How are you Driving?
 

How is everyone driving? I feel like most of the collecting and shooting mechanisms this year will be very similar, but from the few teams I've heard from their drive trains have varied greatly. This year is very unusual with an open field, and no safe zones... but it seems some teams are going for speed, others for power, others for maneuverability. Will the drive systems be what sets some teams apart this year?

Re: How are you Driving?
 

Our team is using the AndyMark 6-wheel kit drive train since we have no experience with anything more complicated. I feel like good omni-directional systems could be a huge boost this year if done properly. Unfortunately though, many teams will probably not spend enough time perfecting/driving their drive train, and will end up shooting themselves in the foot.

Re: How are you Driving?
 

Octocanum. Every year we make it better than the year before. :D

Re: How are you Driving?
 

West Coast Drive is best coast drive.

Re: How are you Driving?
 

We will be running our Legendairy Octocanum drive, now with 35 chain.

Re: How are you Driving?
 

West Coast Best Coast!

Re: How are you Driving?
 

Why not belts?

We're using belts, VEXPro mecanum wheels, and 2" Colsons with tread cut into them.

Re: How are you Driving?
 

East Coast. Tried and true.

Re: How are you Driving?
 

The way our octocanum system works, 3 inch Colsons are held in their own modules to make the modules as small as possible (and in turn lighter). When we shift, the sprocket on the mecanum wheel and the sprocket on the colson wheels get a 1/8 of an inch closer together. We use chain because the teeth are larger on a sprocket than on a pulley. In the end we only add less than 5 lbs to a normal mecanum system which sounds like a decent trade off, especially when all you have to do to switch to normal mecanum (because plan B is a great thing to have) is just unbolt the modules.

Our very early prototype

Re: How are you Driving?
 

Cool! We use 2" Colsons to make the drivetrain as light as possible, but both wheels and the linkage are contained in a single pod. The first 5-ish seconds of this shows a prototype of our original system with 4" roughtop wheels. It's now a lot smaller, a lot more compact (doesn't come above the frame), uses smaller pistons to shift drive modes, and has even better traction on smooth surfaces without sacrificing carpet traction.

If we have the weight, we're likely going to add four mini-CIMs to the drivetrain--but we have to hold off on that until we're sure we can swing it.

Re: How are you Driving?
 

Darn it...I'm on the west coast :D

We are using Mecanum DT this year. It will be a similar drivetrain as last year, but with many tweaks, performance impovements and better code. We might switch wheels too, though we haven't really decided yet. The AM wheels held up better than we expected, and only required some graphite-lube, once in a while!

Re: How are you Driving?
 

We're doing a nonstandard 6 wheel drive. Some adjustments had to be made to the standard 6WD setup in order for our CG and weight distribution to not have adverse effects on our ability to turn and maneuver.

Re: How are you Driving?
 

Why?

Re: How are you Driving?
 

We are exited to by going with a swerve drive. I'm confident that it is the best drive train for the job. That is reinforced by the relatively large percentage of swerves in the poll so far.

Re: How are you Driving?
 

It seems a clear majority are going with the standard 6/8 wheel tank, as is our team. What about other specs? Wheel size? type of wheels? two speed/single speed transmission? 6 cims? 4 cims? what will your floor speed be?