Drive Trains & All that they encompass

[BJC]

Originally Posted by ksafin

I think somebody mentioned that many teams use Mecanum's or Swerve's (or at least explore these wheels) for the experience and knowledge of what these wheels offer, as well the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges of using them.

Part of why I brought this thread up is because next season by team was touching on the possibility of using Mecanum wheels. Now, if the game turns out to be something where Mecanum's would be a horrible choice, we obviously wouldn't use them. But if the game lends itself to Mecanum's decently, we were hoping to invest in some and hook them up.

Barring any complications you could foresee us having, does it make sense, in your opinion, for us to explore other options of wheels for our drivetrain? As much as you all agree that a standard drivetrain w/ 6 wheels like the kitbot or KoS is the best, I would still think that any team should explore different wheels, drivetrains, etc.

For some reason having a team that uses the same drivetrain for their entire career seems a bit shaking to me, as it takes away that aspect of Engineering in which we explore other possibilities, options, and then assess what we thought was best and how we move forward.

In essence, given what I've said, would you think it's ok for us to use Mecanum's next season if the game allows, and why or why not?

Hey there,

First off, I should warn you, I am a mecanum hater. My team will never use them in a drivetrain in the forseeable future.

You say that everyone says that a 6wd or 8wd is best. You also say that you are looking to explore different wheels, drivetrains, etc.

It sounds to me like you want to do some offseason testing. Mec wheels are expensive, however, they are off the shelf and if you bought them in the offseason you would still be able to use them in season if you didn't modify them. Now I'm not going to tell you not to use them, but it is always a good idea to test things new to your team in the offseason. If you test them out and decide you like them better, THEN you can make an informed decision on weither or not you should use them in the new game after kickoff.

The drivetrain is the most important part of any robot. It's not a good place to try new things without testing first.

Regards, Bryan

[AlecMataloni]

Originally Posted by ksafin

I think somebody mentioned that many teams use Mecanum's or Swerve's (or at least explore these wheels)

I would stay away from a swerve drive until your team has:
1. The resources to fabricate one (or purchase one. See team 221).
2. The capability to program one (often the hardest aspect of developing a swerve).
3. Experience with the drivetrain gained by making and programming one during the off-season.

[rcmolloy]

Originally Posted by AlecMataloni

I would stay away from a swerve drive until your team has
1. the resources to fabricate one (or purchase one. See team 221).
2. The capability to program one (often the hardest aspect of developing a swerve)
3. experience with the drivetrain gained by making and programming one during the off-season.

I agree 100% with what Alec says here. Even more so, the complexity of a swerve is a risk in itself. Encore was a machine that required maintenance almost after every match and we believe that the time that's spent fixing those components are more beneficial somewhere else.

The functionality of a Swerve is incredible but I still believe a team can never go wrong with a 6/8 wheel drive at all.

[MichaelBick]

Originally Posted by rcmolloy

The functionality of a Swerve is incredible but I still believe a team can never go wrong with a 6/8 wheel drive at all.

I agree with Cory here but I want to add that it's not only about if you CAN fabricate a swerve but also how quicly. I like to think of week 4 as the perfect time to have your robot (or at least your practice robot) completely built. Then you have two weeks to modify, program, and practice. If swerve is going to prevent you from getting a robot built before this time then you shouldn't be going with a swerve drive.

[ksafin]

Just to clarify guys, I never said we were going to pursue Swerve.

I'm aware of the difficulties and challenges of using Swerve, and pretty much ruled it out for those reasons. Besides, we're a year 2 team, Swerve is way out in the future for us, if it exists at all.

I was merely citing it as an example of alternate drive systems that teams explore versus traditional, simple drive trains.