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Unread 01-05-2010, 20:31
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Systems and Strategy Mentor
AKA: Andrew Keisic
FRC #4201 (The Vitruvian Bots)
Team Role: Leadership
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Rookie Year: 1999
Location: Redondo Beach, CA
Posts: 82
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Re: Drivetrain Basics

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jared341 View Post
In general, limiting yourself to 40A before you lose traction is overkill. You almost never need to push against a "wall" for more than a few seconds at a time, in which case you can use a much higher figure (easily 2x as much) before worrying about tripping the breaker.
While it may seem overkill, we definitely we're spinning our wheels pushing for nearly 10 seconds strait this year.

We had a 4 CIM base with 7" diameter wheels and use the AndyMark Super Shifter with the optional gear package.
Low Gear: 30.1:1
High Gear: 7.5:1

I just posted the latest version of our analysis file as it is significantly better then the previous ones. We used it to determine all of our gear ratios: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/2292

I also have posted a Drive Train Fundamentals presentation: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/2294

Another design consideration is your operating voltage. Your motor power is proportional to the square of your operating voltage. We've started to monitor our voltage during the matches and found it can easily drop below 11V under load (in some cases 7V! [bad battery] ). Hence - much to my dislike as a mechanical guy - we've started to design with a nominal voltage of 11V.
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Mentor: FRC 4201 - The Vitruvian Bots

Awards with FRC 294 - Beach Cities Robotics
2014: LA FRC Champions
2012: LA FRC Finalists
2011: San Diego FRC Finalists
2010: San Diego FTC Finalists, San Diego FRC Champions, LA FRC Finalist, FRC World Champions
2009: LA FRC Finalist
2008: San Diego FRC Champions, LA FRC Finalist, LA FTC Champions, LA VCR Champions,
2007: San Diego FRC Finalist, San Diego FTC Champions, FTC World Champions