FRC Drive Trains

[JesseK]

It seems to me that the OP had a specific drive train in mind given his constraints before the first reply was made. Resources for learning about this type of drive train exist in several places -- only the specific teams numbers do not. Yet even with pictures of specific teams' drive trains, the OP won't have a full picture. That type is the 6WD Skid Steer. You want to use "KISS" as a mantra? There's no need to even look at Octocanum (FRC525 & others), Slide Drive (lots of VEX teams), Crab/Swerve Drive (FRC1717, FRC118, so many others), Twitch Drive (FRC1565 in 2008, FRC1885 in 2009), Ball Drive (FRC45 a long time ago), Mecanum Drive, Omni Drive, Car Steering Variants (FRC34/FRC1629 in 2008) or NonaDrive (FRC148).

What the OP needs are tips & tricks to make a simple drive train successful without having to go through the painful experience of learning everything himself (though this list isn't comprehensive):

• Motor-Gearbox burn-in -- 1.) Grease the gearbox. 2.) Run the motor and gearbox together for 10-20 minutes with the wheels off the ground 3.) Clean the gearbox. Do not fret over metal shavings, just clean them out 4.) Re-grease the gearbox
• Sprocket-Sprocket Alignment -- sprockets with a connection chain should be coplanar (i.e. exactly parallel and precisely transversely aligned)
• Sprocket-Wheel alignment -- The sprockets that connect to a wheel should be exactly parallel to the face of the wheel. Do not use individual plastic spacers/washers to space a sprocket off a wheel (though the solid AM spacer is fine)
• Bearing-Wheel alignment -- When wheel (without connecting chain) is free-spun on the axle that connects it to the frame, there should be NO wobble on the wheel structure (tread wobble is fine for the most part).
• Chain Tension -- Use at least 120-degrees of chain wrap around each sprocket for #25 chain or 90-degrees for #35 chain. Chain should flex roughly 3% (of the sprocket-sprocket distance) up/down -- i.e. it shouldn't be so rigid that there's no vertical flex in the chain.
• Do not settle for the KOP gear ratios if those ratios don't satisfy how your team wants to play the game. With a stock KOP drive train, the easiest/cheapest way to adjust gear ratio is to change the sprocket located on the gearbox output shaft.

I'm sure there are other tips that I'm forgetting at the moment.