Re: reusing drive design
 

Heh. We went from drill motors in '04 to kitbot 2WD last year to 6WD with 9x2 Skyway Beadloks this year. But then you are a much older team than we are...

Re: reusing drive design
 

We have used similar drive trains the past 2 years (6WD with 4 motor kit transmissions), the only changes being wheel position and sprocket size. 2 years ago though we had our 2WD and casters, and prior to that we had a series of 4WD that turned terribly.

Depending on how the off-season goes will determine what happens with the drive train next year. If we aren't using an almost identical one to the past 2 years then we will finally be trying a drive train without wheels.

Re: reusing drive design
 

Since the begining SPAM has been using our evoultion of a Tank design. in 2004 we hung out on the limb and made a VERY sucsessful Holonomic drive. in 2005 we made used the dewalt gear boxes with a new 4 tread system. we reused it this year.

Re: reusing drive design
 

Team 1255 started with a tread-based drive two years ago, kept the treads last year, and moved away from them to a 4WD this year. However, all three years the drives were structured for power over mobility. Anyone that saw us this year wouldn't dare call us an "agile" team, but when you can nearly push another robot onto your ramp at 3/4 power (missing one of 4 chains) then you know you've got a strong drive.

I'm graduating this year, but I'd like to think that the team will keep the defensive strategy that has served us well. That said, hopefully they will explore other 4WD setups (other trannies besides the kit), 6WD setups, and maybe delve back into the tread designs.

Re: reusing drive design
 

well, this is our second year and we used the same four wheel drive, but I don't know, as long as the wheels don't get pressed in, the chain won't fall off. So we'll see what we do next year.

Re: reusing drive design
 

We (357) stuck with our mechanum wheels this year but used 9 rollers per wheel instead of 6, redesigned the rollers to have a hard inner core for durability and a soft outer layer for traction, and also mounted one set of the wheels on a pivot to make sure that all four wheel came in contact with the ground at all times. Our record this year so far is 16-4-0, and the modifications really helped achieve that.

I gues my vote is that if you can make it better, go for it.