pic: Low budget wheels

FIRST Robot Showcase
, ,
1

da0cdf18071dfea22fb1099d7489b5f9_l.jpg
da0cdf18071dfea22fb1099d7489b5f9_l.jpg1024×680 107 KB


4" PVC pipe…$2.00
3.5" plugs…3.00 Blind nuts......25 each
Conveyor belt material and bearings…Left overs
Awesome traction…Priceless

2

Is the belting material this/similar to this from McMaster-Carr? 60155K121. We have not used belting before and need to find a good product. Thank you for your help.

edit: http://www.mcmaster.com/ Page 1091, SBR (Styrene Butadiene Rubber)— Wedge top is nonmarking, with good wear resistance.

3

This is a great example of working with what you have. Many teams lack the resources to mill custom wheels out of aluminum snd such. This is a wonderful example of a low cost solution with the same functionality. You are every poor team’s hero! Great work!

Rob

4

btw that seems llike super wide tires. awsome!

5

My team while we have some aluminum wheels waiting to be mounted tomorrow have been using effectivly wooden wheels. They’re really easy to make. You take a 1 inch thick pieces of squarish plywood and drill rough centers(1/4" for simplicity) exactly the radius you want from one side in them. Then you take another piece of wood and drill a 1/4" hole in it. Stick a bolt through your rough center and this other piece of wood and clamp the second piece of wood to bandsaw so that the edge of your 1 inch thick plywood sits flush against the bandsaw blade. Then just turn the bandsaw on and twirl the plywood around the bolt you put through it. Makes a roughly circular wheel.

We covered these wooden wheels with some reasonably thick rubber (1/2" thick) which got rid of any non circular portions pretty well. You also have to drill holes in the wooden circles to mount sprockets, pulleys or gears to them. I’d suggest this for any team who wants to start making their own wheels.

6

You can use a similar method by bolting a router to the end of the board for perfectly round wheels, I have seen it used to great effect.

7

These are for teams with a limited budget.
They are 4" wide and 4" in diameter.
All we have in our workshop is a belt sander, a band saw and a drill press :frowning:
But wait until you see the final robot. It will be awesome :ahh:

Wayne Doenges
CAD Mentor

8

Yes the weels are great!!! but the Goober Has Made other parts of our robot you have to see the bot!!! (Im on Wayne’s Team) The best Mentor EVER!!! :smiley: :smiley: :ahh: :ahh: