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Originally Posted by JesseK
WCD requires only 4 pieces of very rigid aluminum tubing for its frame -- which is the key to its success. So long as bumper rules are complied with, it's still the simplest most versatile drive train frame for teams who have these capabilities:
1.) Welder who can keep things square
2.) Low tolerance, low slop drilling capability
3.) Some sort of milling capability is probably needed regardless of variant
4.) It doesn't hurt to be able to do your own gearboxes so you can customize the gearing while also driving chains to each end.
5.) It probably also doesn't hurt to be able to make custom wheels of any diameter/hub configuration
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1) No need to weld, robot delivered and took some beatings this year and it survived.
2/3) a poor quality manual mill is adequate, kind of like our poor quality manual mill....
4) This is certainly nice, but Super Shifters (we ran them stock in 08, and "stock" in 09) work just fine.
5) This is no longer as big as advantage as it used to be. The AM performance line is fantastic.
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With WCD, I would have to figure out gearbox configurations for the wheel size such that the gearbox doesn't bottom out on the field when put into direct drive configuration. For 4" wheels, this is somewhat difficult without doing a custom gearbox (with plates). For 6" wheels, it's a bit better since a large variety of COTS gearboxes exist with decent spacing between the output and bottom of the gearbox.
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The super shifter is a great choice here as you can change gears out in that final stage for easy ratio adjustment.
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Adam, show me a team with sloppy drill presses, hand drills, a basic lathe (and 3 tools), and a surplused mill who has done WCD ... then you'll probably be able to convince my other mentors.Until then, they want to do what we know with the drive train and focus learning on other parts of the robot. It's not me you have to convince, heh.
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Uhhhh... us right here! While we've recently (last 3 weeks) expanded on our in house capabilities, you described the capabilities of us in house. With some know how and practice our kids make very high quality parts (that often get mistaken for CNC'd parts). We do have a large amount of industry sponsors, but that only started for the teams 6th year of doing west coast drive. We get a lot of drive components CNCd and outsourced more out of convenience than necessity (the parts are ready to go really early in season, when sponsors are generally idle).
Also, most of the complaints you listed seem applicable to any drivetrain style. Our CAD models are out there, and I'm here to answer any questions (along with all the other teams that run it I bet). I've helped quite a few teams make easier to make WCD's that are tailored to the resources they have available to them.
Back in the day, I was also against WCD out of some preconcieved notion it was harder, and would make these massive plate sandwich drivetrains (294 07 and 08) that just can't compare at all to WCD in terms of weight or efficiency of manufacture. Once I saw and understood how simple, clean, and easy they are to make, I never looked back.