Drive System

[Aerobyrd]

Hello, I am looking for some help in building a drive system for a 2-wheeled robot. the robot is likely to be about 20 pounds with a wheel radius of around 5 inches. I am hoping to achieve a decent pace with it, but it needs power also, i'm looking to power a funky wheel/track drive and be able to climb stairs and steep inclines. One more thing, my budget for the entire robot is a hopeful $250, so price is definitely an object.
Thanks Alot!
Ryan

[Cbenson]

Using tracks is a proven, brute force method of climbing stairs, but is not very cheap. Every gram increases the power required by the motors substantially. The motors are going to be about $50 each, for a total of ~$100. You can get a sense of just how much torque you'll need using the Drive Motor Sizing Tool. The microcontroller will be about $30 and the motor controller for these motors about $90 - already you're almost at $250 and still need a battery, tracks, sprockets, frame etc. and shipping / taxes. You would need to make your own tracks (perhaps using bike chain and sprockets). The better option is to make the robot a lot lighter.

[Aerobyrd]

Thanks a lot, here's the idea www.youtube.com/watch?v=luX_0Ek8cqc Any help with finding a suitable pair of motors would be greatly appreciated, having real trouble with that one. as for the weight, perhaps 15 pounds. and yes, i have a plan to make my own treads

[Cbenson]

If you're able to reproduce that robot for less than $250.. that would be amazing. As for motors, what did the Drive motor sizing tool give you? We get about 500oz-in at ~100rpm. This would be something like RB-Rbo-78 (64:1 P60 Gearbox with RS555 Motor).

[Aerobyrd]

After many, many, hours of searching, i may have found a motor. Will this work? http://www.robotmarketplace.com/prod...-210-1010.html

[Cbenson]

Looks promising, but use the drive motor sizing too to figure out exactly what torque and rpm you will need an then compare it to this motor.