View Single Post
  #66   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 13-05-2015, 00:52
Dunngeon Dunngeon is offline
Pumped
AKA: Ryan
FRC #0973 (Greybots)
Team Role: College Student
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Rookie Year: 2012
Location: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Posts: 299
Dunngeon has a reputation beyond reputeDunngeon has a reputation beyond reputeDunngeon has a reputation beyond reputeDunngeon has a reputation beyond reputeDunngeon has a reputation beyond reputeDunngeon has a reputation beyond reputeDunngeon has a reputation beyond reputeDunngeon has a reputation beyond reputeDunngeon has a reputation beyond reputeDunngeon has a reputation beyond reputeDunngeon has a reputation beyond repute
Re: pic: Small CIM in wheel swerve

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber View Post
30A breakers don't pop immediately. (http://www.snapaction.net/pdf/MX5%20Spec%20Sheet.pdf) So, a 30A breaker pulling 80A (which according to tests I've heard about is about the max you can get to a CIM given other loads on the system and the battery) will last 0.8 - 1.8 seconds. A 40A breaker will give you about twice that time. But that's assuming you're practically stalling the CIM. And it completely ignores the fact that, more than likely, the RoboRio will cut your motor power due to voltage drop.

Acceleration is also a function of code/driving/operator interface. All too often I see swerves driven like tanks. Go to point, pivot wheels, go sideways, pivot wheels again, go back to going forward. If you watch how teams who have mastered swerve (ok, I'm a 16 fan boy, I'll admit it) they tend to be much more fluid and rely less on raw power to accelerate from 0 in that direction. 254 does similar things when it comes to tank drives, it's why they seem to get away with gearing so much higher than other people.

Basically, while being able to pour more power for longer may seem like a good solution to the acceleration problem there's a fair bit more to it and utilizing it will mean your motors run cooler, your batteries last longer, and you can STILL out swerve most people.

That all being said, if I could easily find a 40A rated slip ring for comparable weight/cost of the 30A I'd choose it every time. But if I given the choice between a more complicated module (bevel), more complicated code (limit rotations), and limited continuous current (30A breaker) I'd choose limited current every time. But I'm a software engineer, I have a certain set of criteria I apply to decisions. Other folks with different backgrounds might make different decisions.
Yeah, I was looking at the breaker specs today and realized that for most scenarios the 30A will have nearly the same functionality as the 40A (as you said). That was the part of our power system that I wasn't sure about and I mentioned in my post. I definitely agree with you on the control code, that is incredibly important to any drivebase.
__________________
(2015-?): 973
(2012-2015): 955
Reply With Quote