Quote:
Originally Posted by Thad House
I think think another trick is making sure you put the encoder on the weighted wheels. That way you don't have to worry about chain tension, and the encoder should always be touching the ground, at least in most cases. Another thing some teams do is preload their chains. Instead of pushing your robot forward into its starting position, push it too far forward, and then pull back. This will preload the chains to they are tensioned in the right direction for moving forward, which helps reduce shock loads.
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Isn't this backwards? If the robot last moved backwards, when forward voltage is applied it will have to drive through all of the slop in the system before moving forward. If the robot last moved forward, the slop is "behind" the applied power to the system, and it won't jerk as much. So you want the last "push" of a robot being set up for auton to be forward.
It's a good idea to push the robot back and forth a few times as you set it up, in either case, to make sure everything is running smooth and your drivetrain isn't stuck on a burr or anything like that. I've just always made sure the last push was in the direction the robot intends to travel.