tracks vs. wheels

[jamort]

I'm in the middle of designing a project and have came to a point of choosing tracks the tracks I planning to get would cost me about $150 vs wheels $10-20 the tracks were about 60 inches of track pieces...
bright side of tracks i know the robot could go down stairs....
If you know if there is any=where I can get tracks cheaper let me know or any advice...
Thanks

[Xone G0D]

 I do... Make them~!!!.  Don't fear, its easier than you might think.  Buying tracks should not be an option unless you have a lot of money, too little time to build, or your robot is very aggressive and heavy.  There are several ways you can make them one cheaper than the next.  I might have pics of some Ive made.... iono though... gatta-check...

  I need to know the size of the bot you plan to build in order recommend which building method would suffice your needs.  waiting reply.   


..X..

[jamort]

Thanks the bot is mediuim sized its um about 1 1/2 to 2 feet long

I also need to know what motor size I should get if it weighs about say 4-5 pounds upon finishing
I also think that Im going to souble up on motors one on one side of a track and one on the other....
Thanks again

[jamort]

As far the weight goes let me say 7-10 lbs. I've devided to add some aluminum when I'm done or do you think that I need even more my robot is going to have a plastice base where I'm going to add some metal to make sure that the base is renforced enough, then I'm going to have of course a microcontroller that I'm going to develp than there will be a turntable where Im going to mount an ultrasonic sensor and a servo to turn it than an ultrasonic on the back.... Which brings up another thing how to build a sensor if you can help me with that....
So idk how much motor its going to take to power it and batteries etc/. need help there...
but once I get to that point Ive got everything ready to order
thanks

[ArcMan]

For that size of robot, I would go with power window gearmotors.  These can be had quite cheaply at ebay, surplus stores, All Electronics, etc.  Of course, you should calculate your torque and power needs.  This site has tutorials for that.