AndyMark and IFI Compatibility

[Kevin Kolodziej]

I noticed something yesterday that may have the potential to be a huge problem. I took our new AndyMark omniwheel and put it on a shaft next to a new IFI traction wheel (both 6") - its not by much, but they aren't quite the same size. I went over to my other team and looked at the AndyMark trick wheel and IFI wheel (both 8") and found the same thing.

Minor differences are not much of an issue, but when set on the ground, the IFI wheel made contact and the AndyMark wheels did not. In a setup like ours (2 traction in rear, two omni/trick in front), all wheels will be in contact, but the robot will have a forward lean. I have not taken the time yet to see how much this throws the top of the robot forward (nothing too significant, I hope), but for teams that are pushing the envelope, this could lead to problems.

Again, this is just based on both wheels on the same shaft - our chassis is not quite complete (...a bit behind we are...) so I don't know how well the four wheels sit on the ground (especially the carpet).

I'm wondering if the AndyMark traction wheels, when used with the trick/omni wheels, produce the same result, or if this is a result of two different manufacturers?

Bottom line - I hope that I am getting worked up over nothing. If there is a legitimate issue here, I hope that teams using a similar setup will see this thread and take this into account before going to the inspection sizing box and finding out that they need trim down their front edge a bit.

Kev