pic: Bottom view of The Red Dragon

[Madison]

Can you talk more about why you decided to use 8 wheels in your drivetrain?

[AdamHeard]

I'm wondering this as well.

If the center two are lowered evenly, then you really only have 4 of 8 on the ground.

[Alekat]

With 6 wheels I could see the benefit of lowering the middle two (for easier turning), but with that configuration you would rarely be driving with the outside four wheels right?

[Jay Trzaskos]

I would just like to offer a few words of caution for you and your team. 229 used an 8-wheel drive setup in '06 so that we would always have 4 wheels on the ground, whether climbing the ramp or just playing defense. We had some problems with our setup though, due to some heat transfer issues. While welding our superstructure onto our frame, the chassis was slightly warped and ended up giving us 5 or 6 wheels on the carpet at all times. To fix this minor problem, we had to use different types of tread on different wheels, due to uneven wear, and a "hopping" action that happened whenever we tried to turn. From my experience, and without any knowledge of your reasoning behind this decision, i would say that it may not be to the best idea to go with the 8-wheels setup over a 6-wheel drive design.

JT
229

[Alex Cormier]

Originally Posted by Jay Trzaskos

I would just like to offer a few words of caution for you and your team. 229 used an 8-wheel drive setup in '06 so that we would always have 4 wheels on the ground, whether climbing the ramp or just playing defense. We had some problems with our setup though, due to some heat transfer issues. While welding our superstructure onto our frame, the chassis was slightly warped and ended up giving us 5 or 6 wheels on the carpet at all times. To fix this minor problem, we had to use different types of tread on different wheels, due to uneven wear, and a "hopping" action that happened whenever we tried to turn. From my experience, and without any knowledge of your reasoning behind this decision, i would say that it may not be to the best idea to go with the 8-wheels setup over a 6-wheel drive design.

JT
229

Does that mean that 229 is going back to 6wd this year?

[Jay Trzaskos]

Originally Posted by Alex Cormier

Does that mean that 229 is going back to 6wd this year?

The world may never know!

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by lukevanoort

I dunno about that. Sparky didn't have big wheels or massive ground clearance, but they were very reliable ramp climbers at VCU last year.

It's not the wheel size or ground clearance we are worrying about (we aren't afraid of them bottoming out). The "angle of approach" is so low that the front drive wheels may never come in contact with a ramp (as the frame will hit first).

[Andrew Blair]

Originally Posted by redbarron

I think that we can go up a shallow ramp, though I am not 100% sure.

Haha, if you have the speed and the will-power, you will make it up... Really.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by Andrew Blair

Haha, if you have the speed and the will-power, you will make it up... Really.

And the other robot has a sturdy enough ramp to take the brunt of the charge.

[Crebb]

The only reason Sparky got up the ramp with 1/2" ground clearance and 4" wheels was an angle that was cut into the frame. We decided to cut an angle out of the front and back of the frame to make sure the wheels would always hit the ramp first and give us traction. Here is a picture that shows the angle http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...15&postcount=1

[MattLi]

I really like the red. It really goes with the "red dragon" theme. Great base, I like the idea of 8 wheels. Can how much does it weigh?

[Molten]

I have noticed that several threads are all about the power of the robot. Does the 8 wheels have any effect on the power of the robot?

[65_Xero_Huskie]

Originally Posted by Temper Metal

I have noticed that several threads are all about the power of the robot. Does the 8 wheels have any effect on the power of the robot?

The 8 wheels would probably not give you more power, the more power comes from the motors and such. 8 wheels IMO is to many, yes it gives more maueuverability, but you have more gears and chains and whatever else you want to add to it. If your looking for more power, you should add motors.