Just to throw out there my thoughts on the matter. A shifting transmission is a hot commotity, it's nice to have, wether it be a 2 speed or up to a 6 speed, it doesn't matter. Looking at the whole thing from an automotive standpoint it's just a quicker way to get to top end, but that is with a combustion engine, I know. A quote comes to mind when thinking about the way we build robots, we bash them, we crash them, we abuse them. Our drive shafts can get buggered up and torqued. And a quote comes to mind:
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ROBUST, ROBUST, and ROBUST if you want to win - dan 322
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A shifting transmission can be awsome, you get multiple speeds and torque, but you can have problems, gears grind and teeth break, dogs can crack, and all kinds of bad things can happen. You can get wobbel and warp, and then you are in trouble. Being on Team 384 for 4 years, and now I'm a mentor, and from the great mentors I learned from, the more simplifed your robot, the more robust you can create it. I'm not saying it's not nice to have a shifting transmission, it is, but i don't think it's truly necessary for a competative robot.
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