I heard the 180 mech is a meta and really good robot. We tried “Revolver” but it didn’t work well with our drivers. We were thinking of just using a modified “Pinhead” and after our competition ends, we would switch to the 180 mech. I know for a fact that using pneumatics is a whole lot easier than using regular Vex motors, but we don’t have pneumatics. I’ve seen many 180 mechs/scorpion robots that use pneumatics, but we were hoping to find an alternative using motors. Thank you!
Think about what moving parts a 180 requires. Can you do this with 6 motors? If you can answer this, then build away. If can’t answer then perhaps don’t do 180.
Use a Differential PTO. It splits the power of two motors among 2 mechanisms, (in your case it would be between the beam lift and pin lift). Although it would be compact, it would provide 2 extra motors, allowing you to use one on the pin claw and one on the beam claw.
If you don’t know what a differential PTO is, watch this video.
Yes, it is possible to build a 180 mech without pneumatics by using VEX motors instead. Several teams have successfully created motor-powered 180 mechs, though they typically require precise tuning and strong ratchet mechanisms to handle the stress. You’ll want to focus on minimizing friction and ensuring that your linkage design is efficient. It might not be as fast or compact as a pneumatic version, but with careful design and programming, a motorized 180 mech can still be very effective. Good luck!
Is there any beam grabber without pneumatics? I couldn’t find any.