Quote:
Originally Posted by 114Klutz
If you make the flywheel smaller - then it takes less time for the wheel to reach full speed - but it will make no difference in total power.
This explanation might be a little confusing, but I hope this is helpful.
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Actually, that's entirely spot on. Inside of a FIRST drive train, by making all gear and wheel components lighter, you'll gain acceleration. You won't pick up any extra torque or power.
On a car, it's somewhat different. The general rule is that for every powered pound you lose (brakes, axles, etc), you gain 1HP. For every 10 un-powered pound (seats, body, frame, etc), you gain 1HP. However, on a FIRST bot, we're not dealing with nearly enough power to get anywhere close to that kind of gain.
Good method of explaining, 114Klutz.
Making a drive system light is a good thing to shoot for. If you're really interested in lightning acceleration, do some research on the recent 254/968 drive system. Their entire gearbox weighed 1 pound. They were the fastest accelerating bot I've seen on the field.