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Unread 18-09-2003, 20:19
Andy A. Andy A. is offline
Getting old
FRC #0095
Team Role: Coach
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Rookie Year: 2001
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 1,014
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Do you want to make a sports car or a truck?

It all depends on the game. For 2002, there were no ramps, so there were a few very successful 2 drive wheel bots, 95 included. In that game, we decided speed and maneuverability was more important then traction. In addition to giving us great handling and letting us devote the whole front end to ball handling, the drive train was almost an after thought in terms of design and work time. It let us focus on the much bigger problem of the ball pickup.

I'll second the 'skids in place of casters' idea. We used something along those lines, and it worked out very well. I would also suggest trying not only to put weight over the wheels, but to balance the weight as close to 50/50 (front/back) as possible. This way you put as little weight on the skids as possible when accelerating and slowing down.

It has it's very real advantages, and its very real drawbacks. But, like I said, what kind of bot do you want to make? That depends on the game, which I'm convinced depends on the mood Dean's hair is in the day they actually start working on the game.

So, if you don't want to build the typical pushing 'bot, then two wheels are a real fun way to go. You'll have the chance to move your focus away from drive train design and onto all the other stuff that sometimes gets ignored. If nothing else, you'll have fun driving it. Two wheeling is just a pleasure to drive.

You might also consider a 6 wheel design, with the center two wheels set slightly lower then the outside 4. This gives you great climbing and traction with (hopefully) much lower scrubbing when turning then a traditional 4 wheeler. Its a good mix, but is a bit more complicated.

-Andy A.