Re: 2012 drivetrain
 

We used a 4 wheel mecanum drive train, which was perfect with our 4 sided pick-up system. We could get over the bumb easily with skid plates, we could balance just fine, but I really wish we would have made a wide bot.

Re: 2012 drivetrain
 

Tank treads.

even though no one on the team had done it before they worked very well even though it took more time then i wanted to spend on the drive train to get them working( week 3 and still didn't have it completed) and took time away from testing our shooter.

I would defiantly use them again. even with only two CIMs we couldn't be pushed around. even on the bridge the traction kept the robot from sliding down.

Re: 2012 drivetrain
 

We used a 6wd WCD drivetrain, however, the center wheels were mounted on pneumatic cylinders so we could retract them to go over the bump. Overall, it didn't work that well since the middle wheels were not powered.

you never learn anything without trying.

Kelly

Re: 2012 drivetrain
 

Team 1325 ran a 6wd (long configuration) using custom 2 inch wide wheels powered by 4 CIM's through a single speed gearbox (all wheels powered). We loved the traction they gave us, especially in the key and on the bridge. Once we were in position, be it at the fender or defending a bridge it was near impossible to push us sideways.
The drivetrain was awesome this year, through 2 regionals it never ever failed us.

Re: 2012 drivetrain
 

We had a supershifted 6 wheel WCD with 6in wheels. We relied on the bridge for crossing from one side of the field to the other. We never had any issues with this. Even if there as a ball under the bridge we had enough power in low gear to simply crush it using the weight of the bot against the bridge.

Personally, I wouldn't change anything (except for using loctite on the clevice for the piston on the shifters, it came loose once o.O). We intend to use variants of this drive train in the years to come.

Re: 2012 drivetrain
 

Well, we are on the West Coast...

6 wheel WCD (our "poor team's" version), 1/8" center drop, 6" kit wheels. AM Supershifters driven by 2 CIMs each, directly driving the center wheels. (We replace the output shaft on the Supershifters with a long hex version, but leave the rest of the shifters unmodified so that we can reuse them.)

The KOP wheels were the best traction on the bridge we could find.

What was key for us this year is the size of the bot - 27" square. Axle separation was 10 inches, track width 26". This meant easy Barrier traversal (using our "skip-loader" arm to do a "push-up" on the Barrier to raise the front of the 'bot) and taking up a total of 17" on one end of a bridge during triple balances.

This is the best driving robot we've every built - no reason to change the drive system. (Now our shooter was a different matter...)

- Mr. Van
Coach, Robodox

Re: 2012 drivetrain
 

4 wheel 8" pneumatic drive, actuated middle 6" Colson wheel up and down... so 4/6 wheel. All wheels powered. 2 speed gearbox's (4fps/12fps).

-Nick