Quote:
Originally Posted by 114Klutz
The question is now, is it actually needed? For example, this year showed little advantage to be gained by using a two speed gearbox. The field was not open, and the two sides next to the rack could easily be blocked by opposing machines. I do not believe it was worth the time and weight to implement a two speed gearbox.
|
I know several teams who would entirely disagree with you based on the success they had this year. I had to play defense first hand on 254/968 and 330 on many occasions... What made them stand out over other teams was their driver's ability to evade and maneuver in high gear, and resist pushing in low gear.
These are just first hand examples, I'm sure many other teams that were offensive robots can thank their success on the extra edge their drive gave them. 1114 and 1270 from curie are another two. Also, 45 and 1902 in Galileo used them well.
I think what is more important than perceived game environment is whether or not the driver can effectively utilize the advantage.
Usually the added cost in weight and work is minimal compared to not using them. I wish we had used shifters this year; They would actually weigh less than the 3 motor workaround we did and would be just about as complicated to install.