After looking around I have noticed that there have been talks about how some teams have implemented a perfect swerve drove, while others have had much less successful attempts at doing swerve drive. What is it that seperates a perfect swerve drive from the rest?
Probably the biggest thing is the experience of your programmers and the sensors you choose to use if you can’t program it even the best built drive is useless.
Swerve drives, by nature, are very complex mechanisms. They are a challenge to design, construct and use. Most teams that have successfully implemented swerve drives have done so by developing and designing their mechanisms through the course of multiple season, going through an iterative process, that over time, refines and perfects the design. Teams like 1717 and 16 have outstanding swerve drives because they have used many seasons to perfect the design. As the old saying goes: practice makes perfect.
Also, Swerve drives are more challenging to drive than other standard drive systems. Great swerve drives on the field are almost always a result of having a driver who has had extensive training and developed expertise in using the system.
A perfect swerve drive is (usually) used for reasons besides for the sake of being swerve.
*iterative design. craftsmanship. attention to detail. emphasis on driver interface.
Ask team 1640, three-peaters in MAR (2011 Phila. Regional, 2012 MAR Champ, 2013 MAR Champ). Their drive team and bot were smooth incredibly smooth this year.
Practice…