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Unread 29-07-2015, 23:48
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FRC #1197 (Torbots)
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Re: General Motor Rules

Quote:
Originally Posted by jman4747 View Post
The point was not to increase the arbitrary power limit but to limit the power by setting a direct limit on power. Right now the limit is indirectly set by specifying how many of each specific motor a robot can have. I am proposing that either it be set by a total watt limit, a categorical watt limit (see op), or similar method. The limits in the first post can simply be reduced to satisfy a reduced power allowance.
Why? Really simply, why? What exactly is the current motor restriction not allowing you to do that you need to do?


Is it just that you want to use a different motor? OK, submit the idea to FIRST to see if they can get the company interested in supplying 3K motor "sets" (a set being anywhere from 1 to infinity motors). A different type of motor altogether? In that case, I ask why you really need that functionality, and look for workarounds. Or is there something I'm not seeing? (I honestly don't see any application for stepper or brushless motors that can't be handled with an additional sensor on the robot and careful motor selection.)


In the real world, the customer doesn't relax requirements just because "it should be this way". The customer only relaxes the requirements if it can be conclusively shown to their satisfaction that the requirements must be relaxed in order to meet other requirements--and usually, that can't be shown! Again, FIRST imitates life...



Now, I bet someone is going to come back with "well why do you favor the servo limits increasing?" And my answer is that it is nearly impossible for teams that don't want to use pneumatics to have multiple speed drivetrains with the servos we have. I've seen teams gang servos to get the required power for some relatively minor jobs. I've very, very rarely seen a servo used on a robot--a "gate latch" a few years ago being one of the cases. Plain and simple, there just isn't enough power available in that group.
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2003-2007: FRC0330 BeachBots
2008: FRC1135 Shmoebotics
2012: FRC4046 Schroedinger's Dragons

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