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Originally Posted by HPA_Robotics_13
Rob, you think it would be a good idea to power the omnis on the front? With so little traction, would it matter? I suppose they have high forward and backward traction, so it would be good to drive them for that reason. But it wouldn't help for turning.
I was watching your third episode of American Robot and saw that you guys have a whole lot of control even with high traction wheels on the front and back (and middle!). Maybe it would be better to just put non-omnis on the front and drive them?
I already made an Ace Hardware run and bought all the bolts I need, and a new countersyncing bit, for mounting our electronics. I didn't even consider that we could countersync those chassis bolts. Duh! Thanks for the wake up call.
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Well, here are my thoughts. Remember that these are just opinions based on how I like the robot to manuver. You have to decide if you want to be able to be a pusher or have high manuverability. It sounds like you are going for manuverability. I prefer to have a robot turn around its own center, and if you have 2 powered wheels at the back it will turn around the back end. I just think this makes it easier for the driver to control.
Now, if you add powered non-omni wheels on the front, you have to recall that the wheels will be sliding sideways when you turn, causing friction. This can be both good and bad. A good amount of friction will make the turns very controllable as the robot will fishtail less. Too much friction will make you turn slow and draw lots of current while doing so. You really want a trade off of thiese elements. There are many threads on these boards about drivetrain ideas, and 2 vs. 4 vs. 6 wheel drive. Many people have offered their experience and knowlege to those debates. I suggest searching for them and reading up on them. Rember that your drivetrain should be a function of what you want to do, so set some performance goals and then give it some thought.
Also remember to test out your machine at the full competition weight! Try it with your current configuration, you might find that you like it alot and want to keep it.
Im glad the countersinking helped...
Best of luck, and feel free to PM me or some of the "much more knowlegable than me" people on the boards if you have any further questions!
Rob