so I’m wondering what makes more sense, a 2M or 1M flywheel. The only difference if you gear them to the same ratio is that a 2M has twice as much torque, so why do you need torque when shooting the foam disc? Isn’t it speed of the flywheel that really makes the difference?
What factors go into play when choosing between a 2M and 1M flywheel?
Speed controls how far it throws, torque controls the time it takes to speed back up.
More motors mean more power which means it will heat up and overheat less
catapult.
but seriously flywheels can be done just fine using a single motor with good enough build quality, and the main advantage of that is it allows you to have 6m drive without doing any motor sharing. 2m flywheel is a lot more common because most people aren’t pursuing 6m drive and because having that extra motor will overcome minor flaws in build quality, friction, and gives it a greater spin up time with longer before overheating. See 4082b and 315r for 2 perfectly good 1m flywheels.
Motors provide power, not torque. More motors = more power, which can then be converted to torque or speed through gear ratios. Having more power allows the system to catch back up to speed, but motors arent necessarily the only way to reduce wind up time. Increasing the mass on the flywheels itself will cause it to wind up slower initially, but you can make more shots in less time because of its higher moment of inertia resisting the change.
Is it possible to have a 1M flywheel running the entire match? If we have to keep shutting it off and on again, then the flywheel acceleration speed would be really important i guess.
You will be able to if you build quality is good enough. Also, keep in mind that having a slower rpm and a smaller wheel will also keep you your flywheel from overheating faster,
Alright thank you. What does it exactly mean to have “good build quality”. Wouldn’t a flywheel with low RPM AND a small wheel shoot way shorter?
Making sure your friction is as low as possible and your gear ratio is really good.
Clearly if someone is asking about it, then they don’t have it.
well, we haven’t built it yet and want to see what other people think from their perspective - their tips could come to use when we build. We know how to build, but “good build quality” is very broad, and we have done extensive research on friction and like matters, but want to see what other more experienced people definie it as
No need to be toxic dawg, do you need a hug?
Try to use ball bearings and grease to reduce the friction as much as possible. And for the gear ratio you have to find the sweet spot between speed and torque. If you have a 8:1 then it will be fast but it will over heat very quickly and if you use something less than that then it will have more torque but less speed. You need to make sure it has just enough speed to launch discs from midfield. Personally I would talk to 4082B
Doesn’t adding extra motors literally add more torque? The v5 motors output a maximum of 2.1Nm of torque when running at 11W continuously, so adding motor motors would increase the torque of the total system because there are more forces acting in the system. Please correct me if I’m wrong, by the way.
I could be wrong about that, excuse my explanation if I am i was more trying to explain better ways to think about the problem rather than just adding a motor.
Please use the search bar. There are other various topics on flywheels and many mention the feasibility of a 1 motor flywheel. (Hint: it works)
We are running a 6m drive and 1m flywheel right now. We had some friction problems before, but fixed them and 1m works just fine. If built with minimal friction, leaving the motor running the entire match is actually better, as every time you stop the flywheel, all the energy that it is storing will be transferred back into the motor as heat.
Not if you use a flywheel ratchet (or have a catapult)
Reverse ratchets all the way! I want competitions to sound like constant cicadas.