How are you Driving?

[cadandcookies]

6WD with 4" VexPro DT wheels, belts, and a single speed gearbox. We tried to keep our drive train as simple and robust as possible while still giving students working on the drive train a good amount of experience designing custom parts.

Unfortunately, our plans to get drive bases up as quickly as possible have fallen a little bit out of whack due to VexPro delays and some problems with machining. Luckily we're still about twice as far as we were at this point last year.

[Electronica1]

Originally Posted by pfreivald

Why not belts?

We're using belts, VEXPro mecanum wheels, and 2" Colsons with tread cut into them.

The way our octocanum system works, 3 inch Colsons are held in their own modules to make the modules as small as possible (and in turn lighter). When we shift, the sprocket on the mecanum wheel and the sprocket on the colson wheels get a 1/8 of an inch closer together. We use chain because the teeth are larger on a sprocket than on a pulley. In the end we only add less than 5 lbs to a normal mecanum system which sounds like a decent trade off, especially when all you have to do to switch to normal mecanum (because plan B is a great thing to have) is just unbolt the modules.

Our very early prototype

[pfreivald]

Originally Posted by Electronica1

The way our octocanum system works, 3 inch Colsons are held in their own modules to make the modules as small as possible (and in turn lighter). When we shift, the sprocket on the mecanum wheel and the sprocket on the colson wheels get a 1/8 of an inch closer together. We use chain because the teeth are larger on a sprocket than on a pulley. In the end we only add less than 5 lbs to a normal mecanum system which sounds like a decent trade off, especially when all you have to do to switch to normal mecanum (because plan B is a great thing to have) is just unbolt the modules.

Our very early prototype

Cool! We use 2" Colsons to make the drivetrain as light as possible, but both wheels and the linkage are contained in a single pod. The first 5-ish seconds of this shows a prototype of our original system with 4" roughtop wheels. It's now a lot smaller, a lot more compact (doesn't come above the frame), uses smaller pistons to shift drive modes, and has even better traction on smooth surfaces without sacrificing carpet traction.

If we have the weight, we're likely going to add four mini-CIMs to the drivetrain--but we have to hold off on that until we're sure we can swing it.

[Ether]

Originally Posted by Electronica1

Our very early prototype

Is it my imagination, or does the chain tension change noticeably when switching from mec (tight) to std (looser)

[Electronica1]

Originally Posted by Ether

Is it my imagination, or does the chain tension change noticeably when switching from mec (tight) to std (looser)

That is why I noted it is very early, we redid the pistons (longer stoke and larger bore) before last season so now it is tight in both position, however we found last season that 25 chain would stretch to much so we switched to 35 chain. We have not had an issue with it since.

[jwallace15]

We're using 8 4" VexPro traction wheels. We're also making a plate-aluminum chassis for the first time in my team's history, as well as switching from our custom Thunder Drive transmissions to West Coast Product's 2 CIM Dog Shifter.

[Madison]

I'm excited we're using octocanum again. The new VexPro wheels make packaging everything within the smaller frame perimeter a lot easier.

http://imgur.com/Xel5dWw

[pfreivald]

Originally Posted by Madison

I'm excited we're using octocanum again. The new VexPro wheels make packaging everything within the smaller frame perimeter a lot easier.

http://imgur.com/Xel5dWw

As usual, very slick!

[MrBydlon]

We're doing the KOP frame with a 28" square base and Sonic Shifters with 4 CIMs.

We've never done shifters before and the new KOP chassis makes upgrading easy.

Should be interesting... Haha.

[ksafin]

Originally Posted by Andrew Lawrence

West Coast Drive is best coast drive.

West Coast Best Coast!

[mrnoble]

Originally Posted by ksafin

West Coast Best Coast!

East Coast, Beast Coast?

Go Colson!

[jwfoss]

Originally Posted by mrnoble

East Coast, Beast Coast?

Go Colson!

In support of this FRC558 is running an 8WD with 4"x2" Colsons and #35 Chain.

[BrendanB]

3467 will be running 6wd 4in x 1-1/2in Colson wheels and 3 CIM Ball Shifters.

Its time we catch on to the East Coast Conspiracy of Colsons.

[BBray_T1296]

Originally Posted by Andrew Lawrence

West Coast Drive is best coast drive.

Why?

[Answer42]

Originally Posted by BBray_T1296

Why?

If I can make the quick argument here. West coast drive is extremely light, provides a very large wheel base, keeps the chains or belts protected and properly tensioned. In addition all of the parts to make one are now available OTS and it's been iterated to near perfection by teams like 254 and 973 if you want to find look for examples on how to do implement it most effectively.