[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

Way back before small electric motors were available, workshops all worked off one single power source - a water wheel, steam engine, gasoline engine or (large) electric motor - with a shaft that ran the length of the shop. Each machine had a long leather belt that took power from the shop shaft (with a clutch that could be disengaged when desired). In this way, all of the power was available to any machine that needed it, or a fraction was available to every machine in the shop.

What if you built a robot that shared ALL the mechanical power like that?

For the 2010 season, the 968/254 robots used a power takeoff to have one set of motors/gearboxes powering both the drivetrain, and the lifting arm. I believe 973 used a similar design as well.

Team 60/254 had a power takeoff in 2004 to power a winch which lifted the robot from the ground at the end of the match.

I'm not aware of any FRC robot that has been centrally driven through one power unit.