do we get pnuematic wheels in the kit i dont remember but i saw other teams that had them, or are they cots. or am i going to have to take them off the 2004 robot?
Answer #1: Nobody knows. Wait until January. They have not been included since 2004.
Answer #2: Many teams do use COTS pneumatic wheels. Find the usual suppliers (McMaster, MSC, etc.). Note: if the size is less than 6", you’ll have better luck finding pneumatic casters.
Answer #3: 2004’s wheels were/are COTS 12" wheels from Skyway. I’m not sure if they’re still COTS, but it doesn’t hurt to investigate.
If you are developing something for next year, use caution–we don’t know yet what will be allowed.
Although next years kit may be different, for the last two years, we have been getting 6 inch andymark wheels, with no Pneumatics. Our team was not around in 2004, and does not have any pneumatic wheels, so therefore I have no idea what model, etc they are. However, since teams still use them, they, or a similar wheel, are almost certainly available somewhere.
Perhaps someone who participated during 2004 could enlighten us on where one could get more.
EDIT: Eric beat me
they werent 12 inch wheels they were like 4in or 6in but they were about 2in wide and grey
Looking into 330’s favorite center wheel type, eh? Pneumatic casters, McMaster-Carr, 6". Modify the hubs, though. And 2004’s KOP wheels are 12".
do u know what they are called or a part # i think thats them what do you mean modify the hubs
Stock hubs on those pneumatic casters can’t take a key/bolts. You need a custom hub to allow for either a key/broach or a sprocket interface.
The Skyway 6" pneumatic wheels will accept a sprocket off the shelf.
I think Cory means 8" diameter wheels.
They can be found here at the bottom of the page.
To be honest, I hate these wheels. The inflatability makes for all kinds of weird driving and bouncing. I much prefer the stability of hard wheels.
But if you use only two of them (like 330) it’ll probably work fine.
Nothing said about Skyway 6" wheels, Cory. The wheels referred to (330’s) aren’t Skyway. (Though they could take a sprocket, if you had standoffs and 4 extra-long bolts.)
Are the ones we used to use 8"? I thought they were some funky diameter like 5.75" or 6.75" or something.
At any rate, that line of Skyway wheels was the one I was referring to.
Yeah, I guess they were 8". Those will accept a sprocket. The 6" solid and 8" solid have also been in KOPs in the past.
One thing about those big, bouncy Skyway 8" pneumatics, they GRIP!
Well… you can make them any conceivable size you want within the limits of the hubs :yikes:
Ohhhhh yes they do. Test out anything you want to prepare for the upcoming season, but if you’re going to use these guys pay careful attention to your turning ability, the amount of scrub you create while turning, and how many amps it’s going to take to make your turn.
well i was thinking about having 2 on each side with one in the center and one in the back with casters in the front that way we would have traction and still turn easy
Team 975’s 2006 ball-picker-upper used a short wheelbase 4 wheel drive with HDPE skids on one end where the balls were sucked up. The skids were there for stability and to ensure maximum frontal area for the ball conveyor. I don’t recall the exact wheelbase, but it was pretty short. It had great traction - we and another 'bot got in a pushing match and both bots flipped over backwards once. It also bucked quite a bit when turning, which made a great ball agitator. It went up the ramp fairly well, though I forget which orientation worked out.
Got a Motorola Quality Award at the VCU regional 
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=6852&stc=1&d=1222805133
We used a pair of these from Northern Tool in 2005: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200199624_200199624 after using the KOP wheels in 2004. These are 8" solid rubber, and they have a 12" penumatic version also. We’ve experimented with the pneumatic wheels, and found it was too hard to keep the pressure exactly right to keep them both the same diameter, and also if they are not inflated enough the rolling resistance gets too high.