Quote:
Originally posted by Gope
Looks very beefy. I like the tire change, I asume it's for better tracting on multiple surfaces.
You look like you've got a very high cg, have u had an issue with that in practices?
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xtremachen6 manages to get great traction on all surfaces and excellent traction on the HDPE. If you push the robot from the front, the rear wheels dig into the ground. If you push from the side, it holds its ground. Our tire pressure is also set at just the right level to provide maximum gripping ability.
We expect a lot of contact with other robots (and their bin stacks :-P ) during the season, so using one of our older robots, we subjected xtremachen6 to a range of ramp-based impact tests (our front bumper has the pre-season battle scars to prove this). We also battled it out on the ramp with other teams' robots at our pre-ship event, and we successfully held our position at the top of the ramp. We have had minimal problems with tipping, although I can't claim that it won't ever happen.
We are grateful to Andy Baker and the TechnoKats for publishing their shift-on-the-fly transmission design from last year. We took those designs and made several modifications, and what resulted was a very flexible and robust drivetrain.
In low gear, xtremachen6 can push around our older robots with ease, and it can also drag the dead weight of a 6'3", 330-lb mentor around the playing field carpet on his stomach. I don't know how that compares to other robots pulling Volvos, but it seemed pretty impressive to us, especially to the mentor who was towed. :-P
In high gear, this thing really flies. It's fun to watch as it careens wildly (but never TOO wildly) over the ramp. xtremachen6 charges around like an untamed bull in a china shop, but it is controllable to the point where our drivers can easily reign in that energy and direct it toward our goals.
We can consistently hit the bin wall in under 5 seconds in autonomous mode. During the driver period, we plan on using our power to knock over opposing stacks, if necessary, and be at the top of the ramp at the end of the match. Our wings will be primarily used for bin toppling during autonomous mode. During the remainder of the match, we plan on keeping them retracted to serve as armor for the rest of the robot. If our wings or front blade ever get damaged beyond repair, they can quickly be replaced by removing four cotter pins and a couple screws.
Win or lose, xtremachen6 should be an extremely entertaining robot to watch in 2003. We'll be in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and back up with our friends in Canada this year, and we hope to qualify for the Championship Event in Houston as well.
Good luck to all teams! Let's go out and have some fun together!