Motors this season

[Jack Jones]

Originally Posted by Dave Campbell

...
On the other hand, are specific designs part of the competition and therefore limited to the Jan-Feb build season? I believe that they are. While we train our team in the fall, we do not design specific parts for our competition robot. ...

That could be extended to mean that design (CAD) components from, say, first cad library or manufacture supplied, would have to be re-drawn during the build. That does not make any sense,. Nor does drawing a prototype part off season, then pretending you didn't. I see a real difference between a physical and a virtual part when it comes to the build season. Either not creating the CAD or throwing it out would be like having a mental image of a concept, then inducing amnesia for the sake of sportsmanship.

[Peter Matteson]

Back to the original topic...

I'm suspecting the the globes will be back. Beyond those I have little confidence in what we are getting. The FPs differ so much in power I consider it a new motor.

I'm of the less popular belief that we will see smaller less powerful mototrs this year and have a smaller envelope. Speed and stregth of the robots has gotten dangerous over the last few years and I think that will be reflected in new motor choices this year.

My $0.02
Pete

[MikeDubreuil]

You have to stop thinking about what FIRST will put into the kit based on their desires and start thinking about what companies will donate (or vastly reduce the cost) of their motor to FIRST.

I think every motor we have seen a history of will be included in the kit: Van Door Window, Seat, Globe, Fisher Price and Chips. The Bosch drill motors are a different story; we presume they will not be in the kit based on Bosch discounting them. However, I feel Bosch will step up to the plate as Fisher Price did. Fisher Price changed motors, but still continued to donate to the program.

Bosch is in a slightly different position than Fisher Price. From what I've heard on the board, they are discontinuing the use of 12V motors. In that case, they have either stockpiled 12V motors for us, or will provide us with higher voltage motors which we will just run at 12V.

[Ian W.]

Originally Posted by MikeDubreuil

Bosch is in a slightly different position than Fisher Price. From what I've heard on the board, they are discontinuing the use of 12V motors. In that case, they have either stockpiled 12V motors for us, or will provide us with higher voltage motors which we will just run at 12V.

Or we'll get higher voltage (24V) systems. Hey, it's not exactly something we need, but it'd be kinda neat to see how much more powerful the robots could get with higher voltage motors.