New Andymark Mecanum wheel

[Electronica1]

Andymark is making a 4 inch Mecanum wheel
http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-2626.htm
kind of looks like the vex wheels to me

[geomapguy]

Something must be up with all the new 4 in wheels....haha

[Steven Donow]

Originally Posted by geomapguy

Something must be up with all the new 4 in wheels....haha

I think it might just be more with the recent increase in 8wds using 4 inch wheels.


(of course that doesn't explain mecanum)

[Ether]

Originally Posted by Electronica1

Andymark is making a 4 inch Mecanum wheel
http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-2626.htm
kind of looks like the vex wheels to me

Would it be possible for a CAD guru to use the provided CAD file to create a view directly along the wheel axis? I'm curious how much overlap (or gap) there is between the rollers along the wheel's circumference.

[wilsonmw04]

I think these are intended for the FTC market primarily. They can use all 4" wheels.

[wasayanwer97]

The load capacity is only 17 pounds per wheel, they have to be for FTC.

Or maybe... Mecanum minibots anyone?

[nathannfm]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

I think these are intended for the FTC market primarily. They can use all 4" wheels.

Agreed, that 6 sided hub is common in FTC
http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-2609.htm

[thefro526]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

I think these are intended for the FTC market primarily. They can use all 4" wheels.

I believe you are correct.

FTC rules have opened up a bunch in recent years, and one of the 2013-2014 changes has allowed the use of different COTS wheels.

Wheels of any type up to 4” diameter (as measured at the outer surface of the tread)*. Wheels that have exposed
features likely to cause damage to field and/or game elements are not allowed. Wheels are considered to be the
total of the rim (the plastic or other material on the inside), the tire (the rubber or other material on the
outside), and the manufacturer provided wheel hub used to mount the wheel to an axle. Individual components
of a legal wheel assembly can be used on the robot (as long as wheel and hub are 4” diameter or less).

FTC's kit is really lacking in certain areas, one of which being wheels if you want something that's a bit more competition oriented, so it's a fantastic change. I'd imagine that a lot of the recent product additions are going to be really well received in FTC, with the side benefit of being useful in FRC as well. It's also worth noting that Mecanum wheels are actually really, really useful in FTC (as is any holonomic drive, really) since the robots and games lack some of the dynamics that can hinder the competitive advantages of omni-directional drives, and the fields are really, really tight considering the robot size constraints.

*I believe some teams have run into trouble using some FRC "4 inch" wheels since when measured at the tread, they can actually measure a bit over 4" - usually within .125 - .1875" - so it's worth keeping a set of Calipers handy if you don't want to be surprised.

[wilsonmw04]

Originally Posted by wasayanwer97

The load capacity is only 17 pounds per wheel, they have to be for FTC.

Or maybe... Mecanum minibots anyone?

or they have reduced our weight limit!

[geomapguy]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

or they have reduced our weight limit!

Sure hope not!!

[Danny Blau]

Would it be possible for a CAD guru to use the provided CAD file to create a view directly along the wheel axis? I'm curious how much overlap (or gap) there is between the rollers along the wheel's circumference.

Hope this helps
AM Spy

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by wasayanwer97

Or maybe... Mecanum minibots anyone?

Get. Out.

[Electronica1]

Someone needs to do this when it comes out.

[Ether]

Originally Posted by AM Spy

Hope this helps
AM Spy

Nice work. Reps to you.

Looks like only very minor dimples at the roller transitions and splits.

[butler5920]

Nice - we thought that these only came in 8" sizes, nice to see them in a 4" size. Could make for a nice base, but there's just no way we could afford to give up 4 motors for our drive base this year - both of our teams are just using 2WD, and they're maxed out at 8 DC motors!