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Unread 29-04-2009, 07:40
Unsung FIRST Hero
Al Skierkiewicz Al Skierkiewicz is offline
Broadcast Eng/Chief Robot Inspector
AKA: Big Al WFFA 2005
FRC #0111 (WildStang)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Rookie Year: 1996
Location: Wheeling, IL
Posts: 10,766
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Re: Winning Drive Train

Quote:
Originally Posted by ginosoprano09 View Post
Did either 111 or 1717 have some sort of traction control?
Yes, Wildstang had traction control. We used a manufactured wheel with foam as the tread to reduce forces to an absolute minimum. This wheel, on the same axle as the drive wheel, allowed us to compare the two to determine slipping of the drive wheel.
We prototyped several drives and settled on crab again this year. It proved in testing to be more effective in handling the trailer. We found, as many of you did, that the trailer shifted the center of rotation to somewhere outside of the robot. By using crab, we could then put that center where ever we needed it. Crab also allowed us to skid steer when going fast and control the robot when we needed to dump. It is important to note that the bumper rules also played into this. The six inch minimum segment length meant that we could not have a ball pickup that was the entire width of the robot. Since the pickup opening was limited to 26 inches, there was room for crab modules at each corner without sacrificing rapid pickup.
BTW, this is called crab drive because it mimics the way crabs move across the beach. The term has been in use on camera pedastels since the dawn of TV.

Steven,
We could only hold 25 or so, but thanks for the kinds words.
__________________
Good Luck All. Learn something new, everyday!
Al
WB9UVJ
www.wildstang.org
________________________
Storming the Tower since 1996.

Last edited by Al Skierkiewicz : 29-04-2009 at 09:38.