Society of Robots - Robot Forum

Electronics => Electronics => Topic started by: wakkm on February 19, 2013, 11:47:42 AM

Title: Selecting DC motor for robot
Post by: wakkm on February 19, 2013, 11:47:42 AM
Hi,
i am making a robot which would be having a weight of not more than 10Kg.it is a four wheeled robot with chained differential drive and has two motors in all.i want it to have a good speed and a good torque.can any one tell me which motor will be best for it,and y that motor is best??
(http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b562/wiki25/motorscopy_zps27a98ece.jpg)
Title: Re: Selecting DC motor for robot
Post by: mstacho on February 19, 2013, 01:19:00 PM
This is going to require some more effort on your part to properly spec the motors.  Motors with gear boxes provide a certain amount of torque that is then transferred to the wheels.  The wheels then transfer that torque into speed, and how fast you go is a function of how much torque you have and the diameter of the wheel. 

IIRC, the relationship between the force that the wheels provide the robot and the torque that the motor provides the wheels is F = t/r, where r is the radius of the wheel and t is the torque of the motor.  Using the stall torque that you see in the picture you provided you get the *maximum* possible force that can EVER be applied by your robot for a given wheel radius. 

Also there is, unfortunately, an inverse relationship between wheel radius and speed - smaller wheels will make the robot go slower, but will drive it with more force for a given torque (huh?  Well remember that the speed of the robot will be related to the rpm of the wheel and the radius of the wheel.  At the same RPM, a bigger wheel will be moving faster at the rim!).

Good luck!

MIKE

ps: Technically you should have posted this in the "mechanics and construction" sub forum, since this is the electronics forum and you might have better luck there!

[EDIT]: wrong about which forum this was posted in.
Title: Re: Selecting DC motor for robot
Post by: newInRobotics on February 20, 2013, 01:18:29 AM
i want it to have a good speed and a good torque.
Define good speed and good torque (some numbers would be very suitable) :)