Quote:
Originally Posted by kramarczyk
BTW... does anybody have a good metrics for describing a drivetrain?
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For traction, I like to use the "V-Neun" unit of traction. One V-Neun is equivalent to the pushing force that year's kitbot's could produce, assuming it has enough torque to do so, and also assuming a weight of 133 lbs (robot + battery). So, in this years case, 1 V-Neun = 133lbs * .5 (for the amount of weight over the drive wheels) * 1.05 (I averaged AM's values for the kit wheel) = ~69.8 lbs of force. The reason I like this unit is that it gives some basis of comparison since, at least at competition, what matters more is how much traction you have relative to other robots, not the absolute numbers. So, instead of saying our robot has 139.7 lbs of pushing force, which leaves scouts trying to figure out if thats a lot/little/medium, I can say we have 2 V-Neuns, or twice the kitbot's pushing force, they can visualize that amount easier. Also, it takes into account yearly changes in the easiest to make drive system. For example our robot's 139.7 lbs of force would push a good number of teams in 2005, for example, but not so many number this year, since the base kitbot has more traction. (Amoung other factors, like the proliferation of IFI and AM traction wheels) This is reflected in the V-Neun number, this same robot has 3 V-Neuns of traction using the 2005 kitbot as the standard.