pic: Team 1511 Prototype Drivebase Mk. II

[Monochron]

Originally Posted by Vespasian

As for the side loads, it is a concern, but each cylinder only has a stroke of 1" at 5/16" bore. They could bend, but it would take a considerable amount of force. These are relatively easy to replace in this design, though I would rather not have to keep extras lying around, since they're not too cheap.

Even so, the failure mode of this design is a robot propped up that can no longer move. I don't know the likelyhood of bending those pistons, but I would recommend doing heavy destructive testing on it before you consider using the design in a competition. It depends on "when" in a match you would use this though. If it is part of some end game then I would guess that you would be fine. But if they intent is to lock down an area or hold position for long periods of time . . .

On that note, does anyone have a suggestion on what to do in case of pressure loss? I was thinking maybe surgical tubing to pull against the "feet" or bellypan with just enough force to lift them off the ground.

That is a good idea. Surgical tubing, springs, or the like are definitely good there.