Hello Everyone,
I am considering a Robomagellan bot using the 3" tracks. The bot will be about 24" x 24" and weigh about 35 lbs. The chassis will be made of aluminum and plastic. I am wondering if the tracks, sprockets and gear motors available here would be strong enough to handle this size of a bot for outdoor use. I haven’t found a better track system so far so I’m hoping this will work.
Any opinions are welcome!
Eddy
I’m fairly confident the 3" tracks and sprockets will be more than adequate for a 35lb bot if you use road wheels.
my gut reaction on motors though is for a 35lb bot most of the stock motor/gearboxes here might be a little on the light side, but it really depends on just how hard you want to beat on the bot though.
The polypropylene tracks and rubber treads are rated for 1000 lb/ft. The rubber treads have a hardness of 45 Shore A. Beyond that I know they are also used in some police bots that weigh over 100 lbs. The sprockets are pretty heavy duty, but I have not experienced firsthand any limits on the torque, speed, or weight that can be applied. I would of course advise the use of idlers to carry the weight of the bot. You don’t want the sprockets holding up the bot. you will want to move up to a larger motor in order to get the speed required for the robomagellan competition. Hope this helps.
Hi Jim,
Yes, that helps. Any suggestions on motors? We’re not looking for a speed demon but we’d like enough power to climb over rough terrain and turn on any type of surface. I assume the only restriction is sticking with a 6mm shaft.
I haven’t decied what to use for bogey wheels yet, depends if they have an ablity to pivot or not. Minmally, I would use 3 1" thick foam wheels stack together but I’m liking the idea of the 2-wheel bogey that pivots. Just gotta figure out a reasonable way to make it.
Thanks,
Eddy
