Lesson 1
Opening the CAD Software
There are many different CAD Software out there, but Westwood FTC uses Onshape. Onshape is a browser-based software that has access to all the parts you will need to successfully design your robot.
Create Your Onshape Account
Follow these steps!
Common Mechanisms
FTC robots incorporate many different mechanisms which allow the robot to function in many different ways efficiently and effectively. Some of the most common mechanisms and the ones you are most likely to use are explained below.
Drivetrains
UPDATE for centerstage 23-24 season: Due to the allowance of axon servos and developments in the FTC community recently, swerve has gained a lot more popularity. It’ll still probably the most rare drivetrain you see, but not as rare any more. Read more here:
Here are some of the most common drivetrains used in FTC. A drivetrain is the mechanism that allows the robot to move around the field.
Here’s a little more detail on 2 exceptionally popular ones.
Mecanum Drivetrain
A Mecanum Drivetrain involves four mecanum wheels powered individually by 4 motors. A mecanum wheel is a special type of wheel that has multiple nonpowered rollers mounted at a 45-degree angle on the wheel. This allows the robot to move side to side (or strafe), which is much more efficient than turning and then moving forward. This is the most common drivetrain used in FTC. It is also not difficult to get started with for rookies.
Video (vex but gets the point across):
Four-Wheel Drive
Four-wheel drive consists of 4 powered wheels, 2 omni wheels in the front, and 2 traction wheels in the back. This allows for easy turning, as well as enough traction to drive around the field successfully. Four-wheel drive is more common for beginner teams, as it is easier to understand than mecanum drive, and is easier to code from the programming side. still working on pics and more mechanisms
For more information about these mechanisms, check out Game Manual 0! —> https://gm0.org/en/latest/docs/common-mechanisms/index.html