[pmangels17]

This year 271 went with the most intense custom transmission we have ever done. 6 cims, on a two speed shifter, geared for roughly 16 fps in high speed and 6 fps in low speed. Also, we have a Power Take Off for our climber, but our drive is ridiculous. We push robots sideways with all our torque, and we can race around the pyramid in high speed. Also, we went up against a bot with mecanum wheels, and pushed them twice all the way around the pyramid. Simple 6 wheel dropped center, with double wide center wheels, all 6 with roughtop tread. We peaked at 314 amps one match, but it was only for a split second, so we were fine. We have ammeters on two of our drive motors, so just multiply by three to find total amps. Oh, the pushing. I'd say that for any team that even just wants to upgrade from the kitbase, add a two speed shifter, the versatility lets your robot do so much more, and if used right, it gives you a lot more options. We have used two speed drives many years. We didn't in 2012, but for the years that I participated in so far, 2011, 2012, and 2013, we had 2 speed drives. We haven't had many problems at all.