Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve_Alaniz
...It IS possible to make your own Urethane Mechanums and come closer to the traction belt co-efficients. For that matter, replace the rollers on the AM mechanums with a urethane roller... but I'm too lazy...I also have a plan for locking the wheels on a mechanum but have never bothered to build it. No one can have their cake and eat it too.
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Valid point. My use of the AM numbers wasn't supposed to be an end-all-be-all commentary on mecanum but rather, on the mecanum that teams asking this question on the Sunday after kickoff will more than likely use. Locking rollers are a beast in and of themselves, no doubt, but they're not a beast you first debate during build season.
That said, I wasn't aiming to dismiss the trade-off either. It's a team choice. Personally, I've never seen the appeal of mecanum, but that's my team/drive team and the games. Simulate it, watch '07 videos*, work with your drive team and builders, weigh your options. Either may be right. What I find odd is the view that
this is the year of mecanum simply because of the scoring challenges. I've never seen a game that necessitated a certain drivetrain, and certainly not mecanum. It may be true, but it's a heck of a statement make without testing, especially considering the results in 2007.
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PatrickS has got this down, by the way. Consider that you [general pronoun] may be over-stating the alignment necessary. I dropped many a misaligned tube on the rack in 2007 with no issue. Make some pegs and test it out.