Hi, I was wondering how people decide how much space to leave between rubber band rollers. In other words, how much compression/overlap should they have against a game object, so as to either:
I understand this probably largely depends on the intended speed and angle, but I would like to know how people estimate this during the CAD phases. No overlap? 5mm? 1in?
You should budget for an overlap. However, as to how much, that differs a lot based on the size of the sprockets, how far away they are from each other, the type of bands (I’m assuming orange), and your banding pattern.
For my CAD, just for reference, I assume about 1 - 1.5 inch overlap (though usually on the lesser side), and when I build the robot I adjust the intake as needed (using tighter/looser banding patterns, moving the intake a couple holes, or switching band types, using anti-slip mats, etc).
You should always try to maximize grip, as that also generally maximizes speed (more grip = less slipping = more speed transferred to block, assuming the motors can handle the load). Just be careful to ensure your bands don’t bend too much and snap and to ensure your motors don’t overheat easily.