Mecanum vs The Barrier

[davidthefat]

Unless you put "skis" about a centimeter off the ground.

[MattC9]

We used mechs. in 2010, never again. They were destroyed because of the 2010 bumps, I can't immagine what the barrier will do to them.

[ayeckley]

Originally Posted by MattC9

We used mechs. in 2010, never again. They were destroyed because of the 2010 bumps, I can't immagine what the barrier will do to them.

Counterpoint: We used mechanums in 2010 and they were not destroyed by the bumps.

[vhcook]

Originally Posted by MattC9

We used mechs. in 2010, never again. They were destroyed because of the 2010 bumps, I can't imagine what the barrier will do to them.

Ours actually held up fairly nicely in 2010 through two regionals, and we were back and forth on the bumps a lot.

The center rail this year is a bit more severe, particularly you're trying repeated high-speed traverses. I'd definitely be concerned about bending the roller supports out of shape. Traction could also be a significant concern, particularly on the bridges when they're tipping.

[T Wallas Pog]

We have used the same mecanums without replacing any rollers for two years now. They have been over the Breakaway bumps and driven on asphalt during many fairs and celebrations and they are still working as good as ever.

[Ankit S.]

One more thing about Mechanum wheels vs. the field.

The key is not carpet, which is plastic, and will turn your Mechanum wheel robot into a "spin my noisy wheels" robot. In addition, if you do have any intention on balancing, Mechanum wheels may have a problem with that as well.

I suggest that you and your team thinks a little more about it, runs some tests (if possible) about mechanum wheels on the field, and carries spare 8 inch wheels to competition, so if your wheels break/are ineffective, you will be able to switch them out.

[ratdude747]

maybe the uber-heavy 10" steel plated mecanums... those would hold up...

http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-0298.htm

keep in mind they are HEAVY....

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by SuperNerd256

To put it delicately: Those wheels are gonna be broken in 2 by match 3.

Do you have any concrete evidence to support that claim?

[EOC]

Originally Posted by ratdude747

maybe the uber-heavy 10" steel plated mecanums... those would hold up...

http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-0298.htm

keep in mind they are HEAVY....

That's 52 pounds of wheels!!!!!

[mjgard]

Any concerns with the Mecanum wheels getting over the bridges? Is there going to be enough traction to climb the bridge enough to get on it and over it so you can cross or balance it?

[fortinj1354]

Originally Posted by ratdude747

maybe the uber-heavy 10" steel plated mecanums... those would hold up...

http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-0298.htm

keep in mind they are HEAVY....

Those go over the $400 individual part price limit.

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by fortinj1354

Those go over the $400 individual part price limit.

I'm curious whether [R17] applies to a set of 4 mecanum wheels. They are available for $180 each, which would be legal under [R14]. However, a single mecanum wheel isn't very useful by itself, so [R17] might make them illegal.

[joek]

buy them individually.

we had no problems with mechanum in 2010, just with everything else falling apart... the bumps were hard on it. depending on your strategy, there may be no need to cross the bump. however, the bridges will be fairly slippery.

i've been toying with the idea of having a pair of powered kop wheels that could be pushed down when needed, and lifted off the ground when not. I figure that they would overcome the mechanum's lack of traction, while still allowing strafing when not in use.

[syquest]

Originally Posted by Joe Ross

I'm curious whether [R17] applies to a set of 4 mecanum wheels. They are available for $180 each, which would be legal under [R14]. However, a single mecanum wheel isn't very useful by itself, so [R17] might make them illegal.

Yeah, there should be no problem with buying a set of 4 since they are individual parts. It would be no different than buying something in bulk to save money. Even if you consider two wheels a set (Left and Right), you are still at $360.

I think the real concern is weight. With the SIMs you have invested a huge amount of your weight allowance on your drive train. Still tempting

[bmlarson12]

Our robot in 2010 not only could get over the bump at high speeds with rough mecanums, but also seemed to have better traction than the high traction wheels. We were able to win against any other robot in a pushing contest unless they had the same wheels. I also noticed other teams with rough mecanum wheels outpushing most robots. Things can shake loose if you don't use locking nuts and lock-tight, but that was not a problem for us.