pic: Ira's Senior Project

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by IraJason

The sprockets on the wheels are the same as on the gearbox, which I believe are the 15 tooth sprockets from Andy Mark, so the output shaft to the wheels are at 1:1. I calculated the speed on this, and it came out to about 3.63 ft/s. No where near the speeds that some FRC robots get to, but for my purposes it will probably be plenty fast.

....

And lastly, never underestimate the power of extruded aluminum. It may be a bit heavy, but it's so easy to work with.

Ira,

Way to go! This is a great project. Thanks for choosing AndyMark as a supplier for the gearboxes.

You may find that your resulting speed is a bit faster than what you calculated. Here is my speed calculation for your setup:

Working motor rpm: 4200
Gearbox reduction: 12.76:1
Gearbox output rpm: 329
Sprocket ratio: 1:1
Wheel rpm: 329
Wheel diameter: 4 inches
Robot speed: 5.75 ft/sec

Your use of t-slot extrusion is great. I love the way your have your wheel positions take up the slack for chain tension.

This is a cool drivebase to show off around school and other places. You may want to bow a piece of 3/32" or 1/16" thick polycarbonate over the top of the electronics to protect that expensive stuff.

So... what is next? What are you gonna use this thing for? Here are some ideas:

1. Chase Kressly around the school hallways.
2. Put a chair on it (and some simple bumpers) and make it a wheelchair
3. Put an air cannon on it
4. Contact a company and let them be creative with using your design, much like what Art Dutra did with this Mt. Dew "Dewbot".

Good job, Ira.

Andy