My team is currently using a single vertical flywheel, 4" wheels with a 1:27 external ratio for speed, and an internal high speed gearing. This results in a 4320RPM maximum speed output on the flywheel. We are using 4 Motors for the flywheel, with a potential 5th being attached in the future.
Prior to yesterday, my team had just the external 1:27 gearing for our flywheel, and we could not fire full field shots. Our angle is fairly sharp (somewhere from 55-65 degrees), but we could make low goal from the starting tile.
Yesterday, we replaced the internal gears with high speed (not turbo) gearing. After that revision, we can fire full field with ease.
I know that many teams with single flywheels are using a 1:25 gear ratio with 5" wheels. That got me to thinking about what the difference must be between these two flywheel designs. Here is what I figured out:
With a single 5" flywheel at 1:25, the surface speed of the wheel is approximately 654in/sec
With a single 4" flywheel at 1:27, the surface speed of the wheel is approximately 565in/sec
With a single 4" flywheel at 1:43.2 (our revised ratio), the surface speed of the wheel is approximately 904in/sec
So here is my question, does it make sense that the additional ~100in/sec surface speed of the wheel could make up for the difference in launching distance between our old design and our new design, especially considering the difference in angle with the launchers?
Attached are a few pictures of our launcher