pic: FRC488 - Six Wheel Drive Chassis

[VEN]

Do you guys have a shaft coming out of the tranny for the middle wheel as well as 2 sprockets on the inside leading to the front and rear wheels? Are the sprockets inline? Wouldn't you need gears on the same axle as the sprocket to drive the sprockets in that case? Are the sprockets on the same axle? In that case how can your wheels be inline? Are the sprockets on the wheels on an offset?

Alright no more questions just curious.

[Madison]

Originally Posted by foundbobby

Nice design. What about having the wheels on the outside? Don't they need be protected some to avoid bent shafts and broken wheels?

Teams have had success with similar designs in the past and our experience with the completed chassis yesterday indicates that, though we may want to protect the wheels, it's not a paramount concern given our strategy and design. In another game, or on another robot, it may be very important that the wheels are protected from damage and from the sort of wedging effect impedes motion that other teams with similar drives have seen in past seasons.

Originally Posted by foundbobby

Nice picture! We'll see you at SVR

We hope you'll take a minute and stop by our pit to talk to the team. I'd be happy to talk more about our robot and answer any questions you might have -- as would anyone else on our team. We're proud of the work we do.

Originally Posted by VEN

Do you guys have a shaft coming out of the tranny for the middle wheel as well as 2 sprockets on the inside leading to the front and rear wheels? Are the sprockets inline? Wouldn't you need gears on the same axle as the sprocket to drive the sprockets in that case? Are the sprockets on the same axle? In that case how can your wheels be inline? Are the sprockets on the wheels on an offset?

Alright no more questions just curious.

The gearbox at the center of each side has an output shaft that drives the center wheel. Two 18 tooth sprockets are coupled to that shaft and, via chain, drive the wheels at the front and back of the robot. Those sprockets are not in line -- they are offset 1/4". Our wheels remain in line because the sprockets on either end mimic the offset of their corresponding center sprocket.

Attached to this post is a cross-section of the gearbox that may help make the gearing arrangement a bit more clear. Excuse that the gears aren't meshed properly, please.

[Brian Mocci]

My favorite part about this design, something that no one has mentioned yet supprisingly, is the way that you extended your front and rear rails in order to protect the cantilevered wheels. Excellent design all around!