Team 241 had a breakthrough on minibot design # 5.
Design #1 - tank= The All Tetrix Aluminum, nuts and bolts - direct drive 4" wheels on Tetrix gearbox and motors. Mousetrap action to connect to pole.
Weight 4.4# Time 4.5-5 sec
Reliability - 10/10 trials
Deployment 0.5 seconds - self-aligning to pole prior to End Game.
Design #2 - add 2:1 external gearing to design #1 - mostly built but not tested. Stopped work when Richard published his dynamometer results of Tetrix motors with and without gearboxes.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=89072
Design #3 - direct drive motors w/o gearboxes with motors with 3/16" shaft covered in thin surgical tubing running on the inside rim of the 4" wheels.
Weight 4.5# Time - fail - the motors would slip on the inside of the rims.
Design #4 - "the crossbow" - direct drive motors w/o gearboxes with motors with 3/16" shaft covered in thin surgical tubing running on the inside rim of the 4" wheels. Inside rim covered with rubber band material to provide extra grip.
Weight 3.3# Time 7 seconds - too much friction on rubberband to surgical tubing contact. Very disappointing.
Design #5 - midget - direct drive to 3/8" wheels, Mousetrap action to connect to pole. Uses bare motors, battery, nylon standoffs, OFF switch and 3 or 4 nuts and bolts from the Tetrix kit.
Weight 2.1# !!! Time ~2 seconds
(still need to adjust deployment to allow either the midget or the tank and mount the turnoff switch) may add another 0.1 lbs.
Reliability - not known yet
No magnets.