Shooting Motors and wheels

[YashBrowns]

Our team is new to shooting high goal this year so we just wanted to know what to use for motors and wheels for an working shooter.

So far we have been using a 775 pro motor with a 5:1 gear ratio.
We used the kit of parts andymark wheels for the fly wheels

[SenorZ]

Trial and error.
If you can hook that 5:1 to a speed controller and a computer you can vary speeds and test distance.
Try varying the compression too. The balls will more than likely react a lot to pressure since they are hallow.

There are no instant solutions!

[ImMoMo]

Originally Posted by YashBrowns

Our team is new to shooting high goal this year so we just wanted to know what to use for motors and wheels for an working shooter.

So far we have been using a 775 pro motor with a 5:1 gear ratio.
We used the kit of parts andymark wheels for the fly wheels

You're on the right track!
775 Pro's offer a high RPM, and are pretty useful when geared down, like you have.

As for wheels, experimentation is the key-- try using different size wheels, multiple wheels on the same axle (increase in contact surface area), higher traction, just play around with it!

Last year, we used 4'' high traction wheels in a dual fly wheel set up... we had to play around with compression and speeds to get a consistent shot.. this year's a bit different so it's hard to say what works and doesn't.

As SensorZ pointed out, software control is integral in keeping consistent shooter. So I would encourage your programmers to modulate the speeds, and test out what happens!

Good luck!

[jojoguy10]

As a follow-up to the question, does anyone know of any papers/guides on building high shooters?

[Kyle Heaton]

Originally Posted by jojoguy10

As a follow-up to the question, does anyone know of any papers/guides on building high shooters?

The best guide for making new systems is to prototype a lot, and to take inspiration from past robots from previous years.

No paper will ever have the one answer for you, your team, and your needs.

[frodobaggins05]

Originally Posted by Kyle Heaton

The best guide for making new systems is to prototype a lot, and to take inspiration from past robots from previous years.

No paper will ever have the one answer for you, your team, and your needs.

I agree, and don't forget kids, CHECK YOUR WIRING! )

[YashBrowns]

Thanks for all the help, our prototype is shooting 6 out of 12 balls and the rest of overshooting. We r now just adjusting the compression and hood. As most of the comments said it's just trial and error

[Kevin Sevcik]

How are you controlling your motor at the moment? If you're not doing closed loop speed control, you're going to have some difficulty getting good accuracy at a high rate of fire. If you ARE doing closed loop speed control, you want to set your gearing so the motor is spinning at about 50% max speed when you're at your target speed for firing. That'll give you the best control and recovery time.

[YashBrowns]

We r just have it hooked from wires to battery

[YashBrowns]

Originally Posted by YashBrowns

We r just have it hooked from wires to battery

We do have vision tracking though if u that's what you mean by a closed loop

[wsh32]

You want to hook up a sensor (encoders, etc) to measure the RPM of your flywheel. Differing flywheel speeds will result in different shots.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by YashBrowns

We do have vision tracking though if u that's what you mean by a closed loop

It's not. He's talking about closed-loop speed control.

Open-loop speed control is what you have now. In short, it goes like this:
RIO tells motor: Go this fast

Closed-loop speed control is better for ranging accuracy. It goes like this:
RIO: Motor, go this fast.
Encoder: Hey, RIO, motor is going this fast.
RIO: *checks number from encoder against commanded number* Motor, I need more (or less) speed out of you.
Encoder: Hey, RIO, motor is going this fast.

Repeat.


The reason you want closed-loop is to keep the motor at shooting speed as much as possible--stuff being launched tends to slow wheeled shooters until it leaves the "muzzle".

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by YashBrowns

We r just have it hooked from wires to battery

This is not ideal.

As a first whack, OK (despite the very big lack of safety), but now at least get a big fuse or circuit breaker in there.

Very much preferred at this stage - a week in - is to have the RoboRIO controlling it through a motor controller. This way you can:
1. Adjust the speed very finely so accuracy is spot-on
2. Use a speed sensor on the motor or wheel to (try to) keep the wheel speed constant, so ball #12 goes to the same spot as ball #1.
3. Get a better idea of what you will see in reality when the robot is actually doing the controlling (The motor controller doesn't give as much voltage to the motor as a direct connection might).

All of these point more towards success. Yes they require effort, but do you want to win or watch?

[YashBrowns]

So looking up an encoder will control the speed of the wheels and motor which will help increase accuracy

[PowerfulKitty]

775 pro motors are excellent motors for shooters. One very important thing about them is they need to be spinning for the fans to cool them. If they stall, they will fry in ~4 seconds according to Vex. They are high speed and high power, but keep them spinning! Even if you stall them for two or three seconds it may result in the motors having reduced power output or speed permanently. My team had some problems with our shooter shooting low last year and we found that our motors were partially damaged.