Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

If anyone can correctly guess what this is, I solemnly swear that I will send you $15.00 on paypal before kickoff.

Re: Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

So what's with only 1 CIM motor and the tiny wheel in the back? What's the use of this? Looks beautiful, but seems like you're sacrificing a whole motor's worth of power for an interesting design.

EDIT: It's a picture of CAD model. I'll take my $15 now.

Re: Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

I am afraid!

It looks like instead of shifting gears you are shifting wheels. I would love to know the gear ratios for each wheel.

Beautiful design and beautiful CAD. I can't wait to see this on an actual robot!

Re: Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

is it a swerve module with some sort of shifting wheel assembly? are you going for smaller wheels for when you want more torque and less speed and then bigger wheels for more speed or something like that?

great job on the cad!
can't wait to see what it actually is
does look very menacing!:ahh:

Re: Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

Is it a 2 speed transmission where you shift which wheel is on the ground to shift the speed?

Re: Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

You'll know what the use is on January 5th! And I assure you that:
- the CIM motor isn't wasted at all
- this is not only an interesting design, but a revolutionary one, in and beyond FRC

Re: Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but smaller wheels don't give you more torque. They do reduce the distance traveled per rotation but there should be same amount of rotational force on the shaft, regardless of wheel size. While they are probably geared differently, there's no advantage that I can see of having different sized wheels for different speeds or more torque. A shifter would accomplish that without the need for an extra wheel.

Re: Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

Actually, new question (I'm sure you can answer this without giving away what this magnificent machine is) - Is the smaller wheel powered?

Re: Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

Yes, both wheels are simultaneously powered :D

Re: Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

You're all surprisingly close :ahh: ... This does indeed have something to do with shifting, I'll tell you that. But there's something HUGE that you guys are missing, the same "thing" that will get you those 15 bucks :P

Re: Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

I can't say what, but I can ask why!

Re: Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

Smaller wheels will give you more torque. Think of a wheel like a pinion on a rack, except there is no teeth. IF you reduce the pinion size you get more torque but less speed.

Is this the completed assembly? Another guess of mine is that in addition to having different speeds, based on which wheel is touching the ground, you could have different wheel bases. So basically, in one orientation(likely the one with the higher speed) you have a smaller wheel base, therfore you can turn easily. On the other hand, when the other wheel is touching the ground(likely the lower speed), you will have a larger wheel base and therefor it will be harder for you opponents to turn you.

Re: Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

Oh good, now I don't feel so bad at looking at the CAD model (Which looks beautiful, by the way) and being absolutely dumbfounded about what it actually is. While the guess that it is a shifting wheel, as it stands right now it doesn't appear that either of the wheels are actuated (Might just be the angle).

I'm intrigued as to how this would be a revolutionary design both in and outside of FIRST. Perhaps once light is shed on its design I will be able to figure out how revolutionary it is.

Re: Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

What I'm really confused about is where is the motor/cylinder which changes which wheel is touching the ground. If there is no such mechanism, it would do really great on a bumpy field.

I don't suppose we could get a top/bottom view.

Re: Be afraid... Be VERY Afraid
 

I propose three ideas.

1. Both "wheels" touch the ground at the same time.

2. The "wheels" aren't actually for driving.

3. The whole assembly pivots back and forth. This would work well for bumpy fields/ off road applications outside of FIRST.