Re: pic: 816's 2009 Drivetrain!
 

Are the chain runs shown in the picture temporary or are you just using the extra drive sprockets as temporary spacers?

Or I suppose they could be for attaching some unknown mechanism to the drive transmissions.

Re: pic: 816's 2009 Drivetrain!
 

We are building a very similar chassis for prototyping. Just curious, did you test this 6WD configuration against a 4WD configuration (like the one in the picture, but without the middle wheels)? We're planning to, just wondering if there are any substantial advantages to either design.

Comments?

Re: pic: 816's 2009 Drivetrain!
 

Nope we went straight to the 6WD as far as I know. Unless they did it when I wasnt there which isn't much.

Re: pic: 816's 2009 Drivetrain!
 

Originally I designed it so that the front chain went all the way back to the transmission. Then after we started putting the chains on we noticed that we didn't really need it so we shortened the chain up. The only reason the sprocket was still on the was because we didn't get a chance to make a spacer yet.

I don't think it would be substantially different aside from the fact that your distributing your weight over 6 points instead of 4 which can cause the robot to maneuver differently. I have a personal preference towards 6 wheel drives and that's kinda why we went in this direction. You should be fine with a 4 wheel drive with similar geometry and then if you wanted to you could always add a 5th and 6th wheel

Re: pic: 816's 2009 Drivetrain!
 

First of all, i like the zip-tied battery :) But this is pretty awesome. We've got a four wheel base with the same orientation. I was just wondering how the one cim was goin for you with six wheels. Last time we drove with six wheels, it was easier to use two cims and we were able to maneuver better.

Re: pic: 816's 2009 Drivetrain!
 

This year we decided that it didn't offer much of an advantage because with the traction available we're only going to be able to put down about 9lbs of force before the wheels slip. Also because there's less friction against the drive in general and it requires less force to turn we deemed the second motor unnecessary. If we ever needed to we could always bolt a second motor into the tough box without much trouble.

Re: pic: 816's 2009 Drivetrain!
 

Looks good Dustin. Can it push MORT around though? ;)

Re: pic: 816's 2009 Drivetrain!
 

very impressive...

Re: pic: 816's 2009 Drivetrain!
 

How is the turning on your bot?