pic: 6WD Chassis
 

Re: pic: 6WD Chassis
 

1) Great job! Thanks for sharing.

2) You could probably eliminate some of those vertical supports and still have sufficient frame rigidity.

3) 59 lbs sounds a little heavy for what is pictured (are you including the battery in this weight?). What kind of material, e.g. wall thickness, is your structural tubing?

Re: pic: 6WD Chassis
 

The vertical supports in the rear of the frame can be reduced/ be placed in larger increments depending on what goes on top. Also, based on the game, you'd always have the chance of removing the front cross rail and replacing it with an opening.

EricH suggested 1/8" wall tubing, but this was when Rion had a single tier frame (no vertical supports and no top half) so would 1/16" wall be sufficient in this two tier frame?(vertical supports with top half)

Re: pic: 6WD Chassis
 

Thanks for the supports advice. I will definitely pull some out.


Ya.. i was thinking it was a little heavy... Yes the battery is included. The wood board... Inventor thinks that is Aluminum 6061, I can't find a wood option and it was originally going to be that.

The frame is made of 1" extruded aluminum(sides are 1/8").

Re: pic: 6WD Chassis
 

You're going for the wide chassis footprint rather than the narrow.

You don't need 6 wheels to rocker a wide chassis - it turns fairly well with 4.

Re: pic: 6WD Chassis
 

I would definitely keep 1/8" wall for the outside perimeter, and I would question the need for that upper deck. I like the battery box. You may consider flipping the battery around, and putting a mounting tab to hard mount the Anderson Powerpole connector to the box. ;)
Having the middle wheel could be useful for games with ramps, such as 2006. 696 did a design similar to this, and it allowed them to use 3.5" wheels and have only 3/16" ground clearance, and still negotiate the ramp without high centering.

Re: pic: 6WD Chassis
 

Actually. I will be designing a narrow as well. I figured I would "perfect", so to speak, the wide chassis first.

The upper deck is actually what I used to mount the AM SS....

Re: pic: 6WD Chassis
 

One suggestion, I wouldn't have the C'rio up against the front in case you get a hard it. It happens a lot. I don't think any team wants to have the most expensive piece of there robot be destroyed.

Re: pic: 6WD Chassis
 

What is the indent in the front for?

Re: pic: 6WD Chassis
 

Nothing really.. I could move it forward, but there is really no need.. Save weight! :D (Even if only around .5 lbs...)

Re: pic: 6WD Chassis
 

Actually, many teams mounted their cRIO that way and even perpendicular to the ground. Even without zipties, I don't think any team had loose modules or a broken cRIO. It can take impacts pretty well.

Re: pic: 6WD Chassis
 

Ok, i was thinking you were trying to plan ahead for some sort of pick up system.

Re: pic: 6WD Chassis
 

I assume the tabs along the sides are for bumper attachment. Given the limited hand space there, are you thinking cotter pins through bolts to hold them on?

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Yeah, the cRio has been known to take a beating.
http://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-6176

We used some quick release pins from McMaster-Carr (p/n 98320A140) on two robots this year. No bottom access required. We had zero perfomance issues and zero inspection issues (some of the inspectors actually liked them).

Re: pic: 6WD Chassis
 

Very interesting. I knew the cRio could take a hit, but that's unbelievable.

I would have no concerns about moving your cRio. Just make sure it's easy to access.

You'd be safe using 50 lb/ft^3 density for your wood panel. Aluminum is about 3 times that (I just looked up the densities for for particle board and 6061 aluminum for these numbers). http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wo...sity-d_40.html has a list of densities for various types of wood.