Hi,
How do I go about directly connecting the wheels given in the Kit of Parts from the 2009 FIRST Robotics competition to the motor. Do i need to first attach the motor to a gear box then attach the wheel to the gear box or can i bypass the gear box. Either way how is this accomplished? In addition I would like to connect the front wheels (that will be attached to the motor) to the the back wheels with a chain.
Any help is appreciated
Thanks
yes, you should assemble the KoP gearbox first, attach the motors to that, then run a chain from the gearbox output shaft to the wheels. The FIRST website has all the guides you’ll need, just look them up.
In general, many of the larger motors in the Kit of Parts have too fast a shaft speed for them to be connected directly to the wheels. In fact, I would consider such a connection a safety hazard - those wheels will come apart at 3500 RPM.
So what is normally done is to connect the motor to a gear box or ‘transmission’, such as the AndyMark ToughBox provided in the kit of parts (look in the long chassis box). Then the output shaft of the ToughBox is connected to the wheel, either directly or through a sprocket and chain arrangement.
My advice is for you to look at images of robots in the CD Media section, to get some ideas on how teams have approached this problem. It would also be good if you could visit an experienced near-by team this week to have them explain your options.