pic: 2015 WCD Clearance Considerations

[JesseK]

loading photo ...

[who716]

just to verify what is this exactly depicting a robot driving over the humps.

[Chris is me]

Seems like 6" wheels and 2" tube are pretty much gonna handle anything the bump can throw at it, which is nice.

[JesseK]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Seems like 6" wheels and 2" tube are pretty much gonna handle anything the bump can throw at it, which is nice.

Double-check that you're comfortable with this 0.25" clearance:

[BJT]

.25 is plenty, but mine will have a wheel or 2 between those two, so no problem. pretty sure 4" wheels would work fine too

[JesseK]

Originally Posted by BJT

.25 is plenty, but mine will have a wheel or 2 between those two, so no problem. pretty sure 4" wheels would work fine too

in the first picture, those are 6" wheels which do not bottom out. 4" wheels definitely bottom out.

[quantcyg]

Depending on the length of your base, you actually can get away with 4" wheels traveling over the platforms. However, with a WCD, you'll need 6" wheels in case you catch the corner of the scoring platform with the front of the drivebase or if you want to drive along the length of the platform.

In short, going with 6" wheels is probably the better option.

[TylerS]

Can someone just verify that 1in is enough clearance to not have to worry about the bump?

[Gregor]

I don't think catching on the edge of the incline is a deal breaker. While not the most elegant solution, HDPE is very slick plastic and your back wheels would still be touching the ground.

There's also no defined frame perimeter this year, so you can do interesting things with that.

[Jay Burnett]

But if you go with an 8 wheel 4" drive, you could easily make sure that you don't bottom out between wheels. That's assuming you don't go for a super long wheelbase.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by Jay Burnett

But if you go with an 8 wheel 4" drive, you could easily make sure that you don't bottom out between wheels. That's assuming you don't go for a super long wheelbase.

To clarify, it's the trackwidth that's the challenge, not the wheelbase. As mentioned, adding additional wheels easily solves the challenges with the wheelbase when you're travelling perpendicular to the scoring platform. However, if you're travelling down the length of the platform (or at more extreme angles towards the platform), the width between your wheels may cause your robot to bottom out if you don't have enough ground clearance.

[Jay Burnett]

oh right. Got it

[RockerRobot]

I think the point is to Not drive over the scoring platforms. Thats why maneuverability is key this year.

[Boe]

Originally Posted by RockerRobot

I think the point is to Not drive over the scoring platforms. Thats why maneuverability is key this year.

If I want to go get something from the landfill zone from a feeder station why drive around the scoring platforms in some crazy "S" instead of driving strait over them.

[Jacob Bendicksen]

Originally Posted by RockerRobot

I think the point is to Not drive over the scoring platforms. Thats why maneuverability is key this year.

It's nice to be able to dance around the platforms, sure, but the area in between them is going to get pretty congested with totes and other robots. Being able to drive over the platforms should make things more efficient for you.

Also, they put ramps on them, so they clearly thought that teams would want to drive over them.