pic: Four Speed Three CIM Gearbox

[Kevin Leonard]

Originally Posted by GeeTwo

The ultimate FRC PTO would have six CIMs each running at a bit under 20A, each generating about 150W. A slice of this massive 900W (that's about 1.2 HP) would then be available to whatever functions the robot needed to perform, whether it was drive, lift, pickup, place, throw, can grabber, or whatever screwy function the GDC required that year. If tapping the "correct" amount of energy off of a rotating shaft and applying it to a task was easy, this would definitely be the way to go. And OBTW, if you weren't using all 900W, perhaps you could spin up a flywheel, which would allow you to draw a few hundred extra watts later when you need to "go to eleven" for a bit. Theoretically, this sort of PTO sounds like heaven for a game like Aerial Assist which involved defense, driving, shooting, and (at endgame) climbing. The devil's in the details, as always!

And, for the record, my prediction: The first FIRST team to execute this sort of PTO will join 71, 118, 254, and 1114 as one of the top five teams of all time (unless, of course, it's one of those four who do so).

First of all, you obviously can't make a list of the top FRC teams of all time without including 67.

Second of all, the ultimate PTO would use every motor available and just shift however many motors necessary to any function.
(However you'd have to have some crazy programming scheme or something to keep from browning out like crazy)

I also think the first team to do this won't be one of the greats; I think the first team to try it won't get picked at their event. That's insanely complicated, even for a team like 254 or 118. I would love to see someone do it successfully though. it would just be a mechanically sick robot to check out.