Quote:
Originally Posted by s_forbes
We used the normal tank drive system in 2006 and 2007. To make it a little easier to control, we hacked off the long joystick arms. It worked alright, but it was still pretty difficult to conrol when trying to manipulate turns. Going in a gradual in high gear was also near impossible!
This year we decided to go with a controller used for racing remote control cars, and it worked amazingly well (photo here). The guts of the controller were removed, and it was programed to work with feedback from gear tooth sensors in the transmission.
The steering wheel allows for fine control during high speed maneuvers, something that is very useful for this years game. Turning the wheel without throttling makes the bot turn in place, and reversing the throttle makes it behave like a car driving backwards. I think everyone on the team who tried our new drive system agreed that it was much easier to control than the tank style.
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As the main driver of Team 1726 this year, I can vouch for this system. It is, without a doubt, so much easier to operate than a standard 2-joystick tank drive system. I urge other teams immensely to consider this type of controller to test out. I found it so much easier to use than a standard tank drive system (which I have become accustomed to over the past few years), and the switch to a new system was incredibly easy to get used to.
With a bit of programming, you can make a 6WD system drive perfectly straight and steer like an ackermann type drive train, while still retaining the maneuverability and on-the-spot turning of a tank drive system. A picture of our setup can be found
here.
Again, I urge all teams to give it a shot! I can guarantee that it will improve the performance of your robot and reduce the strain on your driver.