Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Fultz
to quote some famous FIRST personalities:
The three most important things on a FIRST robot are:
1. Drive
2. Drive
3. Drive
Spend time getting it right and making it faster than you really think you need - you won't regret the decision.
The best way to learn is to wander around at competitions and see what other teams are doing and what works and ask them how they do it.
Also, try to go to some off season forums or the forums at the Championships.
The last bit of advice - build prototypes and experiment, but don't decide in December what drive you want to use. Wait until the game is announced, decide how you want to play the game, and then decide what drive is best for that.
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If you can't drive, you can't play. Well, you can, but the last time non-driving robots could really play was 2001, and those spent the entire match on a stretcher. This year, even pure ramp/lift robots need drives to clear out their home zone, and that's assuming that they don't play defense.
If your drive is lousy, your arm will not be very effective, even if it is the best arm in the competition! How far would teams 234, 254, 1114, 67, 111, 330, 118, 45, and 217 have gotten without drivetrains? Not very far, I'll tell you that.
Prototyping is good. In 2005 we prototyped a mecanum drive. After analysis, we decided to go with a six-wheel dropped center. Why? The mecanum wasn't the best way to go for us. We felt it had disadvantages that were unacceptable to us. But in recent years, mecanums have become increaingly common. I'm not sure if that's because teams are deciding that they need them, advantages outweigh disadvantages, or just the cool factor. I also don't really care, because that's the team's choice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Fultz
For example (these are general comments only - please don't blast me),
a swerve or mechanum drive lets you get all around the field quickly, but they don't push / play defense well for the very reason they work well getting around the field.
a tank drive is quick to turn and great for pushing and defending, but not very efficient so they consume a lot of battery power
a four wheel drive is easy, but can be tough to turn with traction wheels - or easy to push around with the wheelchair wheels or other rollers
a six wheel drive is easy to turn and can be a good defensive drive, but uses a lot of weight in sprockets and chain.
Bottom line, there is no "perfect" drive and each game strategy lends itself better to one particular type. several drive types have been successful this year - it depends on how the team wants to play the game.
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Bingo. But in addition to the drivetrain capabilities, what can your driver handle? I mean, if the driver can't control the drive you give him/her, then you just wasted a lot of time. Does your team know how to use the drive you want effectively? (I've seen examples in recent years of good drives not being used to their full potential or not being used "right" for the game.) Do you want to innovate (e.g. 703's 14-wheel or 118's V-6)? If you can answer these questions, you are in a much better position than someone who can't. There is no one ideal drive solution, just as there is no one ideal any-other-aspect-of-robot-design solution.