Wheel Types: What's best, and why?

Originally Posted by Gregor

Why not gear more?

The goal trying to be achieved isn't more torque, it's more contact time. A slower wheel will contact the frisbee for longer, and in the end will accelerate the frisbee more.

Tl;Dr: Gearing the motor would work, as it would slow down the wheel, but it's not required since lowering the voltage of the motor is sufficient enough to increase contact time.

[Ether]

Originally Posted by Andrew Lawrence

The goal trying to be achieved isn't more torque, it's more contact time.

The goal is neither or those. The goal is faster exit speed of the bee.

A slower wheel will contact the frisbee for longer, and in the end will accelerate the frisbee more.

The higher the acceleration if the bee, the less time it spends in contact with the wheel, and the faster the exit speed will be.

If the exit speed of the bee is slower, chances are it had more contact time, but it spent that time slipping, not accelerating.

[Ether]

Originally Posted by Gregor

Why?

because:

Originally Posted by Ether

Your wheel speed may be too fast. According to some tests conducted by Team 2073, above a certain wheel speed the exit speed of the bee actually decreases, presumably due to slippage.