Any tips on using REV 3in MAX Swerves?

We’ve been using REV 3in MAX Swerves for a season and couldn’t get the efficiency we wanted. Our swerves would get clogged up by hair and dust or just don’t move in particular. Also, they’re very sensitive.

I’ve been wondering if any “good” teams use these swerves efficiently, and also some tips when using them.

Edit: We were planning on buying mk4i’s. But they were out of stock at that time, and also REV was more affordable.

1 Like

Wildstang 111/112 is a great team that had major success with MaxSwerve. What do you mean they don’t move in particular?

There are definitely good teams that use this swerve and you can certainly be competitive with it. Some teams that come to mind are 95, 4481, and 111 (111 ranked 5th in the most competitive division in the world championship). If you build them properly they are great and durable. If you have had issues with the wheel sometimes getting stuck you should super glue the motor key to the NEO shaft. Also be sure you lock-tite the ultraplanetary screws. You should also limit the amount of grease you put on the module’s bevel gears to reduce debris buildup from the carpet. It is a good idea to occasionally clean the bevel gears and reapply grease.

One of the wheels always gets locked up for some reason. We fix one and then the other one just decides it won’t move. It’s pretty frustrating.

Like the wheel rotation or the angle of the wheel rotation?

The NEO 550. But sometimes the wheel itself gets clogged up too so it doesn’t go forward.

We’ve noticed that the ultraplanetary is a bit difficult to screw down square which if it isn’t can bind up. But after ensuring it’s square and tight we haven’t had any issues.

3 Likes

If they’re not spinning at all, it’s very likely the motor key on the NEO slipping in the keyway and engaging with the encoder fork. A bit of CA glue in that keyway can keep it in place.

We had a couple issues with properly torquing the bolts on the forks that would lead to the bevel partially disengaging/skipping. Would recommend getting something along these lines: https://www.amazon.com/Park-Tool-ATD-1-2-Adjustable-Torque/dp/B076CX3WDT?th=1 with a 5/32 driver for torquing off 10-32’s. There’s other cheaper options, but the Park Tool variant is very well built.

Very happy with our first season on MaxSwerve, already have our new sets in hand for 2024 (game depending). We do complete tear downs and rebuilds pre/post events to clean them out and keep them running in top shape. That’s not anything unique to MaxSwerve though, just SOP for us on robot drivetrains.

1 Like

One of our NEO motors came broken while shipping to Turkey. So we had to open the swerves up multiple times. I’ll check the swerves out tomorrow myself, and try these tips. I’ll respond with the updates. Any other tips?

I’ll try to clean the swerves up. They’re currently in really bad condition. Thanks for the tips, but I don’t think we can afford these torque tools. We’ll try other variants, and also check the Ultraplanetary Screws. Thanks!

I know when I worked with my students to assemble them 1 of the modules had issues. I don’t remember exactly what the fix was, but following the instructions to the letter is important as that is all we had to do to fix it

I believe 3005 was involved in the development. In the case of the neo550 locking up, there are two screws in the ultra planetary that can come loose and drop into the gear mesh. We’re planning on testing our modules without these two screws as they are impossible to check without removing the ultras.

1 Like

Don’t forget about 3005! They were 5 in EPA in 2023

We also have these printed which reduces the amount of stuff that can get in.

2 Likes

We 3d printed covers for our modules so stuff like carpet dust does not get inside the modules.

5 Likes

the maxswerve is directly based on/co-developed with the custom modules 3005 used in 2022. the rev SKU is also literally REV-21-3005

More robust covers (metal plate or tube, reinforced 3D prints, etc.) could be made to protect exposed NEOs from damage due to charge station edges or stray intakes. We cracked open a drive motor during a bad autonomous test and aren’t looking to discover something like that during a match.

3 Likes

Put end caps on your 2x1 so any shavings/debris from drilling don’t get into the modules.

Also in your code, have it check that Spark Max parameters are flashed correctly and retry if not.

2 Likes

Update: The ultraplanetaries are already glued, and work well in autonomous mode. But sometimes they get clogged up at the Tele-Op mode. They work completely well in the Autonomous, and somehow stop working at Teleop. After the match, we spin the wheels rotation for some and they start working again. We really dont get it. Any fixes?

That sounds like a code issue. Is everything the same between auto and teleop?

It isn’t about the code I think. The wheels would get clogged up, and after the match, we spin them for some and they would work. A few matches later they would stop moving again suddenly but would work autonomously. I don’t get it tbh