Re: Bouncing turns
 

yes, anything to reduce the friction

there is another post about this(by me) but it ended up in the pnuematics section sence i said pnuematic wheels HA!

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=25061

Re: Bouncing turns
 

The Schmoebots had this problem as well. They solved it by simply removing the tires on one end and running on the rims. There's a little bit of slip from the different diameters, but it doesn't seem to cause any problems.

Re: Bouncing turns
 

Hmm. Well, I would think wax could be a bad idea, since it could(would?) rub off easily onto the carpet, something which FIRST would not like.

However, what does work, is wrapping some sort of material around the tires...

Re: Bouncing turns
 

we had this exact same problem last year. the cause was too much top weight and too much traction. we looked like we were convulsing while turning. we could never figure out how to stop it and just kind of lived with it. on the bright side...we never lost a pushing match. good luck!

Re: Bouncing turns
 

My team, 177, has perrenially had this issue we finally broke down and made omniwheels for the rear. Our experience shows that having lower friction in the rear wheels increases manueverabilty while retaining control compared to the fronts. Most teams who saw our bot at the UTC scrimmage can attest to it's speed and manueverabilty with these wheels. We were also never at a loss for traction.

Re: Bouncing turns
 

No you can not do this, once again a case of "if you don't know don't answer"

<R15> Lubricants may be used only to reduce friction within the robot. Lubricants shall not be allowed to contaminate the playing field surfaces, balls, or other robots.

You can use anything that will stay on your wheels, tape, paint, glue. But nothing that will rub off and contaminate the field.

Re: Bouncing turns
 

or make a wheel outa lexan or delrin ;)

Re: Bouncing turns
 

We did have this problem but after our first match we deflated our tires to the recommended 35psi(instead of 50psi), we still get some bounce but only in low gear.

Re: Bouncing turns
 

wax wont rub off. Though you would loose so much traction that you probably wouldnt be able to climb to the bar anymore.

Re: Bouncing turns
 

I assume everyone is talking about 4-wheel-based bots. I guess if you were surprised that it wouldn't turn well, the lesson is to think carefully before committing to a major design decision.

Our bot has only two wheels, midship, and plastic skids on the corners. It turns nicely in any radius we choose and turns on a dime.

And it can't climb the steps at all. Engineering is the art of making tradeoffs. We'll go for the bar from the side.

Has anyone built a bot with a rear-end differential and steered wheels like a car?

Re: Bouncing turns
 

Be nicer than that. You can use anything that will not rub off on the field. Armor-all when used right won't damage the playing field while making your tires a little slicker. I wouldn't reccomend it though. However tape may not be used. The only tape that is allowed is electrical tape as an electrical insulators. I don't want to be offensive about this but it is not good to post about someone else not knowing the answer and having incorrect statements in your own comments.

Re: Bouncing turns
 

It has been posted elsewhere but our team came up with it early on during the design stage once we realized that we might have some problems turning. Zip-ties on either the front or the rear wheels. On all four wheels is overkill, you may want to put them on the wheels farthest from the center of gravity of your robot in order to keep as much traction as possible.

Re: Bouncing turns
 

Tried armor-all like tire shine. It doesn't really help.

Re: Bouncing turns
 

we added a caster that helps us turn. it lifts the front two wheels off the ground andit turns much better

Re: Bouncing turns
 

We have struggled with this problem since we started 2 years ago.

Last year, we put zip ties, 1 every half inch or so, on the wheels at the lightest end which helped a lot.

This year, thanks to an idea that we got from Team 254 and Team 60 (which I understand originally came from Team 25), the problem is history.

The solution: 6 wheel drive with the middle wheels 3/16's of a inch lower than the other wheels. We turn on a dime and still have 6 wheel drive using chains. Basically our robot is rocking on the middle two wheels. We had to actually reduce the turning rate to make it more controllable.