[dsmoker]

Originally Posted by JVN

Obviously after the first 2 weeks of competition the secrets are all out.

If you're going to use a design that is "heavily inspired" from one you saw on the field, at least take the time to iterate the design and figure out the details yourself.

You can make this into a positive design experience for your team with some methodical experimentation...

Wow. Harsh. We asked one specific question to confirm some of our preliminary calculations. The students never asked for anyone's complete minibot design, nor do I anticipate that their final design will be "heavily inspired" by any one particular minibot that they saw perform at WPI. They simply felt that, after seeing all of the minibots in action, they wanted to try their hand at a direct-drive system to avoid the mechanical loss that naturally occurs through gearing. The drive train is but one aspect, obviously, of minibot design. As for the output diameter, the students have been experimenting with diameters ranging from 1/4" to 3/8". They simply wanted to hear what others' experiences had been in order to confirm or dispel their own conclusions. I posted their question for them because I thought that that's exactly what this forum was for.

For those who offered constructive advice on this thread, thank you!