pic: Updated Sheet Metal Design- Swerve
 

Re: pic: Updated Sheet Metal Design- Swerve
 

You probably want to put flanges on the top and bottom of the left and right side plates. It adds quite a bit of strength to the metal. Also, you could remove a bit more metal from the front of the frame.

Re: pic: Updated Sheet Metal Design- Swerve
 

What is the thickness of the sheet metal?
The second version is much better than the first. The first design was lacking any serious strength because of the cut-out pattern. Nice first sheet metal chassis.

Re: pic: Updated Sheet Metal Design- Swerve
 

@Frenchie- I took your advise in addition to that of Akash and added structural flanges pretty much all over the design. I really worked on the sheet-metal, and I think it's much more practical now. Also to note, I redid a lot of the lightening patterns.

@O'Sancheski- 0.7" and thanks!


Expect an updated (photorealistic) rendering later today.

Re: pic: Updated Sheet Metal Design- Swerve
 

The drive sprocket on the close module and on the module on the left need more chain wrap on them you need at least 90 degrees of wrap but the more the better.

Re: pic: Updated Sheet Metal Design- Swerve
 

uhh i hope its not 0.7" cause that robot would be EXTREMELY heavy... i think you mean 0.07"?

pretty cool design, i havent seen many swerve chassis designs before.

How much does it weigh??

Re: pic: Updated Sheet Metal Design- Swerve
 

Yes, 0.07" Thickness. I guess I missed a zero.
With everything shown in the image, (which does not include rivets, wires, a digital sidecar, anderson connectors, breaker, etc), it weighs in at about 47.5 lb (with battery). On an actual competing bot, there would of course be all these things in addition to pneumatics, superstructure and manipulators. This is just a functional drivebase.

Re: pic: Updated Sheet Metal Design- Swerve
 

Window motors? They have a good amount of torque, but tend to move slow under load.
I shouldn't criticise. I've never designed an entire drive system :o

Re: pic: Updated Sheet Metal Design- Swerve
 

Can you post a view that is more descriptive of the internal structure?

Every DC electric motor is going to slow down under load (and proportional to load). There are some good papers in the whitepapers section that explain how motors work, it's very useful to know and takes all the guesswork out of working with them.

A number of teams have used 2/4 window motors for steering, with various amounts of reduction, with decent success.

Re: pic: Updated Sheet Metal Design- Swerve
 

If you both drive and steer both the left and right sides in the manner described by the picture, turning will be difficult (approaching impossible if you use high traction wheels).

Explanation here: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/1443