Basic Drive Train Drawings

[Mr. Ivey]

Both Sparky 1, and Sparky v2.0 have casters, Sparky v3.0 was 4wd, and Sparky (Sparky v4.0) had casters. I felt that the drive system on 3.0 was cumbersom when I tried it almost 2 years ago. While 4*4 works on trucks and is great when I go rutin, I feel it isn't the best way to go on ALL bots. Some bots are very productive with 4wd. Back to the point, on every version of Sparky (not counting v3.0) we have used front casters, that were very strong. Also to hit on the swaying motion you asked about. I will say that unless used properly your bot will sway all over the place with casters. You need casters that are made to take on a heavy load, and are made to take the power from the back. About the sway that Sparky had last year, we meant for our year to be focused on having fun, and we made it so Sparky could "dance" around the field. So what you probably saw was our driver having some fun at the end of a round, like doing 360s or poping a wheelie, or just running around the field. But your idea of having a caster in the back is intriguing, I had never considered that. But isn't there a problem with stability, if you have a square frame, and a single caster in the back, it just seems like there would be a fair amount of teetering??? I would like to hear more on this design.
Ivey