Crab Drive HELP!!***

[ToolGuy91]

the crab drive is a useful thing to have and as far as pictures go look at either 1086 or 384 robot from last year

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

One point: NASCAR doesn't use crab drive, why does your team think it needs to? Examine that question, and the answers might surprise you.

Don

Because of the hundreds of rules that don't allow drive systems not sold on production cars? Maybe?

Anyway, if you haven't built a crab before, or spent months designing one, you're way behind. Good luck building one, if you can.

[abeD]

Yea I have to agree you are behind, but that shouldn't stop you from trying you can always go to a standard tank drive or even only a two wheel crab with omnis in the back (teams have used this effectively before) if things don't go your way.

[Steve_Alaniz]

Check out Team 118
http://www.robonauts.org/
They are a Great Bunch of guys and would be happy to advise you. They have been using a crab drive for several years and have developed a fairly complex system. They may tell you you're in over your head but at least if they do, you'll know it's true.

Good luck!
Steve

[Ryan Dognaux]

I will echo what everyone else has pretty much said, check out the mecanum drive as it's probably your best bet for what you're looking to achieve in a short amount of time. It's no easy task, but it's easier than other omni-directional drives. My opinion of this year's game is that if you can create a very slick, very well practiced and smoothly operating mecanum drive, you'll have a significant advantage. Be prepared to put in a lot of time though.

[Elgin Clock]

Can't this team just use the Andymark Mecanum drive that is available as a COTS item?
Fabrication time of the drive wheels themselves would essentially be nothing at that point, (minus some obvious separate assembly time) and then it's just a matter of waiting for it to be shipped to you, mounting it on the robot, and then having drivers practice with them.

Am I missing something here with my suggestion?

[lukevanoort]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

Can't this team just use the Andymark Mecanum drive that is available as a COTS item?
Fabrication time of the drive wheels themselves would essentially be nothing at that point, (minus some obvious separate assembly time) and then it's just a matter of waiting for it to be shipped to you, mounting it on the robot, and then having drivers practice with them.

Am I missing something here with my suggestion?

Sort of. As you pointed out, a basic mecanum isn't that mechanically challenging (although a suspension might be very important to have, depending on your frame). The software, however, can be rather tough. Not an insurmountable problem by any means (as all the mecanum robots proved last year), but it can be troublesome; just figuring out how to setup the controls for the driver can take a good bit of time.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by ToolGuy91

the crab drive is a useful thing to have and as far as pictures go look at either 1086 or 384 robot from last year

As I remember it, both teams used mechanum drive, which is totally different than swerve.