Turning problems, we need suggestions PLZ

[fervent]

as for the gearbox and sprockets they are all the same as the ones from the kit and the wheels have had teh rubber milled off and we have a material thats used on conveyour belts covering the tire

[JBotAlan]

All of these posts are very hard to read! Here are the things (I think) other people are thinking:

1: The battery is dead.
2: The code is bad.
3: The transmissions are bad.

More detail:

1: Pretty self-explainatory. Less power in the battery, less power in the motors. Charge it overnight, try again.

2: If this is the default code, this shouldn't be the case. If the code HAS been changed, make sure that the PWM value is near either one of the limits while testing. That is, the PWM value is being set to near 255 or 0. The pwm_XX variables are the variables that control the speed of the motors. Replace the XX with any number, corresponding to the PWM output you are trying to change, 01 for PWM 1, 10 for PWM 10, and so on. Tell me if you need more description than this. I can probably help on the programming.

3: Grinding noises usually indicate mechanical failiure, but buzzing noises are normal because of the way Victor speed controllers work. Make sure you put the transmissions together right. I'm not a mechanic by any means, so I probably am not any help in that field.

Hope this helps...
Jake
Team 1140

[663.keith]

if the wheels turn fine when they are off the ground, and the arm was moving slower than normal, I would definitely agree with a couple other people and say it is the battery, change it out with a fresh one and see if it fixes it.

[sanddrag]

A picture of the robot would do wonders in helping us diagnose the problem. I can think of a few things off the top of my head. It is possible that if you are using two motors per side that one of them is not running or perhaps even running in the wrong direction (fighting). Take the breakers out and try them one at a time to make sure all the motors are spinning and in the direction you want them too. Make sure the program is giving full pwm value to the speed cotnrols when the joysticks are full travel. It is even possible that the Victors are way out of calibration, try calibrating them. Also, make sure you are using the correct amperage breakers for your motors (40 amp for Chiaphuas) Last, this may be obvious but make sure the battery is charged.

Some of the more likely problems are physical. What kind of tires are you using? If you are using pneumatic (air filled) tires or other high traction material and/or the robot is longer than it is wide, you may have difficulty turning. Also, make sur the robot is geared down enough. It is possible you don't have enough torque to overcome the friction in turning.

You can try putting duct tape (not legal for FRC btw) on one set of wheels (either front or back) or something like pool hose to make it turn better. (with ductape it will turn like a dream but it may lack traction and it is not legal) Or you can put a caser wheel lowered by a pneumatic cylinder or something like that or use omniwheels.

[mechanicalbrain]

i concur with sanddrag your problem is to vague take a couple picks of your drive train and electrical system. IM NOW DOING 1.6 POSTS A DAY!!! (everything should be a celebration )

[Oumonkey]

Hey, I knew I forgot something but I was rushed. Lets see we have 4 wheels that came with the starter kit thing, they are NOT air filled, we have 4 wheel drive as for the gear boxs I am going to say they are the things from the kit we got because I don't think we are rich enough to get anything else . As for the pics there is nothing I can do know until at the earliest Sunday But most of the stuff I don't know much about so I will email my electronics man and tell him to come here
But to something sanddrag said our robot is longer than it is wide and we added something for higher traction, which is what I think it is, But I'll try to get those questions about my question answered.

[mechanicalbrain]

Originally Posted by Oumonkey

Hey, I knew I forgot something but I was rushed. Lets see we have 4 wheels that came with the starter kit thing, they are NOT air filled, we have 4 wheel drive. As for the pics there is nothing I can do know until at the earliest Sunday But most of the stuff I don't know much about so I will email my electronics man and tell him to come here
But to something sanddrag said our robot is longer than it is wide and we added something for higher traction, which is what I think it is, But I'll try to get those questions about my question answered.

also note your problem has an equal chance of being the drivetrain or the electronics. note however that it might also be your joystick programming which i believe follows under you. check your programming since you just had a bunch of changes to it made. we had our robot non responsive for a day and a half before our programming person thought to check his main method. funny thing was one day of that was him insisting it was an electrical problem