How can we drive on this new floor?

[Eaglepilot52]

How to drive on the new arena surface? Well, stated in the rules, ALL robots have the exact same wheels. They cannot be modified. So I guess to drive well, you need a good driver, a good robot design, and some luck.

However, I heard that having less wheels would be better. I think mabye it's becuse there's less traction or something like that...

[JagWire]

Originally Posted by Hachiban VIII

"Long" drive configuration with a wheel at each corner. Normal tank-steering.
Geared for around 8 fps.
Weight makes a HUGE difference.
Also realize that other bots won't be able to push you as hard as you can kick.
Crashes are a different story.

Were the wheels maintaining a 'static' state? or were they spinning a lot?

Hehe, sorry for asking so many questions. I'm interested in the first-hand experience. My team hasn't gotten their hands on the regolith flooring yet, and are considering a 4-wheel tank drive. we're considering a wide frontal orientation for the wheels though. so the front of the bot would be the longest side. we'll see if this helps improve turning ability. I think we're going to be up for a LOT of testing (trial and error) this year. haha.

[ezygmont708]

We have a tank drive that we use each year for prototyping. Please take a look at the video on the link below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1Rl8mcTpjw

This is just last year's code running two CIMs per toughbox. Just a little video taste....

[swamp_child]

Originally Posted by DanDon

A holonomic drivebase would still be possible even with just the KOP wheels. The coefficient of friction is low enough that a swerve base or kiwi drive would both be possible, since the wheels slide easily enough.

Kiwi doesnt quite work, because the coefficient of friction when moving laterally is far greater than that of when the wheel is moving normally.

[RoboGeek99]

Originally Posted by ezygmont708

We have a tank drive that we use each year for prototyping. Please take a look at the video on the link below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1Rl8mcTpjw

This is just last year's code running two CIMs per toughbox. Just a little video taste....

What looks like could be a problem with that is the trailer is going to jacknife and that could make a huge diference

[pacoliketaco]

although my team has already bought some of the flooring, we have yet to test it out. hopefully soon we will be able to retrofit an old robot to make use of the new wheels. i think that practice is really going to make a difference this year.

on a separate note, ive read a lot of posts about driving this year, but no one yet (as i have seen) has brought this up:

from rule regarding wheels (i dont remember the number)
...a “normal” orientation (i.e. with the tread of the wheel in contact with the ground, with the axis of rotation parallel to the ground and penetrating the wheel hub)...

if you ask me, we dont have to have the wheels spinning in a circular orbit. by building a hub that allows the rotation of the wheel to be offset from the center, a different driving stlye would result. im not sure if this would help at all, or be legal for that matter, it just seemed interesting.

[=Martin=Taylor=]

Originally Posted by JagWire

Were the wheels maintaining a 'static' state? or were they spinning a lot?

Hehe, sorry for asking so many questions. I'm interested in the first-hand experience. My team hasn't gotten their hands on the regolith flooring yet, and are considering a 4-wheel tank drive. we're considering a wide frontal orientation for the wheels though. so the front of the bot would be the longest side. we'll see if this helps improve turning ability. I think we're going to be up for a LOT of testing (trial and error) this year. haha.

It didn't drive so well once we got the trailer going today

Our driver did develop a clever method of jack-knifing the bot back and forth to turn around. Simply tank steering was impossible with the trailer...

We're looking into the wide config also... Let me know how it goes for you.

[Enigma's puzzle]

Originally Posted by Hachiban VIII

We're looking into the wide config also... Let me know how it goes for you.

<R18> part b
The Trailer Hitch must be rigidly attached to a fixed location on the ROBOT, with the long dimension of the Trailer Hitch horizontal and the opening of the C-channel facing away from the ROBOT. The horizontal center line of the Trailer Hitch must be 2-13/16 inches above
the floor.

this may inhibit wide robots but im not sure?

[chuckmerja]

Team 1696 "driving" last year's bot with new wheels on FRP - ufduh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc_L3Cbz5nQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbG5Ft72z9I

[dudefromjapan]

Originally Posted by Hachiban VIII

We got a 4 wheeler running on the game floor today with the wheels.

Seemed to be controlable enough. We could turn it when it weighed 30 lbs. and when it weighed 120~160 lbs. it turned even better.

We'll have to see how it goes with the trailer.

How's the acceleration and breaking on it?

[Boco Gear]

Wow there are a lot of ideas being thrown out here. I have to see in all of them games I have seen for FRC this is definitely something new. As for driving on this new surface it seems hard.

JUst wondering wouldn't the drifting ideas and driving on ice ideas kind of be hindered from the trailer a bit?

[Tom Line]

Does anyone have any idea why WildStangs removed their driving video from youtube?

[Andrew Bates]

Probably one of their team members put it up without asking the team and then the rest of the team asked that member to remove it.

[jager1976]

Originally Posted by Thermal

There is another rule stating that the wheel's rotation MUST BE inline with movement of the bot, so that the axle the wheel is on is perpendicular to the bot and wheels movement

I'd be interested in where this rule is. <R06> says "The ROVER WHEELS must be used in a “normal” orientation (i.e. with the tread of the wheel in contact with the ground, with the axis of rotation parallel to the ground and penetrating the wheel hub). The ground being a plane, this seems to suggest that the wheels may be angled. Maybe?

[FatBabyJezus]

would car steering be a bad idea?