[JDNovak]

Good to see you coming back to your roots with swerve.

The issue with all this is available energy and where it gets absorbed.

We used window motors for steering for years until the rules limited them to 2.
Then we decided on AM9015 motors because the range of BaneBot motors is more versatile. It became quickly obvious that four 85 amp motors and four 120 amp motors all turning on at the same time was more than the battery could supply as the voltage at the terminals of a fully charged Enercel fell to 8 volts. We monitor battery resistance and cycle test and haven't found another brand that is better yet. Some are worse. Most battery specs list max current draw at 20 or 50 amps. We know that isn't possible. We also shorten the 6 gauge wire as much as possible and use 10 gauge to larger motors. This actually makes the problem more acute.

This year we are limiting the AM9015s to 75% output but if driving aggressively, the two 775s driving the catapult don't get enough energy to fire. They draw close to 40 amps to start. We used Talons for the drive motors and Jaguars for the rest so we couldn't deduce all power consumed. Next year should be easier as the PDP will allow monitoring of all current sources. The robot will just make it through a 2 minute match with normal driving and defense before the battery charge is reduced to the point that it affects operation. That reads about 80% charge on a Battery Beak after a match. More aggressive steering with defense or a less than absolutely fully charged battery hinders performance by the end of the match.

Bottom line is you can choose to steer fast or accelerate fast but not both at the same time. Whatever is left has to operate also. If the Catapult delays firing for a second the shot is usually missed.

I'm looking into improving steering efficiency and reducing motor size but until then power management is the only option. This never seemed to be a problem before the larger steering motors arrived.