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Unread 29-05-2010, 20:11
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Re: Chain driven vs Direct drive mechanum

Quote:
Originally Posted by ttldomination View Post
Well, for issue one. I would recommend a AM SuperShifter. The shifters themselves offer lots of options when it comes to switching out gears and playing with different ratios.
I'd recommend against Supershifters. For the competitions, if you are driving a mecanum base, you won't be winning any pushing battles. Having a shifting system won't help you there. In terms of being able to play with different ratios, Shifters would only allow you to try two. It's almost better just to make your base in a way that it's not impossible to change out the sprockets.

For a first time mecanum base, I'd recommend chain drive. Because this won't be a competition bot, you don't have to worry about the weight or the volume, and chain will give you numerous benefits as you experiment.
That said, depending on the challenge next year, you'll most likely want to reevaluate your options should you choose to go with mecanum drive.
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