12 inches

37.69911 inches
70 RPM
2638.938 IPM
3.665191 FPS
13.09618 seconds
300 8.5
0.3125
93.75 RPM
15
2503.457 IPM
48 3.477023 FPS
13.80491 Seconds
Speed ratio=
Wheel RPM=
motor RPM x speed ratio
Drive Train Notes
Designing a drivetrain requires a bit of planning and forethought . . .

How fast will the robot be? How much power? Four wheel drive? Track Drive?

Let us start with one of the most basic designs . . .Two wheel drive with a caster, direct drive
from a van door or window motor.
Enter the diameter of the wheel----
Multiply by pi to find circumference
Enter the motor shaft RPM
Multiply the shaft RPM by the wheel
Divide by 60 then 12 to get feet per second
Time required to go across a 48 foot field
Note that most motors have different peak rpms in forward and reverse. If one motor is turning
forward and one is in reverse, the robot will turn slightly. A remedy is to write the control program to
slightly limit the "fast" motor at full throttle. Another is to have slightly different gear ratio to
compensate for the difference.
An advantage of the above design is it's simplicity. A drawback is it's lack of traction and stability
on the caster.
Chain and Sprocket Drive
Drive Sprocket
Driven
Wheel Motor
RPM
Robot Velocity=
wheel RPM x wheel
circumference
Time to travel 48 ft
Velocity in fps
Multiple Gear Drive
Note: Enter information in the gray boxes, press enter to compute the results
Drive A 9 Teeth
Driven B 41 Teeth
0.219512
Drive C 6 Teeth
Driven D 36 Teeth
0.166667
18000
Drive E 14 Teeth
Drive F 28 Teeth
0.5
0.018293
329.2683 RPM
12 inches
37.69911 Inches
12413.12 IPM
17.24045
Multiple Gear Drive
Find the individual ratios and multiply them together to get the final drive
A
B
C
D
E
Speed Ratio
Motor
RPM
Speed Ratio
F
Speed Ratio
Overall speed ratio
Wheel RPM=Speed ratio x Motor RPM
Wheel Diameter
Wheel Circumference
Velocity=Wheel Cir x wheel rpm
Velocity FPS
NOTE: If your gear set has 2 ratios, substitute 1 for the number of teeth on each gear in one of
the ratios
If a larger wheel is substituted, the velocity will increase but the pushing power(torque) will
decrease
As the velocity increases the motors need to work harder and will draw more power. If the motors
overheat, they will cut out if there is a thermal limiter, or burn up if not.
Each time power is transferred, a portion of it is lost to friction. An efficient transfer may absorb
5%, an inefficient one 50% or more.
The larger the gear, sprocket or chain, the more energy it will absorb, and the longer the drive
train will take to change speed. Use the lightest components possible that will handle the power.
A slow robot will travel 1-3 FPS. A fast one around 10 FPS
Some robots have multiple speed transmissions. They allow quick travel and high pushing force.
The transmission and the shifting of it is a major undertaking
10 FPS
400 RPM 1200
35 Inches
0.514286 0.171429
Multiple Motor Drive
Some robots use multiple motors to increase power output. The drive ratios need to be carefully
selected if the motors turn at different RPMs to avoid having them work against one another.
Multiple motors draw much power. If too much power is drawn, the main breaker will kick causing
your robot to be out of contention.
Desired Velocity
Motor 1 RPM
Wheel Circumference
Speed Ratio Required
Motor 2 RPM
Speed Ratio Required
Reminder: Speed ratio=driver(motor) teeth/driven(wheel) teeth
To calculate the output torque of any drive system, invert the speed ratio by placing a
1 over it and dividing it out.

Multiply the result by the input(motor) torque to find the output shaft torque.
Note: if the drive ratio remains constant:
a larger wheel will increase velocity and decrease torque(pushing power)
Motor
Wheel
2"d
1"d
1"d
2"d
OK - What is it??