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Originally Posted by pandamonium
All though this is off topic slightly. Our team has triggers and buttons on our controls that are slow mode and turbo mode. No physical shifting required I know it is not the same thing but I am curious as to the benefits between them programming method and the actual shifting method.
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This is neat feature we use and I know others do as well.
In 2010 IIRC we had three buttons that limited power to the drive motors. I think (1/2, 1/3, 1/4). It was a great feature for picking up balls of the wall and corners and to cut the power while turning. Add these buttons to a two speed transmission and our drivers had six different speeds to play with on the field!
In 2012 we had a 50%-75% (I don't remember the exact number one of our programmers played with the power setting to get a good balance) power button. This was great for lining up on the key, climbing the bridge either as a solo balance or the first bot on, and turning while in high gear. So technically we were a four speed transmission.
Similar to your team, you can use a single speed transmission and run constantly with a power of say 85%-90% and have a button for a low speed and a turbo button to give you an extra boost of speed to act like a high gear. Before pursuing this route, do the math!
As others have mentioned it doesn't give you an edge with pushing power but gives your drivers flexibility to pull off moves you can't do with a single speed. In 2011 if a low speed was all you wanted for placing tubes and lining up your minibot a wiser decision would be to have a programmed lower speed rather using shifters because you don't need the extra torque. This also allows you to keep a lighter robot which will equal faster speeds and less torque required to move!
For many teams, shifting is the answer but in most cases you can accomplish what you want with lighter, reliable single speeds and some basic programming additions!