Drivetrain First Thoughts?

[davidthefat]

A drive system like the Omni or the Mecanum seems most fit for this year's game. Any first minute thought? The drive train I spend hours making yesterday came out to be useless for this...

[GGCO]

The key to the small robot will be making something that's FAST! I don't know how putting the minibot higher on the pole will play out right now, but it seems interesting.

[Vikesrock]

My initial thought is KISS. No obstacles or special terrain means my initial reaction is the tried and true 6WD drop.

All subject to change as I go through game and strategy analysis of course.

[lexxasaurus]

First thing I thought was fast, I think speed will be fairly important in this game. The faster you complete the objective the more you get to block the other alliance. My next thought is strength; I feel having a stronger drive train will give you an edge in blocking... then there is the being able to move any direction giving you an advantage in scoring because of maneuverability.
Drive train this year seems really dependent on what you team wants to do, not the field elements.

[Joe G.]

Speed seems quite important. I too am inclined to go with 6WD.

[Grim Tuesday]

My first thought was

Tank drive will never work, since you have such an awful turning radius, unless your scoring system is seperate from the direction the robot is facing.

Next I thought Mecanum, since they can go sideways, and line up great for an elevator style scorer. But then I realized that mecanums are quite slow, so its quite a conondrum.

Could someone outline why 6WD would be good for this year?

[JesseK]

6WD drop-center is doable with the KOP drive train straight out of the box, that's why it's so good for this year. IT WORKS right outta the box, and at a good, balanced speed too. It's good enough that veteran teams should already have the KOP drive train built by the end of today and can now work on their manipulators.

[BrendanB]

Well... go big or go home. 8wd swerve!

[Djur]

My team is most likely going to use the same mecanum drive as last year, as it'll allow for much easier self-alignment to the pegs (and therefore less error while placing the tubes). We'll just slide along the endline while everyone else will be trying to turn with their clunky 6WD

EDIT: @Grim Tuesday: D'you mean that mecanums are slow going sideways? I agree, but a crabwalk shouldn't last for more than a few feet to align to pegs, so it would be more advantageous to have the additional maneuverability -- sliding > turning

[davidthefat]

Originally Posted by BrendanB

Well... go big or go home. 8wd swerve!

I was thinking more like 8 wheel omni... Like a giant octagon

LOL JK I got something cooler.

[big1boom]

Originally Posted by Grim Tuesday

My first thought was

Tank drive will never work, since you have such an awful turning radius, unless your scoring system is seperate from the direction the robot is facing.

Next I thought Mecanum, since they can go sideways, and line up great for an elevator style scorer. But then I realized that mecanums are quite slow, so its quite a conondrum.

Could someone outline why 6WD would be good for this year?

Tank drive has 0 turn radius.
The reason why teams tend to go with 6WD Drop is because it shortens the effective wheelbase, reducing wheel "scrub". Basically it makes it so that the robot is able to turn without jumping around or stalling.

Mecanum drive can be just as fast as any other drive system, its all in the gearing.

[blayde5]

Our team is heavily considering our first (successful) swerve drive this year. We figure that extra maneuverability while placing the tubes on the pegs will be extremely helpful. You can also lock the modules in place and run it as a tank drive so we have that option as well. We're hesitating a little because, although we built it during the offseason, we never have tested the electronics or controls (which people say is the harder part)

Otherwise, we'll go with a standard 6WD dropped center. It's simple, easy to make, and we'll be done with it in the first week.

[davidthefat]

I think a 4 wheel drive is sufficient. You don't need as much mobility as last year's game required. As long as you have an accurate racking mechanism, I don't think the drive matters as much.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by davidthefat

I think a 4 wheel drive is sufficient. You don't need as much mobility as last year's game required. As long as you have an accurate racking mechanism, I don't think the drive matters as much.

Check the 60" rule, make sure you know how accurate you can actually be.

[UCGL_Guy]

Before you choose 6 wheel drop think of the slight rocking that occurs due to the middle wheels being lower. Another solution to this is omnis at the corners and having all wheels on the same plane eliminating rocking.