Drive Train/mechanim wheels

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by EricH

A mecanum system is a little more complicated in terms of motor direction than an omni system.

Mathematically, it turns out that they are the same. I wrote some very simple control software for a mecanum drivebase a couple of years ago. It is exactly like controlling a four-omniwheel drivebase. The relevant factor is the angle at which the small rollers spin freely.

[JesseK]

I too believe the controls for omni vs. mecanum is the same for robot-centric driving. Simply align the omni wheels in an "O" pattern offset from the chassis and you have it.

Your biggest problem in building a mecanum/holonomic drive train will not be manufacturing it and getting the mechanics to work properly. In fact the hardest thing will be keeping the team energized, focused, and motivated when they're creating probably the most complex system they've faced thus far.

Take it in steps. There are several teams I saw (and have photos of) in Atlanta who have a small CIM attached to the 56mm 12:1 Banebots transmissions that go directly into AM Mecanum wheels. Some of these teams won their regioinals, so that tells me it's a simple and effective enough setup. This setup costs ~$1100 (avg. chassis price included), so be prepared.