[FTC]: FTC weight and number of drive motors

[JesseK]

Fast drive trains have tended to be big let-downs in FTC from my experience and witnessing. Standard 1:1 with 3" wheels typically does the job, or if you want a little faster then 1:1 with 4" wheels may do it better. FTC is more about control than flying around the field; strategy can more than make up for lack of relative speed.

The weight differences between 2 motors and 4 motors is nominal; simply split the wiring at the controller for 2 motors per side instead of 1 motor per side.

The difference in power of 2 motors vs 4 motors comes into play during pushing matches, of which there are many. It also comes into play for motor longevity; 4 motors tend to last longer than 2 simply because there are more motors to spread the load. As for raw pushing power, there is a noticeable difference, yet only if your bot maintains traction over the other bot. Push traction is a derived characteristic of wheel tread, center of gravity, and the height/direction of the contact point between your bot and another bot.

As for battery life, it's been my experience that continuously-run or overloaded manipulators have more effect on the battery than a drive train does. Your design may not have any continuously-run components though (conveyor, intake roller, etc). Additionally, the difference in current draw between 2 drive train motors vs. 4 drive train motors is nominal.

[normalmutant]

We put 4 motors on our prototype robot during the middle of the season to test it, and even though it probably got run more than our bigger robot at demos, it barely ever burned out. Our 2 motor robot would burn out at the most inconvenient times, i.e. finals. We haven't tested it for sure, but we think 4 is better.