[Madison]

Originally Posted by roystur44

The battery box can also hold the breaker and provide a base for easy access to the breaker. It can also hold a data access port for connection to the router. How many times have you seen teams struggled to gain access to the router data ports? Maybe even hold the sidecar for easy access.

I like the idea of adding a fixed data port somewhere along the outer frame. I think it'd get me a lot of brownie points with the electrical and programming teams.

Don't forget the mounting holes for the manipulator and the bumpers brackets.

Bumpers have been a weak point for us for the last two seasons, so I'm going to give them some real thought this time around. I haven't gotten to them yet, though.

Bring the gear closer to the transmission bearing keeping the distance to a minimum.

I'm looking at ways of managing this. Currently, the transmission is offset from the clamshell by 3/8" to allow access to the wheel mounting hardware on the inside face. I'm considering using captive nuts here instead (to accept the bolt inside the wheel axle spacer) and moving the transmission flush with the inside face. That'd put the gear 3/8" closer to the bearing.

Whats the drop on the wheels? Driving more than six wheels means you get a lot of wheel scrub. The outer wheels will scrub down to nothing if there is a lot of turning and the drop is minimal.

The outer two wheels on each side are 1/8" higher than the inner three.

Originally Posted by OWilliamson

I'm not sure if you had considered this, but cutting out part of the bellypan where the gearboxes will be above can make maintenance a lot easier. We didn't do that this year and it was a nightmare trying to repair our gearbox before eliminations.

As it stands now, the gearboxes are removed by lifting them upward. Since they're sealed, I'm not sure how having access to the bottom will be helpful.

Originally Posted by DampRobot

I have to say, this is a really beautiful design. It looks just like 971, but with gears instead of belts. I'm a huge fan.

Just a few questions, perhaps they've been addressed elsewhere. Any reason you've chose 10 wheels? I don't see any advantage for 10 over 6, and having more wheels carries cost and weight (not to mention potential turning) disadvantages. Also, I'd assume these parts are being laser cut? Waterjetting or turret punching those parts would take a lot of sponsor time.

Originally Posted by Billfred

If you're still going to power the corner wheels, a gear has to occupy that space anyway to act as an idler. Why not run 10 at that point?

Billfred's got it right. I could've designed this for 6 or 8WD as well and included more idler gears. Maybe in competition, that'd be a bit more likely, but for a fun project, why not go with 10WD?

And yes, the parts are being laser cut.

Originally Posted by EricH

If that bellypan is more than 2 lb, I'd be shocked; I wouldn't be surprised if it was closer to 1 lb or under. Removing more weight won't exactly help in this situation.

The middle chassis piece is 4.84 lbs and is made from .090" sheet. It's not just a belly pan; it integrates the front and rear cross rails.

Originally Posted by JamesCH95

Have you tested or analyzed that cantilevered gear design? Even small deflections could result in poor performance and/or damaged/destroyed gears.

We ran a similar arrangement in 2013 and it was the only thing that didn't fall apart after the frame got all wonky. I'm sure, by the end, it wasn't as efficient as it should've been, but it was working. I'm working on some alternatives, though, to see if we can't make it better.