Quote:
Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe
My questions was more directed at the ability to even strafe. It doesn't matter how much you plan on strafing, when you want to do so you still want it to be efficient at it.
|
Then apparently a bit of each...
Having six wheels on the ground can be
better for strafing than if you just had five, because you can put a larger portion of the robot weight on those wheels easily and consistently.
As an example: Assuming roughly equal loading on each of the wheels - 1/3 of the robot weight will be on strafe wheels for the 6 wheel vs 1/5 for a single strafe wheel, allowing 66% better strafing traction, other factors equal. As you increase the proportion of weight on the strafe wheels, the ability to drive forward/back may be impaired, especially if the CoG is not directly over the strafe wheels, but to the left or right. Unless there were some unusual game/strategy requirements, 1/3 seems a reasonable maximum strafe loading for slide; if you need much more, you should probably consider a more isotropic drive train*.
Of course, if you only put 1/10 of the robot weight on the strafe wheels (no matter how many or how few), expect those wheels to spin if you step on the throttle.
* [edit] Not to say that a great team couldn't make slide work with a much higher loading, but for most teams, I would anticipate an exercise in frustration above this level.