Hi my name is Jason Maier of team 701. We are doing a report on impressive bots we saw at cal games. I need info on motors and gears used on these two bots. Etc. Etc.
Thanks:D
Specifically what kind of information. In the drive train 254 has 2 small CIM motors geared 1:6 and 1:16 using a custom transmission based off of the Teckno Cat shifter. The transmission direct drives the center wheels of a 6 wheeled drive base with 3.75" wheels. The elevator has two Fischer Price motors, not sure on the gearing here.
There is a lot more than what motors and gears on a 254 bot that make it impressive.
If you look through CD-media with photos tagged frc254 or frc968 there are a lot of good pics/threads about this yearâs (and previous yearâs) robots.
997 = tank treads (this makes it bounce around when it turns)
can push really well, IT CAN PUSH A ROBOT SIDEWAYS
itâs got dual lifts, one is made from fiberglass, the other is made from carbon fiber
It uses pneumatic pistons to raise their platforms.
Itâs an end-game bot, but it does do defense really well.
The only problem i see with it (as an external observer) is that it has two sets of two pneumatic pistons completely exposed when their lifts are deployed. (Sorry for breaking them at Davis last year, couldnât see what the robot was doing on the other side of the rack)
Sam N.
Uh, no, not really. The Outback Track system only bounces when turning in high gear, at full speed. And even then the bounce isnât that bad. Also, the bouncing has been fixed for the next revisionâŚ
Jason,
Search the threads for âOutbackâ or âtreadsâ, teams that used them are 997, 753, ???
Hereâs one to start you offâŚ
the other is made from carbon fiber
Iâm pretty sure Carbon Fiber is not a legal material.
Carbon fiber is legal as long as it meets the cost rules.
I saw a few teams at LA/SD/Galileo that had custom molded carbon fiber ramps.
At one time it was specifically prohibited. However that changed several years ago as it became more readily available. There are still safety and health issues in dealing with it.
Just a reminder, always read THIS yearâs rules. These things do change from time to time. So what was illegal this year may not be next and vice versa.
just a side note:
I was chatting with an inspector at the VCU regional last year. As a rookie team, he was doing a great job taking us under his wing and walking us through the inspection process.
One of the things he asked us was, âDid you use any exotic materials?â
After chuckling at him because almost everything we used was from the KOP, i asked, âWhat do mean by âexoticâ?â
He replied,âyou know things like Titanium alloys and carbon fiberâ
he went on to clarify that if you bought a carbon fiber golf shaft and used that on your robot that would be one thing, but a custom part would be highly suspect.
Iâd venture to say that he didnât know what he was talking about.
In an absolute sense, Iâd agree with you. As long as you met the materials limit, youâd be fine.
I recall a discussion on here where someone (I think it was Chris, actually) mentioned that he had considered making some carbon fiber parts, but the only way he could get the resin to make the parts with was in 55 gallon drums that cost some ridiculously expensive amount. Even though he obviously wasnât going to use all 55 gallons of resin, since that was the smallest quantity commercially available, heâd have had to account for the entire 55 gallons, not a prorated portion.
As long as you account for the items and they qualify as COTS it is perfectly legal under the 2007 rules. We used West Coast Systems Epoxy, Hardener, some lightweight foam, and the carbon fiber cloth of course. You can find West Coast brand in many high end hobby stores and on-line, ours came in 1 gallon jugs with pump dispensers.
Hereâs a pic of our layup with the vacuum bag and cooker (heat gun suspended from above)âŚ
can i just say, what the heck is going on in this thread?? i am lost
Information was requested about two robots. Somewhere along the line, someone mentioned that one of the robots in question used carbon fiber. Someone else thought that was illegal, and the discussion turned to legality/use of carbon fiber.
Now, if we can get back on trackâŚ
I am really excited to see the final powerpoint, it should be interesting . 
We used the Andymark shifting Transmissions with 2 CIMs and then one set of additional gears that interface the outback MFG tracks to the andy mark transmissions. We modified the andymarks slightly so that we could take out the sprockets and make them narrower. I not sure what the final gearing is though.