Our team is doing a 4 motor drivetrain this year, however we don’t know how many wheels we should use.
There are alot of different reasons to have any different amounts of wheels. Generally you just dont want your robots wheels to sink into the foam tiles too much, as this will reduce the ability of your drivetrain to perform welll. This sinking is usually due to your robot’s weight or CG, and this entireley controllable by you. If you experience too much drive sink, add more wheels, or reduce your weight.
4 Likes
I’m using 6 wheels because I can then put a traction wheel in the center to avoid being pushed. You could do that with 4 wheels, but then your robot would turn about a weird point.
1 Like
6 wheels is good because it distributes the weight of the robot to put less stress on your motors and go faster. For example in high stakes we’re gonna use 8 wheels and 6 motors. This is because we will be stronger from being pushed around.
2 Likes
But you would still have the same amount of motors pushing the robot, right? Why does 8 wheels make you more resistant to defense?
6-wheels-configuration is a good setup as it provides balance to the weight distribution of the robot. Furthermore, the middle wheels could be traction wheels to avoid being pushed around. This won’t work with 4-wheel. You may do that with 8-wheel, but the turning would be rather wonky.
6 Wheel drivetrains will likely still be used this season. It can:
- Endure more weight (to hold mobile goals or such)
- Make it harder for other teams to move
- More maneuverability
In my team, we are planning 2 omni-wheels with a traction wheel in the middle, as 3 wheels per side, and 6 motors for this. 2 will be for input mech, and we probably won’t do climbing.
I hope this helps!
1 Like