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Unread 29-04-2013, 19:11
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Mechanical Marauders - Alumnus
AKA: Paul Mangels
FRC #0271 (Mechanical Marauders)
Team Role: Mechanical
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Rookie Year: 2011
Location: Bay Shore, NY
Posts: 405
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Re: How to make your robot withstand the beating

Our drive was not a WCD, but it was similar, only with a 1/4" plate on the outside and a 3/16" plate on the inside (or vice versa, not quite sure) and wheels in the middle. Direct driven wheel in the middle and dead axle chain driven wheels front and back made it super easy to work on the drive with no box fram, which was the original plan, one used previously. Although by the end of the season we had a small warp issue, the drive ran fine and we played some really intense,aggressive defense, so the forces on the drive were ridiculous.

My advice, do CAD testing and build it pre-season, in order to save immense amounts of time later. Design is iterative, so building and beating the crap out of it, then fixing the weak points, and repeating, is the best way to improve robot strength, and you will learn a lot about strong design in the process.

Also, if your team has limited funds, try a Kitbot on Steroids from Team 1114, Simbotics, as it is a great, rock solid drivetrain that works.
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Junior at the University of Notre Dame, Mechanical Engineering

Got questions (about Notre Dame, robots, college, etc), don't hesitate to ask.

**Bang Boom Pop!** "Was that the robot?" "I don't know, do it again"
**BANG BOOM POP** "Oh, now it's on fire."