Thread: Mecanum wheels
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Unread 07-01-2014, 19:25
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Re: Mecanum wheels

Quote:
Originally Posted by lcoreyl View Post
While as quoted these statements can both be true, I think it can be mis-interpreted as mecanum has less power than 4WD or 6WD. Driving straight forward or backward there is no power loss in mecanum. In any other situation where mecanum has power loss we are talking about motion that 4WD or 6WD can't do at all, so power loss does not say that 4WD or 6WD is therefore a better choice. (alternatively, I could say 6WD has 100% power loss while moving at a 45 degree angle while mecanum only has a 50% power loss) As long as your driver realizes driving all the way down the field with the robot at a 45 degree angle relative to the field would not be a wise use of mecanum, then power loss is not a real concern when deciding mecanum vs. 4WD/6WD.
I said you can lose up to 50% of power with moves like strafing. I didn't say that you can lose 50% from forward or backwards driving, and you can lose somewhere between >0% to 50% power when strafing diagonally, which is a combination of the forward/back movement and sideways strafing. There is no significant difference in power between forward/back mecanum driving and forward/back tread driving when using the same power source and transmission.

It may be important to be aware that drivers may not have success moving others robots out of the way by turning or strafing, but instead can have success by pushing straight on.
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Last edited by bEdhEd : 07-01-2014 at 19:30.
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