Pros/cons

[John G]

I, myself, am objected to putting 2 gearboxes on top of the kit frame. This would put our robot at 17" high, with only less than an inch to spare going under the tunnel. However, some people don't feel that way after a test that we did. I feel that simply by raising our center wheels off the ground more, we could achieve traversing the bump easier (4 transmissions) and acheive more clearance to the top of the bump. Here's the way I see it:

on bottom- lower CoG (more pushing power), more space in the center of the robot, less congestion, no reconfiguration of electronics and chain, 6 wheels, heavier.

on top - reconfiguration of things that have already been made, higher CoG, more congestion, only 3 inches of clearance when going over the bump, less weight ( 2 transmissions not 4, or less pushing power), 4 wheels in stead of 6

If you have anymore pros or cons for either please reply.

[apalrd]

One thing to remember is that the Kit transmissions have 2 motor inputs. That means you can have 4 motors with 2 transmissions, solving all of your problems assuming you are using the kit transmissions. The AM Shifters and AM SuperShifters also have 2 motor inputs, so unless you are using a custom gearbox, BaneBots, or DeWalt gearbox, you could probably do without 4 gearboxes.

On the 6wd vs 4wd, the biggest difference is turning ability and traction. And with 6wd you are more likely to tip over on the bump, as the center wheel will cause it to climb the ramp at around 45 degrees instead of less with 4wd.

3 inches of clearance is alot, considering how you only need just enough to not hit the bump.

Do you need to go under the tunnel? What does your strategy say?

[John G]

Thank you for your reply. As of now, we are using the 2 CIMs per transmission option. And with our 6wd, the center wheels would be sticky and raised of the ground, so I don't think they would affect turning while not on the bump. And the other 4 wheels would be slick allowing us to turn easier on the carpet with less vibration. Now we have 2 sticky and 2 slick wheels, causing out robot to not turn as sharply.

I guess I forgot to post that in the original thread. I don't think we need to go under the tunnel if it limits us to not going ober the bump( tunnel is +-3 feet wide, the bump covers the other 24 ft width of the field). Our "strategy" is to excel at mid-field so some people say we won't need to go over the bump very much. I disagree with this "strategy" and feel that we should strive to excel in all of the positions, not just one.