Can't mount the gear tooth sensors

[Tim Skloss]

The new AndyMark gearboxes are different from the 2006 version and I can't seem to figure out how to make the gear tooth sensors fit.

Using 0.75 inch standoffs I can make the board just fit, but it rubs against the gear--unacceptable.

We followed the AndyMark gearbox instructions and the gears look correct, but this year the gear to be sensed is not up against the cover.

Did I miss something simple?

Thanks in advance.

[Tim Skloss]

Since the holes in the plastic plate didn't give the proper spacing, I decided to drill holes in the aluminum plate. Mounting to the Al plate removes the need for stand-offs and results in a more robust mounting.

The board will not fit as supplied. I trimmed the back corners off of the board so it would fit in the space in the corner of the gearbox.

Using a 1 mm thick piece of cardstock between the sensor and the gear, I marked the hole locations on the aluminum plate and then drilled holes for #8 screws.

Be sure you use PLASTIC washers under the board or you will get short circuits to the gearbox. Don't use metal washers as shown, I had to remove them later when I didn't have the camera.

When finished the sensor worked great. You MUST power it with both 5 and 12 VDC or it will not work. We chose to use a 4-conductor cable instead of the expensive PWM cables.

[billbo911]

Since the holes in the plastic plate didn't give the proper spacing, I decided to drill holes in the aluminum plate. Mounting to the Al plate removes the need for stand-offs and results in a more robust mounting.

The board will not fit as supplied. I trimmed the back corners off of the board so it would fit in the space in the corner of the gearbox.

Using a 1 mm thick piece of cardstock between the sensor and the gear, I marked the hole locations on the aluminum plate and then drilled holes for #8 screws.

Be sure you use PLASTIC washers under the board or you will get short circuits to the gearbox. Don't use metal washers as shown, I had to remove them later when I didn't have the camera.

When finished the sensor worked great. You MUST power it with both 5 and 12 VDC or it will not work. We chose to use a 4-conductor cable instead of the expensive PWM cables.

Tim, Excellent post!!! The pictures speak a thousand words. I was considering doing the same to ours, and now I see it finished already! All I can say is SWEET!

[Alan Anderson]

We followed the AndyMark gearbox instructions and the gears look correct, but this year the gear to be sensed is not up against the cover.

Did I miss something simple?

Is your clear cover plate perhaps upside down?

[Armando Gonzalez]

One lil question, don't the gears need any lubrication?

[The_Laughing_ManMII]

maybe, maybe not, it depends on the material used for the gears

[Armando Gonzalez]

maybe, maybe not, it depends on the material used for the gears

Wow, thanks for the info.

[tails9889]

i'd like to talk about how if in hybrid mode can u go counter clockwise even if u r not allowed in teleoperated mode

[Tim Skloss]

Is your clear cover plate perhaps upside down?

It's hard to tell. The two holes for the sensor are not symmetrically oriented to the shaft that the gear rotates on--therefore only one board orientation will work.

If the plastic plate is upside down, couldn't you fix that by simply flipping the GTS board over? We tried many ways and the closest we found was pointed right at the gear, but about 1 mm too close. I have not heard if anyone else has had the same problem.

Maybe we missed something, but now that the new holes were drilled in the Al cover (I didn't want to try drilling in the Lexan for fear of messing up) the board seems to work fine.

[Tim Skloss]

One lil question, don't the gears need any lubrication?

We put a small amount of white lithium grease on the two gear pairs. You need something on the gears or they will grind themselves into shards.

We purchased the grease at a local hardware store. Just about any heavy grease will work. Just use enough to give the gears a light coat.

[Tim Skloss]

Tim, Excellent post!!! The pictures speak a thousand words. I was considering doing the same to ours, and now I see it finished already! All I can say is SWEET!

You're welcome! I agree that more posts should be clear, detailed solutions. Giving back constructively to this community is a responsibility for all of us who take from it.

Good luck and I hope to see you in Atlanta!

[roborat]

I mounted mine to the clear cover. This is the first time i have used these sensors. They seem to be pretty far away from the gear when mounted. The picture seems to indicate that they read from the end and not the side. Not for sure if i am mounted right.

[Gamer930]

Did you have to add some spacers between the gear tooth sensor and the Polycarbonate so it reads the output gear???

[AndyB]

I'm curious about this as well. Can a gear tooth sensor work from what seems to be around 3/4" to 1" away from the gear?

[roborat]

I could not get a reading today. We are going to download the new easy c codes to see if that helps, since it is a different sensor from last year. We have never used this before and not for sure if we are even wiring it correctly. Where can we find information about where it is suppose to mount and how to wire it.

[Tim Skloss]

I'm curious about this as well. Can a gear tooth sensor work from what seems to be around 3/4" to 1" away from the gear?

No. According to the data sheet the sensor must be 2.5 to 1 millimeter from the gear, and directly facing it.

The only way to mount to the clear cover and reach the 50 tooth gear at the bottom is to use spacers. I tried 3/4 inch spacers, and that was a little too long. Half-inch spacers may not be enough.

In the end we drilled the aluminum plate and mounted with a few plastic washers. Then it worked great. See the pictures above.

[AndyB]

We ended up basically carrying the holes from the lexan shield over to the aluminum shield and everything works great. Thanks for your help.