New AndyMark product: L16-R actuator

[jnicho15]

Interesting new product from AndyMark: linear servos. They are available in both 150:1 and 35:1. The 150:1 has a max force of 250N and the 35:1 a max speed of 35mm/s. Looks like a good replacement for something like a DART in lower-load applications. The DART can provide around 3.5x as much force, but costs over 4x as much. The L16-R s only cost $70 each! But will they be legal?

150:1 : http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-3516.htm
35:1 : http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-3517.htm

[GeeTwo]

As servos, they would have been last year, presuming they are reasonably efficient (peak output power is a bit under a watt, so input current is probably a few hundred milliamps).

Added: With the addition of the REV servo power module (http://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc/blog/2017-motor-controllers-mxp) as a legal controller, it is likely that the servo limits will be going up, not down.

[dradel]

Was wondering about the legality as well. Part of me thinks seeing as it is marketed as an actuator it is going to cause issues with the legal motor tid bit, but is also a servo. Oh the horror 😲

[Cothron Theiss]

I can't say anything about the legality, but I can vouch for the quality of these actuators. I used one of the same brand for a work project, and they work very well. We mounted it with a load cell and used it with control loops so it was always exerting about 20 lbs. of force on an extruder. That's not exactly a typical FRC application, but I'd certainly go to these for tasks too small for a DART.

[cadandcookies]

Highly recommend that teams reach out to Actuonix/Firgelli if you're interested in these servos. They offer a considerable discount if you're shipping to an educational facility.