Hi.
I’m new to the vex system so please be gentle.
In the past few days I’m looking for a system that will permit me to build a tracked robot platform. I came across the VEX system which looks promising.
I searched around the VEX site and found some guides regarding the VEX tracks. Seeing the guides confused me a little since they do not mention anything concerning how the the shafts ride on the chassis (maybe some bearings) or how they are terminated (hubs?).
The tank tread kit looks like a good place to start.
Can you please inform me what additional components (shafts,hubs,bearing, chassis parts…e.t.c) I will need so as to build 1 pair of fully operational tracks ?
Please refer to our detailed page on the Tank Tread Kit. There you can review the Inventor’s Guide which may answer most your questions. Also, the Kit provides everything you need for converting a 4 wheel robot over to Tank Tread.
Hi and thanks for the reply. I have seen those guides (tank tread guide) but it does not mention how to go about making a complete track system. It only mentions the parts used in the kit and I presume that those are not the only parts that you require to make the track system from scratch. Surely you would require some sort of bearings, hubs and who knows what else. Is there some sort of complete tutorial somewhere that describes how to make a complete track system from scratch or do I have to figure it out myself ?
I don’t think we have any complete tutorials posted anywhere, but you can see several examples of Track Systems posted in the gallery on this forum.
As far as parts needed… I don’t know exactly what you need, that depends on the design:
You will need some sort of robot chassis (structure + hardware)
You will need some bearings (probably (8) minimum).
You will need some motors (probably (2) minimum).
You will need some shafts (4 minimum… 3" length?)
You will need some shaft collars.
You will need a control system (Microcontroller + TX + RX).