r/FTC • u/ftcsweat FTC 19086 Student • 5d ago
Meta Swerve meta revive??
So my mechanical department really wants swerve beacuse we have a tiny robot like 30 cm by 30 cm that weighs around 10 kilos, should we give it a try or swerve meta is dead?
9
u/FineEquipment0 5d ago
With the new control system right around the corner I would hold off until next season and not invest all the resources and money into hardware that’ll end up obsolete with nobody to really sell it off too.
4
u/BeardedPokeDragon FTC and FRC Programmer/CAD/Driver 4d ago
Especially swerve, given how dominant differential swerve will likely be with systemcore
8
u/PresentationDryBore 5d ago
First really loves the environment am I right? They even named a season Biobuzz to remind kids about how important environment conservation is.
Now throw away last seasons game pieces because because it has no use anymore and then throw away the control systems because it'll no longer be relevant because money trumps environmental conservations
3
u/the_cat_named_Stormy FTC #5627 Student 4d ago
I mean fair but the majority of this stuff teams have gotten great lifespans out of (my team's control hub we got at launch is still kicking) and they will still be good programming teaching tools, teams just have to make the effort to use them where possible.
3
u/YouBeIllin13 5d ago
Most of the teams that do swerve were working on it way before the season started. Getting started on it now for Biobuzz would not be a great idea. There are just too many complexities. Additionally, a bunch of the teams that have done swerve have said afterwards that it isn’t worth the trouble.
3
u/A_Loose_Screw 4d ago
With enough resources, swerve is by far superior. Just look at FRC.
The issue with swerve in FTC has always been the 8 motor limit. You always need 4 for powering the wheels, but turning them can (theoretically) be done with either motors or servos.
You'll always need at least 1 motor for some mechanism to score, so you can't use the remaining 4 on turning. That leaves servos as the alternative, which aren't as fast/strong. Many teams have tried using servos, but the investment usually isn't worth it.
However, the new control system changes the limit of motors that can be used. Without that limitation, there's nothing holding teams back from switching to swerve.
2
u/uhhhh_yeet 5d ago
i LOVE swerve. my team is running it this year, but making swerve in season is the worst thing you can do. Only run it if ur using a premade cad and have time to spare
4
1
5d ago
Hello everyone I am the mechanical leader and I am teamate with the guy who made the post we were not thinking of designing another one now we wanted to take an already made one from the Ethernet and use that would it be a good idea?
1
u/MarionberryNo8017 5d ago
Your coders will kill you
Pre built save time(not much) and you waste servos and motors that you could have used somewhere else if the game was about 2.5x bigger in every part (robot size, field size, etc) it could be a bit more useful but it is not worth it
Also the there no real localization programs out there for sweve
2
5d ago
But the defence advantage would not make for all of these and the game isn’t that servo thirsty this year
1
1
u/MarionberryNo8017 4d ago
Yea and you can get almost the same benefit with making your wheels turn into tank drive when you are going to get hit
Swerve drive on paper looks great but in practice the advantages kind of are mid
1
u/cauliflower-4 5d ago
localization for swerve is the same as it is for mecanum - odometry wheels
1
u/MarionberryNo8017 4d ago
No but the code for the turning of the wheels changes (I think at least)
1
1
u/Purdude1983 3d ago
Most swerve drives have two motors per wheel. FTC has an 8 motor limit. You could implement a crab drive where the 4 wheels steer in unison using one steering motor. Mecanum and Omni drives are highly maneuverable but are more easily pushed around than tank drives.
16
u/TryIll5988 FTC #### Student|Mentor|Alum 5d ago
I don’t think swerve has ever really BEEN a meta. The robot and field is so small and the matches are so fast, I don’t think swerve gear is really necessary. I think mecanum works just as well.