New Andymark Mecanum wheel

Andymark is making a 4 inch Mecanum wheel
http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-2626.htm
kind of looks like the vex wheels to me

Something must be up with all the new 4 in wheels…haha

I think it might just be more with the recent increase in 8wds using 4 inch wheels.

(of course that doesn’t explain mecanum)

Would it be possible for a CAD guru to use the provided CAD file to create a view directly along the wheel axis? I’m curious how much overlap (or gap) there is between the rollers along the wheel’s circumference.

I think these are intended for the FTC market primarily. They can use all 4" wheels.

The load capacity is only 17 pounds per wheel, they have to be for FTC.

Or maybe… Mecanum minibots anyone? :stuck_out_tongue:

Agreed, that 6 sided hub is common in FTC

I believe you are correct.

FTC rules have opened up a bunch in recent years, and one of the 2013-2014 changes has allowed the use of different COTS wheels.

Wheels of any type up to 4” diameter (as measured at the outer surface of the tread)*. Wheels that have exposed
features likely to cause damage to field and/or game elements are not allowed. Wheels are considered to be the
total of the rim (the plastic or other material on the inside), the tire (the rubber or other material on the
outside), and the manufacturer provided wheel hub used to mount the wheel to an axle. Individual components
of a legal wheel assembly can be used on the robot (as long as wheel and hub are 4” diameter or less).

FTC’s kit is really lacking in certain areas, one of which being wheels if you want something that’s a bit more competition oriented, so it’s a fantastic change. I’d imagine that a lot of the recent product additions are going to be really well received in FTC, with the side benefit of being useful in FRC as well. It’s also worth noting that Mecanum wheels are actually really, really useful in FTC (as is any holonomic drive, really) since the robots and games lack some of the dynamics that can hinder the competitive advantages of omni-directional drives, and the fields are really, really tight considering the robot size constraints.

*I believe some teams have run into trouble using some FRC “4 inch” wheels since when measured at the tread, they can actually measure a bit over 4" - usually within .125 - .1875" - so it’s worth keeping a set of Calipers handy if you don’t want to be surprised.

or they have reduced our weight limit! :yikes:

Sure hope not!!

Would it be possible for a CAD guru to use the provided CAD file to create a view directly along the wheel axis? I’m curious how much overlap (or gap) there is between the rollers along the wheel’s circumference.

Hope this helps
AM Spy





Get. Out.

Someone needs to do this when it comes out.





Nice work. Reps to you.

Looks like only very minor dimples at the roller transitions and splits.

Nice - we thought that these only came in 8" sizes, nice to see them in a 4" size. Could make for a nice base, but there’s just no way we could afford to give up 4 motors for our drive base this year - both of our teams are just using 2WD, and they’re maxed out at 8 DC motors!

They have been available in 6" sizes for years.

Why were you maxed out at 8 motors last year?

He’s referring to FTC, where there is a limit of 8 motors and 4" maximum COTS wheels this year.

FTC only allows 8 DC motors on the bot this year. I wasn’t involved last year, but I’m guessing the limitation was the same. But you can have as many ‘rubber band’ powered motors as you want… (We have one)

Coach, FTC Team 7159, Robot Squad -
2013 Inspire Award winner