[Joe Troy]

We did not use the FIRST supplied gearbox. We did use a two stage reduction (single speed) drivetrain as part of Jester Drive to give us the final drive ratio we wanted for this year. We have used 2 speed, shiftable transmissions in the past and found that we did not utilize the "high" gear as much as we thought we would.

Your idea of using a CVT makes more sense to me since it frees the driver from the task of gear selection and allows them to focus on playing the game.

Since Jester Drive is a Mecanum wheel system that utilizes the split roller design, the robot moves and turns in a any direction without drawing a significant amount of current from the battery since it has very little friction to overcome when changing directions. Jester Drive also moves with force in all directions (push & pull in all directions) unlike omni-wheels or casters that slip to allow easier changes in direction. The Mecanum wheels incorporate the advantages of multi-wheel drive trains (eg 6 wheel) and "crab steer" systems. The challenge with Jester Drive is that you must fabricate the wheels and rollers...you can't order them from IFI, Andy-Mark, Skyway, etc.
The finished wheels are also heavier than most other commercially available wheels (this can be an advantage and a disadvantage). Our 10" 2006 Magnum wheels weigh 4.5 lbs each. The wheels are a 9 spoke design with 18 individual rollers (two rollers per spoke). The hubs are cast aluminum...last year the hubs were machined.

If you are interested in fabricating your own Mecanum wheels, we will be at Championships with a display and literature that details the process we use. If you are not going to be at Championships, send me a PM and I'll forward information to you.