[Deke]

One thing to keep in mind is that the wheels don't have positive traction. So to calculate the force in the pinion gears you need to figure out the loading the wheels will apply before slipping. Adding up the stall torque of the motors and factoring in the gear reduction to the force applied on the pinion tooth is the front half of it. Traction and slippage is the back half. The pinions do take more loading than the usual frc gearbox.

I like the cim layout and have been playing with it around a year. I haven't been satisfied with the packaging to move forward with testing. Its neat to see how others approach similar problems with their designs.

2337 the enginerds have done a similar 8wd sheet metal layout with an integrated two cims and two speed gear box the past two years. I really like what they did. They have their 2013 cad online, you should check it out for design solutions implemented if your interested in this 8wd layout.

My concern would be the impact resistance of the 1/4 inch plywood. Metal bends before cracking better than wood in impact situations.