Treads

[AgentTex]

Hey, so after seeing this years game, I have been thinking that treads would be a good use for some of the obstacles. I was wondering if anyone has some words of advice about them and how exactly bumpers would work with them? Thanks

[SenorZ]

If you've never build a tank tread system, the 6 week build season is probably not the time to start experimenting.

That being said, we're experimenting with treads for the first time. But we have a back up plan we're also testing.

[AgentTex]

We also have a back up plan just in case it doesn't work though I do hope that we are able to pull it off

[Mat]

Hi,
Treads should be a good solution for this year, and I have spent most of my time since kickoff facing this same issue. Depending on the design of your robot you can have your treads in the interior of your frame, but considering they are constantly breaking compared to most other drives it is horrible to have to take apart a bunch of crap just to get access to them. Depending on the type of treads you are using you can also mount bumpers directly off of them in my interpretation of the rules, as long as your bumpers can extend pass the treads and cover the corners, which would require some complex bumper design. I have seen. If you have an idea of what your frame is going to look like and where you want treads you could post a simple sketch and I would be happy to throw up a few ideas. If you have some skill with CAD I can send you an assembly of the bumper system I designed for a robot with external treads.

-Mat
Aztechs 157

[AgentTex]

I do have some skill with CAD as I helped build the CAD part of my team so yes if you could most definitely send me the assembly that would be great thank you so much! And so far we are unsure of what the bot will look like we are in a phase where we concerning ourselves with midterms and then returning to crunch time

[Mat]

Sorry about the response time, I tried to cut down on all the junk in the drawing so it was more understandable. Anyways this is my concept for external treads, in my case I was going to be using bycycle chain and sprockets for a tread system, so I figured that I could simply use the end of the axle, put it in a bearing and mount the bumper temporarily off that. If you are bumped hard you may risk damaging your axle, slowing your motors temporarily, and some other stuff but if you do it right there shouldnt be any issue. In my newer design I utilized 3 axles with an additional point in the midde. The other bumper just mounts to your robot normally unless you have treads on all 4 sides, so in my case I figured we would use our typical fastening system to get it on and off quick. For quick on/off times and ensuring the bumpers over the treads stay on I figured I would utilize lunchbox or toolbox style clasps to keep the bumper attached to the other. I can get you something more in depth or simplified depending on what you have a stomach for. Let me know if you need anything.

-Mat
Aztechs 157