We are a new team to VEX VRC and we created a 4 motor drivebase but are concerned that it might be underpowered (we saw that a lot of teams had 6 motor and even 8 motor drivebases.) We are running 320mm wheels at 300rpm, any suggestions?
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Honestly, if your team is set on a 4 motor drive, that would be fine for the pushback season. Here’s my example of a 6 motor 450 rpm drive. (This is what we used last year)
I recommend a 6-motor drivetrain running at 480 RPM. A 4-motor setup might be too weak for this game, and 300 RPM is lower than standard. However, our team made it to Worlds last year with a 4 Motor 280 RPM drivetrain, so anything is possible.
Before deciding how many motors to dedicate to your drivetrain, it’s important to follow the design process rather than simply copying what other teams are doing. Consider the robots weight, desired speed, your game strategy, and the competition level in your area. These factors all play a role in determining the most effective drivetrain configuration.
Last season, several of my younger teams automatically chose to use six-motor drivetrains because they saw others doing the same. While they had an advantage in pushing power, they later realized they had more complexity with programming and limited flexibility when it came to manipulating game elements — their opponents, using fewer motors on a simple drivetrain, were able to outscore them by allocating more motors to game-specific mechanisms.
The takeaway: start with a clear understanding of how you want your robot to play the game. Then allocate your motors based on that strategy. Don’t just build for power — build for how you want to play the game.
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Really depends on what your robot will look like. My states bot last year ran a 4 motor drive at 333 rpm, which would have worked fine if it were not so heavy. It overheated easily and that affected skills at least once. We’re running a six motor drive this year for more torque and less overheating.
After some consideration we decided that 4 motors would be enough, but thank you all for your input! We just had another simple question: for the field element plates do you need to drill a hole through the mat?
Nope (20 characters)
A 6-motor drive would be better if possible. I created a post with some beginner-friendly gearings you can use, idk how to link it here.