Design Ideas
 

Since there is no easy to quickly search through hundreds of CD photos of robots for ideas i was wondering how and what teams did for their chassis. I was stupid and did not take pictures of the different bots and nats last year and now i wish i had.
What did teams do for their chassis as far as; how did you build chassis-welded bolted or other? what type of wheeels did you use-if any? how did you power the wheels-chain belt gear box directly to wheel or other? what was your drive platform-4 wheel skid steer omni or other? pics would be greatly appreciated.

~Bill

Re: Design Ideas
 

Here's our frame

We direct drove the front right and back left wheels by means of flex coupling from the gearbox. pic All the wheels on each side were linked together with #25 sprockets and chain.

Le me know if you have any questions. :)

EDIT: We used button head machine screws to secure the tread to the hub. Rivets are another good option.

Re: Design Ideas
 

I knew there was another question i was gonna ask. For the teams that make your own wheels- How do you glue the said "grippy material" for lack of a better word to the hub?

Re: Design Ideas
 

This year, 1293 used the Kitbot in the low-rider configuration, all bolted up. Nothing terribly original, but it got us through Palmetto, two parades, and miscellaneous bouncing through the USC campus.

The year before, we used the aluminum in the KOP to weld together a monstrosity of a frame. I don't think anyone weighed it by itself, but it had to have weighed 15-20 pounds. (We were rookies.)

Re: Design Ideas
 

This year team 836 used a 3/16" thick aluminum plate, and boxed aluminum for the chassis and frame.

Ok here is the logic behind the plate. For one it is very hard to break, second you don't have to keep adding braces to make it sturdy and or add braces to mount stuff on, third if you need to lose weight drill some holes, but alot of holes. The most any other robot has done to the plate is a small nick, but to those who hit us at high speed i would kinda think twice, that plate isn't going to budge.

Re: Design Ideas
 

Team 662
- 6 wheel tank steering
- gearbox drives middle wheels and chains drive the front and back
- bolted frame with riveted pan
- custom wheels
- used contact cement and rivets for the tread

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/pi...&quiet=Verbose

Re: Design Ideas
 

We just epoxy it to the hub, then put a few screws through (relatively deeply because of the "no metal touching the ground" rule) for good measure.

Re: Design Ideas
 

229 welded the KOP chassis in a 6-wheel drive configuration with custom 4 inch wheels, and a custom 2-speed shift on the fly gearbox. We were very happy with how we designed and built our base. It got through FLR, Buckeye, the Championships, and RaChaCha Ruckus.

When it came to the wheels we just riveted the tread to the wheels. An adhesive will hold, but it is much harder to take and replace a tread if it becomes worn down. Not that rivets are much better, they can be ripped out of the tread and create problems such as getting the tread jammed between the chain and sprocket.

JT
229

Our custom 4 inch wheels
The beginning of our gearboxes
Our gearbox plates on robot weightwatchers

Re: Design Ideas
 

3/8" Al Plate!! That would weigh almost 20 lbs by itself. That's seems a bit overkill, are you sure you don't mean 3/16"?

Last we used a real simple low design for the chassis out of 3/4" x 1.5" rectangular Alumin tubing in the front and back, and then 3/4" x 1.75" C channel Alumin down the lengths to support the wheels. We welded it all up and used 6 wheel design with the kit transmissions linked up with #35 chain. We used nylon sprockets attached to our wheels which was simple since our custom 6" wheels had no hub.

I attached a few simple pics.

Re: Design Ideas
 

Here's an archive of various FIRST drivetrains, frames and wheels from 1999-2004.

Re: Design Ideas
 

I may have just found my new favorite design idea site

When making your own wheels with a CNC how do you go about putting a key slot in the hub.

Re: Design Ideas
 

Keyways are usually put in with a broach, not on the CNC.

Re: Design Ideas
 

Or a shaper! lol
...But who really uses those nowadays :p