pic: 6in Butterfly Module With Piston

[GarrettF2395]

loading photo ...

[Ryan_Todd]

Looks pretty solid!

1. Is that a 1.5" or 1" stroke on the piston? My gut instinct would be to balance the stroke so that the traction wheel contacts the ground at about 1/3 extension in the case of a flat game field, but this would of course need to be adjusted in case of ramps, etc.
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2. I agree that 1/4" thickness on the piston mounting plate (assuming aluminum?) is pretty much necessary the way you've mounted it, but consider what would happen if you switched the mounting plate to the inside of the chassis rail. This would of course require the mounting plate to bend maybe 10-15 degrees outwards to give enough clearance for the piston, but would place it roughly parallel with the piston's stroke; the result would therefore reduce the bending moment on the mounting plate, and let you switch to a thinner material or carve more weight out of it.
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3. Neat concept for attaching the piston bracket to the chassis; no welding required! Not sure how much benefit you're getting out of the bottom plate, though, considering how well the rest of it is already reinforced. Perhaps run some FEA, if you've got the capability?
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4. [EDIT] Just noticed that the bolt that you're using to transfer force between the piston and the module is rather small (1/4"?) for the distance that it's bridging. Even a grade 8 steel bolt might start to bend during a season under FRC conditions; at a minimum, I would reinforce that with aluminum or brass tubes as spacers (yes, that makes them structural; no clearance here, just tighten the heck out of them).
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5. [EDIT 2] The module side plates aught to be able to handle everything passed to them by the above bolts, but you might also consider filling in the far-left and upper-right corners (or simply increasing the corresponding fillet radii) of that far-left cutout to more directly transfer the force from the piston bolts to the traction wheels. I'd definitely do the far-left corner, at least, just to be safe.
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6. [EDIT 3] Plz also post the same set of images with the piston extended; I am trying to decide whether getting rammed from the side in traction mode could damage any part of this assembly. My guess is that the traction end of the module would flex and rest against the chassis rail or the inside edge of the bumpers before anything started permanently deforming, but having pics would help to confirm. I also wonder about retracting to mecanum mode while being pushed sideways; the open bolt heads and/or nuts may catch on the bottom of the chassis rail or bumper, and prevent the piston from completing its stroke until the opponent lets off.

[wilsonmw04]

might be nit picking here, but isn't a butterfly drive omni wheels as opposed to mecanum wheels?

[AlexanderTheOK]

If you put omnis on it then you're not going to get much utility out of it. Really, what do you gain from switching between traction and omni? You turn a bit better. That's about it.

However, if you have mecanum wheels, you can switch between having insane push power, to having a fast and holonomic drive. You get more utility out of it this way.

[notmattlythgoe]

Originally Posted by AlexanderTheOK

If you put omnis on it then you're not going to get much utility out of it. Really, what do you gain from switching between traction and omni? You turn a bit better. That's about it.

However, if you have mecanum wheels, you can switch between having insane push power, to having a fast and holonomic drive. You get more utility out of it this way.

Tell that to the teams that have used a butterfly drive.

[bkahl]

Originally Posted by AlexanderTheOK

If you put omnis on it then you're not going to get much utility out of it. Really, what do you gain from switching between traction and omni? You turn a bit better. That's about it.

Until you add a strafe module in the middle.

[pmangels17]

I'm not going to claim to be an expert on butterfly drive, but I wouldn't feel comfortable cantilevering that module out like it's a WCD, I'd rather support from both sides here. But then again I'm from the east coast...

[orangemoore]

Originally Posted by AlexanderTheOK

If you put omnis on it then you're not going to get much utility out of it. Really, what do you gain from switching between traction and omni? You turn a bit better. That's about it.

However, if you have mecanum wheels, you can switch between having insane push power, to having a fast and holonomic drive. You get more utility out of it this way.

I think you are looking at this wrong. The advantage of Omni wheels allows you not to be pinned or caught. Look at 33 from 2014 no one could easily stop them. But they didn't have a ton of pushing power. The traction allows you to play defense a lot better.

[Kevin Leonard]

Back on topic and not debating the pros/cons of butterfly vs. mecanum, I have to agree with pmangels somewhat that cantilevering the module sounds quite risky.
I think this would have to be paired with some bulletproof bumpers or an outside rail in order to work super well.

That being said, I love what you're trying to do, and I really wanna see it work.

[wilsonmw04]

How are you going to manufacture the bracket for the cylinder? it looks dove tail joint I would use for wood drawers.

[bkahl]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

How are you going to manufacture the bracket for the cylinder? it looks dove tail joint I would use for wood drawers.

It's just a slot that allows the pieces to slide together. The fasteners hold it together, but the slots allow for a strength increase. No crazy manufacturing requirements other than a square hole and square tab.

See the Battlebot Bite Force's construction here

[asid61]

That piston mount plate might bend over time, particularly if there are bumpers contacting it (shoving can get them). We had a similar issue with bumpers in 2014, but it depends on where your bumpers are vertically.

[IndySam]

<Grumpy Old Man Rant>

It's a cylinder, not a piston!

<end Rant>

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by IndySam

<Grumpy Old Man Rant>

It's a cylinder, not a piston!

<end Rant>

same. However, to be fair to all "piston" people, if the piston wasn't there, the cylinder wouldn't work.

[Darkseer54]

Originally Posted by Kevin Leonard

I have to agree with pmangels somewhat that cantilevering the module sounds quite risky.

To go against this, I believe 624 said that they cantilevered their grasshopper modules in 2014 without difficulty. Whether the fact that that was a grasshopper rather than full *Octocanum* played into that, I am not sure.

Interesting module, I would also like to see how cantilevering it works out. Make sure you test that before the season starts if you plan on having it as a possibility.