Quote:
Originally Posted by Zaque
Personally, I think you are missing the point of the thread. The hypothetical is with no limits on resources of any kind, so some designs are certainly going to be better than others.
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No, you're missing my point. All else being equal, a given design will work better with some teams and some games than others.
OP asks questions like 'are 3in wheels better than 4in wheels?' That depends a lot on what exactly the robot needs to do. Does it have to traverse any obstacles? Does it need the extra ground clearance of a 4in wheel? Or does it need the extra wheelbase size afforded by the 3in wheels? One isn't inherently better than the other, just different. OP also asked 'are 2spd transmissions worth the weight and hassle?' Well, that depends a lot on the game and style of play of the team driving the robot. Small field with relatively short sprints to get from one place to another? Single spd is probably fine. Wide open field, demands for strong pushing forces AND high speeds? Might want to go with a 2spd setup. Again, one isn't simply better than the other, just better suited to different games and play styles.
Is field-centric control better than robot-centric control? Ask your drivers. Whatever they want or prefer is the right answer, one isn't automatically better than the other. The effectiveness of a given control style depends heavily upon the person behind the glass.
Then there is construction style. Is it 'better' to have a swerve module made out of CNC milled plates that are bolted together than to have a swerve module made out of bent and riveted sheet metal? Well.. a team with 6 CNC mills would have a different answer than a team with a waterjet and press brake. One design isn't necessarily better than the other, but a given design will be better suited to a particular team. I know, I know, you want to insert 'unlimited resources' caveat here, but that really doesn't matter. The fabrication style is very secondary to a well thought-out design. And looking at what's been posted in this thread so far it is obvious that there are a wide variety of designs that have been used very successfully.