The Tetrix website says the DC motors have been “Redesigned for improved performance”. Does anybody here know what changes have been made? Thanks much.
I found my own answer on twitter:
https://twitter.com/TETRIXrobotics/status/373178264262422528/photo/1
“…New and improved DC motor released. More power, tougher gear box, increased burnout protection”
I read that the new motor features 300 oz-in of torque and 152 RPM. (http://www.pitsco.com/TETRIX_DC_Gear_Motor)
Does anyone know how that compares to the old motors’ specs?
According to this document, the old motor had 23.4 Kg-cm (325 in-oz) of torque at stall:
http://www.travistagpta.org/Portals/0/IronReign/ProjectResearch/TETRIX_Drive_Motor_Performance-1.pdf
I’d love to see a similar report for the new motors.
Has anyone found an actual specification for the new motors like the old ones had with the torque and power curves?
I contacted Pitsco support to ask what the improvements were and they have not responded. Not even an acknowledgement of my email.
Pitsco is one of the main reasons we don’t do FTC. I really wish FIRST would pick a quality distributor.
We have some new motors, and they sound more like NXT motors when they run than the old Tetrix motors. They run at the same speed. I will dissect one, hopefully next week, and share my findings. My understanding is that the inductor (if it is still in there) is no longer the point of failure.
Thank you! I look forward to seeing what you find.
On a related note, it would be very interesting to see motor curve data for Matrix motors. Whether those motors are more powerful than Tetrix motors is a burning question that has been on my mind every time I buy any Tetrix parts.
A comparison would be helpful but just so that readers of this thread are aware, Matrix motors are a 9 VDC system and have integrated encoders. This means one must choose to use either the Matrix motor/servo controller and battery or the Tetrix system and battery.
So FTC now allows both the PITSCO Tetrix robotics system and the HiTechnic Matrix robotics system plus select amounts/types of raw materials and COTS items. Give FTC a new look if you are interested.
This just in…
Data sheet on new FTC motor. Reports are the inductor has been improved to handle higher currents but nothing specific on that front yet. Thank you PTC for the data.
FTC Motor 739530.pdf (1.94 MB)
FTC Motor 739530.pdf (1.94 MB)
The old DC motor had a peak power of 10.7W achieved at 89 rpm and 11.72 kg-cm = 163 oz-in.
The new DC motor has a peak power of around 18W achieved at around 75 rpm and around 2.4 Newton-m = 340 oz-in.
If this is true, the new motor is a LOT more powerful! I’m surprised this hasn’t been advertised more!
You can compare the datasheets here:
http://cheer4ftc.blogspot.com/p/motors.html