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Originally Posted by maxlobovsky
I'm sorry, i confused the Skyway with the new 12" pneumatics they are giving us. I guess that means we need to trade out two of 'em for lower traction ones.
I don't understand how bots have such a huge range in power in their drive trains. I believe FIRST suggests a simple drive train with the Fischer-Price yet some teams, like you, will have nearly quadruple that power. What do we really need?
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Yes, I would hesitate to use 4 pneumatic wheels with a two motor drive train. You will most likely have some difficulty in turning. 2 pneumatic and 2 normal skyway wheels will hopefully allow you to turn enough.
I think that FIRST suggests a simple drive train for the rookie teams, as they are often not very experienced in what they are doing (hence the name rookie). Veterans like us have had the opportunity to go around and see what works and what doesn't, so we are much more likely to pull off a more complicated drive train.
Having quadruple the power gives you lots more speed and power in tight situations. It's nice, but NOT completely necessary. Even at a slower speed, if you're robot is pulling 8 ft/sec, you will be able to compete competetively against the majority of other teams. As a rookie team, its nice to see you trying something a little more challenging. Just be careful not to set your sights too high.
Personally, I would stick with the drill motors. Though a little bit more difficult to work with, they do give you a bit more power then the chips would. You can usually take care of any possible overheating problems with one or two well placed muffin fans, something that is really not all that difficult. With 4 wheel drive, you will experiece enough side friction so that the asymetrical aspects of the drill motors will be all but imperceptible. I wouldn't use the exact transmission system that FIRST gives you with the kit (as its just a bit too slow for my tastes), but its a good place to start. Gearing the drills to 7 or 8 ft/sec will probably work out just fine.
If you still want an extra challenge, you can experiment with using a servo or a small pneumatic cylinder to switch between the built-in gears on the drill motor transmission itself. This gives you a whole range of extra options.
In the end, there is no right answer. While more power and speed is always better, I've seen too many rookie teams lose all hope of being competitive because they set their sights too high and attempted something that was beyond their ability. You have to determine what you're capable of before diving into the really tricky stuff.