pic: FRC 2399 2016 Robot

[rebelreyek]

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[Chris Endres]

Looks nice! Any video of it driving/traversing defenses?

[cbale2000]

Why the omni wheels? It would seem to be that you would have no control over when the omnis were touching the ground, because any time you cross a defense the configuration will change. Couldn't this lead to inconsistent traction on the drive base?

[rebelreyek]

Originally Posted by cbale2000

Why the omni wheels? It would seem to be that you would have no control over when the omnis were touching the ground, because any time you cross a defense the configuration will change. Couldn't this lead to inconsistent traction on the drive base?

You're right; our wheels flip while going over obstacles and we have don't have a way to control it. However, we prototyped and tested with all three wheels as traction as well as two traction and one omni. We decided on this configuration because it gives us more maneuverability, and after adding (somewhat excessive) weight to our prototype, it became difficult for us to turn.

Originally Posted by Chris Endres

Looks nice! Any video of it driving/traversing defenses?

Here you go!

[Chris Endres]

Very nice! One of the best drives with traction wheels I've seen going over defenses. Best of luck.

[asid61]

Beautifully simple and it looks extremely effective at traversing. Any chance of a climber going on there?

[Captain_Kirch]

Originally Posted by rebelreyek

However, we prototyped and tested with all three wheels as traction as well as two traction and one omni. We decided on this configuration because it gives us more maneuverability.

I don't quite follow here. Wouldn't the randomness and unpredictability of your traction be a hindrance? Why not keep 3 of the same wheel (plaction or omni) on each pod?

[ollien]

I'm quite curious as to how you're driving those without any sort of chain getting tangled. Care to explain?

[Cam_Team 2619]

Needs more wheels.

[taytaythedj]

I'm intrigued by your design. The wheels make my question though, how does it drive using the 3 wheels? Does each wheel spin by itself or does it have chains going through the 3. SO many questions. I would love to see a video on your robot working and the parts on it. Good Job!

[Conor Ryan]

Super innovative design. Much smoother a traversing obstacles than other designs. Did you incorporate it with a lift? This is a great throw back to several great 2004 drive trains.

Originally Posted by taytaythedj

I'm intrigued by your design. The wheels make my question though, how does it drive using the 3 wheels? Does each wheel spin by itself or does it have chains going through the 3. SO many questions. I would love to see a video on your robot working and the parts on it. Good Job!

Look closely in the video, you'll see all the wheels moving.

[rebelreyek]

Originally Posted by asid61

Beautifully simple and it looks extremely effective at traversing. Any chance of a climber going on there?

Probably not for our first regional, but there’s some potential there

Originally Posted by Captain_Kirch

I don't quite follow here. Wouldn't the randomness and unpredictability of your traction be a hindrance? Why not keep 3 of the same wheel (plaction or omni) on each pod?

With one omni per module it’s easier for us to turn. Test driving with them, we didn’t find many issues in terms of traction. On the outerworks, if an omni isn’t providing enough traction to traverse, the entire module will flip anyways. You can see that happen 0:43 seconds into the video; the left front module has an omni in front and rotates to get over the rock wall.

When it comes to driving around and parking on the tower ramp, we’ll always have at least 4 traction wheels in contact with the ground, which we found to be sufficient. The only real issue is when no omnis are touching the ground. It doesn’t disable the drive train, it just makes turning a bit slower.

Let me know if that answers your question; I think I hit on all points of confusion, but I might have generalized or been unclear.

Originally Posted by ollien

I'm quite curious as to how you're driving those without any sort of chain getting tangled. Care to explain?

There’s two sets of chain per wheel. On the “top” layer, chain connects the center shaft to one of the traction wheels. The “bottom” layer of the chain runs around the edge of the wheel’s plate and connects all three wheels with one another.

Originally Posted by taytaythedj

how does it drive using the 3 wheels? Does each wheel spin by itself or does it have chains going through the 3.

See my description above for details on how the module drives, and let me know if you have any more questions. The modules are free to spin whenever they come to an obstacle they can’t cross normally, as seen in the video!

Originally Posted by Conor Ryan

Did you incorporate it with a lift?

We haven't included it in the overall design yet, but it's definitely a thought we've had!

[LiterallyMatty]

Originally Posted by rebelreyek

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Nice omni's!