we need to have a little discussion :D

henryBsick

01-02-2008, 13:20

still not a believer....

parts do look nice though

Brandon Holley

01-02-2008, 14:42

still not a believer....

parts do look nice though

Henry Sick = not smart

=Martin=Taylor=

01-02-2008, 15:26

Maybe .. Wire EDM is expensive .. especially for something that thick .. I think in the end, it would just be cheaper to take a ton of fast passes on a mill.

Yes the machine itself would cost a fortune... Thats why they need to find someone else to do it for them.

Rather than buying broaches we cut all our keyways with EDM. We recently cut a 6" long keyway! :ahh:

efoote868

01-02-2008, 15:40

oooo..... shiny...
reminds me of the mecanum hubs one of our team members milled out 2 years ago.

bmusser

01-02-2008, 15:57

Team 118, which is a NASA team from the Space Center near Houston has done this type of drive before. Check this picture.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mussie1/Robotics/photo#5162118144034942354

Michael Corsetto

01-02-2008, 18:38

Team 118, which is a NASA team from the Space Center near Houston has done this type of drive before. Check this picture.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mussie1/Robotics/photo#5162118144034942354

Yes, but 118 as far as I know has always done their coaxial swerves with all four wheels driven by a single gearbox, which doesn't allow for rotating the base, hence why they always have a turreted scoring mechanism. My guess is that poofs/rawc will be doing two gearboxes, improving (if its physically possible) their 2 speed from last year. I just don't see the poofs with a turreted scoring mechanism, doesn't seem like their style. This is all speculation of course, we may see something totally different from the poofs this year, even more so than we have already...

Richard Wallace

01-02-2008, 20:07

... This is all speculation of course, we may see something totally different from the poofs this year, even more so than we have already...My prediction: 254/968 will have a drivetrain like their larger, more famous NASA cousins (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/index.html). 2008 is a good year for articulated steering. MER steering is awesome.

And MER hybrid mode is even more awesome.

bmusser

01-02-2008, 21:22

I think you could steer each side or front/back of the drive separately and essentially do a zero point turn or ackerman steering. Take your pick.

EricRobodox

01-02-2008, 21:38

My prediction: 254/968 will have a drivetrain like their larger, more famous NASA cousins (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/index.html). 2008 is a good year for articulated steering. MER steering is awesome.

And MER hybrid mode is even more awesome.

Why MER when you can MSL (http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/index.html)?

:)

Oh, and as for the parts, they look nice, always do :)

roboticWanderor

21-02-2008, 20:37

darn jokers! very nice of you to machine those for team 148 though! those things are sweet!

Travis Covington

21-02-2008, 20:45

darn jokers! very nice of you to machine those for team 148 though! those things are sweet!

It wasn't us who machined them. But yes, they did turn out very nice though! John had the idea to take the picture on a 968 esque table and have me post them as ours. All of the design and manufacturing was done by them and their buddies. It all turned out amazing!

Their completed robot on the other hand... I was never a huge fan of red. ;)

Cory

21-02-2008, 21:15

Their completed robot on the other hand... I was never a huge fan of red. ;)

Now the cat's really out of the bag--this was 968's big announcement. They've decided to join the dark side and paint the robot blue ;)

Alex Cormier

21-02-2008, 21:26

Now the cat's really out of the bag--this was 968's big announcement. They've decided to join the dark side and paint the robot blue ;)

how about get the even bigger cat of of the even bigger bag and show us the robot(s)?

lasereyes

21-02-2008, 22:02

Now the cat's really out of the bag--this was 968's big announcement. They've decided to join the dark side and paint the robot blue ;)

What's wrong with Blue. Hell, if I were them, I would make it Blue and Gold...:D

Triple B

22-02-2008, 21:07

there is only one color better than blue
mike d

sanddrag

22-02-2008, 21:22

there is only one color better than blue
mike dYep! Red :D

And no I am not wearing a pink shirt. It is your eyes. LOL

Andy Baker

23-02-2008, 09:47

I was never a huge fan of red. ;)

Just to tick Travis off some more... I suppose that this is a good spot to make an official AndyMark announcement:

(official trumpet sound: ta ta daaaa)

All AndyMark AM Planetary gearboxes sold for the next 6 months (or so) will have red-anodized housings*.

The functionality will be the exact same, but with this new red color. We were waiting for Travis to switch his color preference over to blue before we made this move.

Andy B.

* - or naked, with no anodizing (but there are a limited number of these)

.