How to assemble Vex VersaPlanetary?
 

We ordered two Vex VersaPlanetary gearboxes, and this being our first time using them are not fully sure how to assemble them. When looking on vex I couldn't find anything that showed how to put it all together.

Re: How to assemble Vex VersaPlanetary?
 

This and this are the offical instructions, but (and this is a note to the fine people at Vex) they could be much clearer. Not so much the instructions themselves, but the order and arrangement in the guide.

Re: How to assemble Vex VersaPlanetary?
 

In the details section on the Versaplanetary website there is an awesome user guide.

Re: How to assemble Vex VersaPlanetary?
 

That isn't really laid out that well. It starts with instructions on changing the shaft, that assumes you've already assembled the gearbox!

Re: How to assemble Vex VersaPlanetary?
 

Thanks for the links, we had seen those pages already our problem was we weren't sure why they gave so many plates and screws for just 1 stage and the cim adapter.

Re: How to assemble Vex VersaPlanetary?
 

All the plates are there so you can mount a variety of motors into the versaplanetery, you will need to figure out which one is correct for your motor.

Re: How to assemble Vex VersaPlanetary?
 

These gearboxes are designed to be versatile (hence their name), because we FRC robot builders often change our minds. Parts that can be re-used in a several different ways allow us more freedom to try other solutions, after we've seen how the first one worked -- or didn't. Keep those extra parts -- you might very well be glad to have them, two or three iterations from now.

Re: How to assemble Vex VersaPlanetary?
 

We're sorry to hear that you've been finding the posted instructions confusing. When creating documentation for something with as many uses and configurations as the VersaPlanetary, it's always a challenge to try predicting what documentation a user will need most. Everyone uses it differently, so which problems will need solving right away? Which ones will pop up later that require a second look at the docs? What reference information is crucial for design but can be skimmed during assembly? etc, etc...

If you're still having troubles, please give our support team a call at 903-453-0802 during business hours or email prosupport [at] vex [dot] com at any time. We're happy to help and appreciate the feedback!

Re: How to assemble Vex VersaPlanetary?
 

While the Versa part of VersaPlanetary can cause some confusion (so many parts left over after you've assembled a complete unit), I cannot sing the praises of those gearboxes loud enough.

I've fallen head over heals for them. Overclocked is using 10 (yes 10) of them on their competition robot and bunches more on prototypes, practice chassis, fall projects, ...

I've even made a graphic showing "best practices" (see attached jpg).

If you are not using VersaPlanetaries, you are missing out. My favorite thing about them? They let you be "Wrong Late" and survive. Being Wrong Late is the number one killer of FIRST aspirations.

If you are 25 lbs over weight (as Overclocked was two weeks ago) and you still have TIME then your dreams are not dead. Time gives the the luxury of going on a diet. However, if you are Wrong Late on weight, often your only option is to start hacking your robot to bits (probably making it much less capable or robust or something good that you wished you still had).

Gear Ratios and Motor Selection are two areas where FIRST teams are habitually Wrong Late. They don't discover that they can't lift their robot off the ground or that their arm is too fast to control or that they just cannot take that long to lift a tote or that they need just a little more oomph in that kicker, etc. until they are almost ready to put the robot in a bag.

VersaPlanetaries make this a recoverable situation.

I don't own stock in Vex or IFI, but every team I'm associated with ends up owning a boat load of VersaPlanetaries. If you're running a FIRST team, you probably should too.

Cheers,
Dr. Joe

Re: How to assemble Vex VersaPlanetary?
 

100% agree. VersaPlanetaries are just so cheap and versatile, they've really been our go-to gearbox this year. If we find out that a gearing isn't quite right, we can always change it. For manipulators, you just can't beat them.