Quote:
Originally Posted by billbo911
I have a simple question about the construction of a "WCD" system. Having no experience with these, yet, we want to learn from other's experience to help minimize the normal error associated with trying something new.
I see mention of using "bearing blocks" quite often when building WCD's. It is necessary? Couldn't the bearing's be pressed directly onto the walls of the tubes?
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Hey Bill! This was our first year of doing a WCD. We have been using 1.75" x 0.75" Aluminum C-Channel for so long, we decided to stick with it and use it for a WCD setup. We did two pairs of C-Channel facing inward and milled center bearing holes for 1/2" hex bearings with a 1/8" drop. Then we milled slots on the ends to accomodate either 4" wheels or 6" wheels (4" was used in competition). We made bearing blocks out of chunks of 0.5" x 1.5" aluminum stock. With a tapped hole on the ends, we could then tension the chain easily. The setup worked perfectly and we never once had to touch the drive system.
The downside of our approach of using 4 lengths of C-Channel instead of the classic WCD 2x1 was weight. Our chassis was definitely heavier than most WCDs. BUT we knew this and since our approach to the game this year was to carry another robot on top of us, we decided to play it safe and go with a more robust chassis. Our robot drive system and chassis was tested up to 400 lbs including bridge climbing and balancing.