View Single Post
  #1   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 19-09-2003, 23:31
Frank(Aflak)'s Avatar
Frank(Aflak) Frank(Aflak) is offline
Registered User
#1067 (SLUH)
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Saint Louis
Posts: 375
Frank(Aflak) is on a distinguished road
in any case, differentials can be heavy and at most, i see only a few teams using them as power (not to mention the input motors must have equal max-torques or else you loose major energy)

The major advantage of a differential (or planetary) link system is that you don't loose as much energy to motors fighting each other as you would with a fixed gear setup . . .


On topic: Personally, I would avoid using that type of clutch system where one motor does low speed and one high speed because at low speeds (as I understand your design) the chip would be nearly stalled (and therefore you have a possible breaker popper) and at high speeds and reverse your only power come from the chip. The main advantage is that it is automatic and you can forget about it. Still, If I'm going to put two motors in a gearbox I want them both to pull their weight. What would work instead could be a wheel-switching mechanism (one wheel geared highs than the other, lower it using pneumatics). You could even give the computer control over that and turn it into an automatic.

Using the original post's design, you would have a robot that is quite energetic until it hits 5 fps or so and then is fast but a little sluggish, and in reverse it would have a hard time moving at all (much less skid-turning)

if you could somehow make the drill take over lowspeed power in reverse also (maybe accomplish this with a clutch controlled by a governor?) , then you would have a great box.