I need a wheel! well actually 2...

Technical Kit & Additional Hardware
1

So in my spare time I’ve been designing this robot. I went and purchased all the parts and I go to put it together and wala! the wheels I have wont work… I need and 8" OD light weight wheel that will fit on an .5 OD Shaft. These are the drive wheels so theyll need an ansi key and have alot of traction. Ive looked everywhere mcmaster, skyway, granger. Any Suggestions?

Thanks,
Noah Melamed

2

If you need something that comes with a keyway already all that I know of are these http://www.npcrobotics.com/products/viewprod.asp?prod=46&cat=22&mode=gfx They are a little heavy but you might be able to lighten them a little by drilling or something.

And then there are Skyway Wheels http://www.skywaytuffwheels.com. You will have to call them to see exactly what they can give you with a keyway hub for a relatively low price. Tell them you are with a FIRST team and you are working on a special project. The selection depends on what kind of production runs they currently have going because they don’t normally offer every wheel with every kind of hub (and a keyway hub is one of the lesser common ones for them). Most likely, they will either be able to offer you a BeadLOK wheel with foam-rubber tread or a 4" universal wheel for a pneumatic or urethane tire.

The foam-rubber tread on the BeadLOK wheels has terrible traction unless you turn them down to flat on a lathe like the wheel in this picture http://www.firstrobotics.uwaterloo.ca/resources/galleries/drivetrains/drivetrains001.jpg And even then, they will rip to shreads on a surface like concrete or asphalt. They are good on carpet though. What kind of surface will your robot be operating on?

Also ,you can always add some sort of traction enhancing material to the surface of your wheels like McMaster Incline Conveyor Belting.

3

First off thanks,

The robot will be operating indoors primarly on carpet. Weight is not a big issue but the link the the npcrobotics is broken is the site down or is that a bad url?

Thanks again,
Noah Melamed

4

http://www.npcrobotics.com/products/viewprod.asp?prod=46&cat=22&mode=gfx

That URL works for me.

Wetzel