How well does this work on carpet?

[NextPerception]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

Matt,
The rules that come into play here are 1) will there be any chance that this would allow metal to come into contact with the floor? 2) will it cause any damage to the carpet.
I think you will find that driving will cause this setup to heat considerably from the friction with the carpet. If the answer to either of the questions above is yes, it will not be allowed. The first is an inspection issue reguiring a close up look at construction and implementation. The second is to be determined by field people. If they think any damage is possible, they may disable your robot and disqualification for repeated offenses is a real consideration for your team. Without close inspection, only you can make a determination at this point.

I don't understand how either of these things could happen as long as a little bit of care is taken in the pits (aka replacing the slides after they wear down to a certain level or when they get metal shavings in them).

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by NextPerception

I don't understand how either of these things could happen as long as a little bit of care is taken in the pits (aka replacing the slides after they wear down to a certain level or when they get metal shavings in them).

Matt,
Just speaking from experience.

[NextPerception]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

Matt,
Just speaking from experience.

I always apreciate anyones input that anyone is willing to give it


out of those who have tried it, is it noticably easier or harder to rotate a delrin skid 2 wheel drive robot vs. a caster 2 wheel drive robot?

[redbarron]

Though I have no personal experience in the skid area I have driven a robot with casters, and I would say that the two wheel drive setup will not only lack in traction but it will tend to over steer until you practice with the bot a little bit. As far as wheels losing you time while turning, they will not with the right setup. If you have a bot that is wider than it is long than you will not have that problem. On th other hand if your designed bot is longer than it is wide it will tend to "jump" while turning, which is why it is popular for long bots to have > 4 wheels.

[NextPerception]

Originally Posted by redbarron

Though I have no personal experience in the skid area I have driven a robot with casters, and I would say that the two wheel drive setup will not only lack in traction but it will tend to over steer until you practice with the bot a little bit. As far as wheels losing you time while turning, they will not with the right setup. If you have a bot that is wider than it is long than you will not have that problem. On th other hand if your designed bot is longer than it is wide it will tend to "jump" while turning, which is why it is popular for long bots to have > 4 wheels.

wow, this makes a lot of sense now that you said that. does anyone know how to make a robot with theoretical values of, oh i dunno, 21.5 inches between the centers of the front and back wheels and 22 inches between the left and right wheels more stable as a four wheel drive robot (aka no bouncing). i know different types of wheels will matter but is it the coefficient of friction that is important. I know that what we do on our battlebot is use wheels that wear down when lateral force is applied and that is why it stays planted to the floor when doing turns on its 4 wheel drive but thats the only experience i have with 4 wheel drive

[Kyveck]

This is only my teams experience, but we used a drive train with two wheels in the center and four delrin skids on the corners in 2005. I don't have any pictures of the drive train though. The chassis was about 1//2" off of the ground in the center and the skids were raised 1/4". Initially we didn't do that, and had some trouble turning consistenty. It was definately a little difficult to learn to drive becuase it overshot turns so easily, but with a little practice and a lot of feedback control, our driver was able to control it very well.

As you would imagine, whenever we were bumped on a corner, we spun, but this wasn't as much of a disadvantage as we thought it would be. Our drivetrain was so maneuverable that we found it much easier to avoid the other robots, or just get out of the way. If we were bumped and couldn't move, we only spun, and we could spin back into position very quickly.

We replaced the delrin skids whenever they began so show strain or crack marks, about every 5 or six matches. They were very reliable, although they took a lot of time to form carefully with files and a dremel.

In 2006, we mistakenly tried the same drivetrain again, hoping to use powered wheels in the front which were usually off the ground to go up the ramp. The design, like most of our 2006 robot, was a flop. This drive base is inherently bad at ramps. We're trying something new this year, since we still want to be able to go up ramps.

Hope this might be helpful, and if you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer.

Kyle W,
Team 1014

[slickguy2007]

Matt,

Team 1403 used plastic sliders in 2004, and I don't recall having any issues with them. You are considerably more maneuverable, but do realize that you will be very easy to push when on the field. You will have slightly less control over the robot, and the driver will have to become used to the changes.

Make sure you have some extra sliders when at the competition because make no mistake, they will wear down. It's always good to have spares.