[EricH]

Originally Posted by BOSS

We have an issue, we have bot with skid steer ran on lab view from Pwm on jaguars tried 2 motors added two motors for a total of 4 can maneuver really well off carpet get on carpet we lose one side plus have a lack of power. And can't turn forward and back work but no real load. Once we have load we have issues. We have jags that blink really fast while some stay solid also seem to be drawing a lot of power. Any help, is it program issue or do we have short, we have a bot bot weight of 109 lbs.

"we have bot with skid steer...can maneuver really well off carpet get on carpet we lose one side plus have a lack of power. And can't turn..."

I'm assuming that you have 4WD, "long" wheelbase, reasonable traction on your wheels. That type of drivetrain will almost always have this type of problem. It's due to the fairly high "scrub" (sideways friction) when turning, where the robot will bounce a bit if it turns. A bit more detail on drive type might be quite helpful.

Your best solution is to reduce the traction on one end. Omni wheels, zipties around the tread, lower-traction wheels (say, the 2009 KOP wheels) or add a wheel in the middle of each side slightly lowered and powered to make a 6WD drop-center drivetrain are your main options at this point.

As for the power loss: If it were a short, it'd probably also show up on non-carpet flooring. I'd be willing to bet that something's pulling a lot of current, causing breakers to trip or causing much less current to go elsewhere.

I really don't think it's programming or a short. Just a 4WD being a 4WD. (A 6WD flat would normally have the same problem, unless you're FRC25.)