Voltage Regulation and Repeatability in Open Loop Systems.
I've been playing around with the Pololu 3pi robot this past weekend. It doesn't have encoders, but I've found its movements are fairly repeatable. It uses two voltage regulators to ensure that the motors always get the same voltage. This makes a big difference compared to an S1 where the voltage drops over time, so a timed movement produces different results over time.
While this technique is inappropriate for really precise systems like robot arms or CNC machines, I'm surprised that it isn't used more often for drive trains. Particularly if you coupled it with some way to periodically zero out accumulated error.
While this technique is inappropriate for really precise systems like robot arms or CNC machines, I'm surprised that it isn't used more often for drive trains. Particularly if you coupled it with some way to periodically zero out accumulated error.
Comments
I'm sure for a robot encountering constant, low loads (smooth floors) it can yield improved results. Less so for an outdoor bot on bumpy ground or hilly terrain.