What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

We're at a point of the year where new products are probably being developed by FRC suppliers, so let's give them some ideas of what would help you build a better robot faster.

I'd personally like to see more 3/8" hex power transmission parts (sprockets, belt pulleys, etc.). Vex offers a 3/8" hex miter gear, but no power transmission means other than gears. We really wanted to use them on a 3-direction intake system, but kept hitting roadblocks. We could have gone with a round bore solution, but we went another direction.

I think a lot of us would like 3mm and 5mm pitch GT2 belt hex sprockets, though I understand there are patent issues with that.

What would you like to see?

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Everything that is currently being sold but in different colors. I would be interested in seeing if it would relieve some of the parts being bought out.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

How would different colors fix anything? Unless you had to boost the pre-color production to meet a MOQ, that doesn't change the quantity available (and even then, it creates more SKUs for vendors to have to pore over).

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

A metal versaplanetary cim adaptor.
And
More beefy right angle gussets

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

The COTs parts available through Vexpro, AndyMark, and McMaster made all of our design work very easy. I'm glad we have so many parts available now compared to years ago!

One part we end up making a lot of, and isn't easy to do if you are a low resource team with no mill/lathe, is spacer inserts for tubes. These let you do through-bolt connections that can be tightened without crushing the tube, so you actually have a strong bolted joint. For VexPro in particular, spacers like this that fit their Versaframe extrusion sizes could be very useful for some teams.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Stronger alloy options for gear stages.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

+1

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Hex hubs with less slop. Would a steel version help with this problem?

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

No, steel hubs would not help. This is all dependent on the broach itself. Your best bet is to shim the hub if you want a tighter fit or custom make your hex shaft. Apparently soda cans work really well for shims! Just ask Devin ;)

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

I'll have to try that. Thanks for the advice.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

VersaHub (1.125" Bearing Pilot, 3/8" Thick, w/ Plate Sprocket Mount)

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

We had a versaplanetary and mini CIM cantilevered in a way that looks a lot like how you guys did it, and at Iowa it broke during an elims match. We didn't have time to redesign the mounting before our next event, so we ended up casting the adapter out of aluminum, and it worked great. It sure would be nice to buy one though :)

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

In line with the metal CIM versa adapter, it would be great to have a metal dual-motor input for the versaplanetary too. With the new 775 pro, way too much power can be run through the plastic dual-input stage.

Our team ended up using the same internals and CNCing some really simple replacement housings out of aluminum.

And in general, I would like to see less FRC specific COTS assemblies (like the butterfly drive pod from VEX) because (personal opinion) I don't like the direction that that is headed. More part-level COTS parts (not full assemblies of specialized mechanisms). I really like the idea of an assortment of spacers/standoffs (but McMaster is probably the best option).

-A source for Dark Soul #25 chain breakers.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Mostly spacers, standoffs, and more shaft selection.

Spacers

• 1/4 Threaded spacer for 1/8" and 1/16" 1x1 and 2x1 Al tube
  
• Delrin spacers for 3/8" hex and 1/2" and 3/8" round
  

Standoffs

• Common standoffs availble through Vex/AM/WCP to save on McMaster orders
• Round and hex variants

Shafts

• Thunderhex-style 3/8" hex with bore and similar variants for 1/2" and 3/8" round
• Some grinding on the thunderhex to improve fit with hex bearings
• Perhaps some steel variants of the current thunderhex/bored round shaft

Also, a more robust option for VP encoders. As mentioned above, plastic would be nice, but the boards and wires themselves need some sort of reinforcement.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

VexPro offers an assortment of delrin 3/8 and 1/2 inch hex spacers.
http://www.vexrobotics.com/vexpro/ha...rs-vexpro.html

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Whoops, knew about the 1/2" hex but not the 3/8". Guess I'll settle for just the round variants then.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Since they're just spacers, can't you use the hex spacers on round shaft? :)

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

7075-T6 is the best alloy for aluminium gears available.
Yes, perhaps small gears such as those gears up to maybe 24 tooth could have the option of being replaced with drop in 4140 gears.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Every broken gear picture on CD has the teeth sheered off. I've never seen the body of a gear crack. So, the failure mode seems to be the teeth. Would 4140 steel gears with lightening holes be an option? How much more would it cost?

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

After going through a season thinking "man, I wish we had a -----", I'm totally blanking out.

The tube spacers would be super useful, for sure. That would have saved us a lot of pain this year. Other standoffs would also come in handy.
Totally separate CIM mounting holes on the WCP gearboxes- the CIM bled into the 12t pinion mounting distance from the 14t distance, causing massive friction.
3/8" hex versahubs, however the 3/8" hex to 1/2" hex adapter by WCP solves a lot of 3/8" hex issues.
More GT2 belt pulleys would be great; WCP sells 12t pulleys and belts but not the larger hex broach pulleys we need! Small 12t 5mm HTD pulleys would also be nice.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Right angle output stage for the Versa-Planetary gearbox, not an adapter but an integrated output stage that takes the place of the normal output stage.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

This would be very useful, depending on the input motor and the reduction there would be significant torque on the bevel gears( if bevel gears were used). It might be difficult to find small enough bevel gears that would be able to take the torque.

How efficient are bevel gears? I've heard worm gears can be quite in-efficient.

I know team 33 made a tutorial on how to modify a versa-planetary and a drill/driver right angle adapter to accomplish this:

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ht=right+angle

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Cycloid stage in a versa planetary. Couple that with a right angle adapter and you've got a monster of setup to lift arms etc.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

VersaBlock with 1/4" drop when flipped allowing drop combinations of the following when mixed with the current 1/8" flipped:

1/16", 1/8", 3/16", 1/4"

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

1/2" hex bore bevel gears.
I'm sure there are others I could think of, but that's what pops into my mind right now.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

The attached gear was pocketed on each side .112, leaving a web thickness of .150.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

That is a 7075-T6 gear isn't it?

Andymark sell a few gears with weight saving holes in, I think in the weight saving your not going to be able to reduce enough weight to make it equal to an un-weight saved Aluminium gear however it would still be great to do some experimentation

Team 254 did some really nice weight saving for the large VEXpro aluminium first stage gear in their CIM-over wheel gearbox, I'm not sure if they had any problems with any gears during the season.

We probably don't want to hi-jack the thread with a Aluminium gear vs steel gear debate :)

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Is the slot to prevent the gear from resonating?

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

10/10 would buy.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Clamping hubs and other hardware. I've been waiting for an FRC supplier to do a clamping hub for *years* and, so far, been disappointed.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

An electric solenoid for momentary shifting that is packaged for easy swap in use with the vexpro/WCP shifters.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

1/2" (-0.001") round solid aluminum shaft stock (for less than the 3x mark-up over VexPro that McMaster currently sells it for)

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

+1.
Also, iv'e been dreaming of a Versaplanetary Worm gearbox sage, with any reduction.

I would also like some improvements in the Ballshifters. (the nuts should be molded in and not put there, they keep falling into the gear and are a nightmare to get out. The CIMs seem to loosen up from time to time. The adapter for the Pancake cylinder should be made out of something more durable).

I would also love it of someone started selling good chain breaking and assembling tools for both 35 and 25.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Parts to make the construction of bumpers easier. I know Andy had a design for a corner piece and I still want to see it made. It would make the lives of those who help other teams with making bumpers every year much easier.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

More avalibity of parts. Many COTS items were sold out or on back order for much of the build season. A great example of this is the pneumatic wheel storage...

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

-4"x1.5" and 4"x2" Aluminum Wheels with 1/2" Hex Broach
-Anti-backdrive stage for VersaPlanetary
-Disc Brake set up with 1/2" Hex or "Standard" Sprocket Hole Pattern

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

That is very difficult for suppliers, it is almost a gamble, as they have to buy or fabricate parts in advance, and if they are not useful for a particular season then that is a huge burden on them. A way around it is to get certain suppliers like Andymark and Vex in the loop in terms of the season so they can plan ahead, but it is really not ideal at all.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

In years past where crushing box was an issue, we would rip down a piece of scrap hardwood on a table saw to fit snugly within a tube and just use that. Does exactly what you're after and would be way easier to position and use than a round spacer. I can see positioning one of those little round spacers and lining it up with the bolt holes being a royal pain, especially if it's deep in a tube that's already attached to the robot.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

3/8" hex gears that are slightly thinner. 1/2" hex has been amazing however for some applications you want to use gears but the current hex line from Vexpro just seems overkill and you are throwing extra weight and space where you don't need to.

+1 for a Versatube spacer.

1/2" hex bevel gears. Would have come in handy this year but with only 3/8" available and all of our existing system being 1/2" hex it made it just about impossible to integrate.

After this season, a non plastic dead axle hub for 6" and 8" wheels would be nice but this is mostly game dependent. :rolleyes:

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

A mag encoder that's compatible with all the AndyMark gearboxes that take USDigital optical encoders (same mounting geometry and all). 694 has had a bad time with the optical encoders, as the break easily, and can get ruined by dust.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

I would love this, it seems to be legal. Pneumatic actuators under a 1" stroke are legal, and it's just a matter of getting a correct mounting. I'd imaging if there's a standard size of solenoid actuators, it's just a matter of getting a shroud around it that's the same dimensions as the pancake solenoid from VEX to swap in the ball shifter.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

This and the right-angle adapter would be incredibly useful.

What about steel though? Especially with the smaller gears, the weight increase isn't going to be that significant, and if case hardened, I can't imagine you'd see much wear.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

http://www.amazon.com/Park-Tool-Scre.../dp/B01EONOJ78 for 35 or 25 chain. It's the best chain tool I've yet used for any chain.

Chain sprockets for bike chain. Bike chain has better availible tools, is availible locally everywhere, is lighter per foot than 35 (expensive stuff is the same as 25), and larger teeth mean better fault tolerance when tensioning.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

An inside corner bracket for the 1" REV extrusion similar to the 15mm version: http://www.revrobotics.com/product/rev-41-1038/

A breakout board for the Talon SRX that contains the index signal pin.

A breakout board for the Talon SRX that plugs right into the motor controller, rather than requiring those really thin cables.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Gears breaking isn't normally a huge problem but it would be great to have some drop in 4140 steel replacements for gears maybe up to 24 tooth sizes.

Hopefully they could also be black oxide coated for superior performance :)

Yes, the weight increase in terms of total gearbox wouldn't be very significant so this would be a viable option.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

I second what Sperkowsky said about the metal versaplanetary adapter and gussets. If it was metal it could be a lot smaller.

I would also like to see the versaplanetary encoder housing be made out of the same metal as the gearboxes because we had two of the plastic ones create a failure where once the encoder cracked and failed the entire gearbox would fall to pieces in our robot. The bolts failed in double shear and we had three pieces of each bolt every time this happened on two different gearboxes. I will attach photos to show the failure. I think we already sent this to Vex but I will check on that. I think vibration was the cause of the failure and not overloading based on our applications.

I also strongly agree with what Marshall said and will add a little on to that. If the AndyMark kit came with bumper instructions and sheet metal hardware for next year I feel like some of the teams with fewer resources in NC would actually arrive to competition with bumpers and I would not have to help them build the bumpers before inspection! It would be nice to have something sort of like an "add plywood, noodle, and cloth kit" and you have a robot ready for inspection.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Multiple sizes of Talon SRX data cable, currently the only size is 12" which can be difficult to work with.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Uh, using CAN you can.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

+1

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-2617.htm AndyMark sells a 6" version. I was also able to find 20cm version from random internet sources (search for 0.05" or 1.27mm 10 pin), but I agree, having multiple length options would be nice.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

a CAN plug-in vision aiming module.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

What about the AndyMark tank treads? That must have been the best gamble they ever had for they only came out about a month prior to kickoff. I do feel that suppliers should be in the loop so they can prepare their inventory for the influx of purchasing specific parts.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

For the anti-backdrive stage, you could even add in a switch to the stage, similar to a ratchet wrench, to engage, disengage, or flip the direction of the anti-backdrive.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Three key distributors--AndyMark, VEX, and REV--were given a few high-level details about the game in September and October.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

This year AndyMark and a few other suppliers were told some details about the game and that is why they came out with Rhino Treads.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

[citation needed]

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Citation: http://www.firstinspires.org/robotic...g/distributors

It doesn't say that the Rhino drive was a direct result of finding out about the game, but it seems a perfect product for the game, so I'd imaging it is something similar.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Rollers are a pain. It would be nice if there were a couple more COTS methods to transmit torque to a roller. The only one I know of is from Competition Robot Parts.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

A COTS 4 stage gearbox for a single CIM would be pretty handy for arms.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

I would like to see a ratcheting gear and pawl. It would be nice if the ratcheting gear had a 1/2 inch hex broached bore.

Option B would be a ratcheting gear with the standard FIRST bolt circle to attach to a hub.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

A potentiometer that is designed to work with VEX ThunderHex shafts.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

+1 million on this one.

In recent years, we usually end up 3D printing all of our anti-crush supports, or else making do with lots of little cut-to-length tube spacers. With the first option, we waste time redesigning and printing the custom support blocks every year; with the second option, we waste time fumbling with (and dropping, losing, and needing to cut replacements for) dozens of tiny round spacers during assembly and maintenance operations.

Standard anti-crush supports that fit inside the VersaFrame extrusions, on the other hand, should be fairly cost-effective if injection-molded en masse!

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

You can do this pretty easy already. Just drill the center of the shaft out to 1/4", hacksaw a slit ~0.75" down the length of the shaft, and put a shaft collar over the slit. The shaft collar will now clamp the potentiometer shaft like a collet would.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Yeah, but if it had the pwm cable pre-attached, like most VEX EDR electronics do, then it would be a lot easier to wire. That's mainly what I was getting at.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Was just thinking about both of these.

An anti-backdrive VP stage would be awesome - that is basically the only feature I miss from the old DeWalt transmissions, and it can't be *that* hard to do, right?

I would really like 4140 pinion gears (at least 18T, 20T, 24T) for high load applications. Aluminum works sometimes, but sometimes you want steel.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

I would imagine they had already been designing the Rhino tread for some time previously, and being alerted that the new game would have "driving over obstacles" simply sped up the time frame for releasing it. A COTS tread system had always been something people wanted (for whatever reason :P).

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

For those interested, this chain tool is still available in the wild.

http://www.davesmotors.com/DarkSoul-...Tool-3466.html

We used to sell it...it's a long story as to why we do not anymore.

This is hands down the best chain tool for #25 chain that exists....the main advantage is the inclusion of a re-press mandrel that allows you to eliminate master links.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Will that work on the Vex #25 chain? It seems a bit thicker than other #25 chain.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Yes it works with Vex #25 chain.

It is the best chain tool I've used.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Yes. We used it this year on Vex chain - if anything the extra thickness makes it harder to drive the pin too far out, so it works better with Vex chain.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

I would like to see a better solution for using LED's. Right now LED's paralyze my team with how many choices / setups there are, so usually there's a mediocre attempt at them but never a finished product.
- How do we connect power to the LED's?
- Which LED brand, model, and length do we use?
- Do we really have to care that each light is addressable, seriously?
- To control them do we use an offboard processor, use a Spike, or is there a better way?

Would love to have something simpler that doesn't depend on in-house custom circuitry or an arduino. Plug this 12" LED strip into this device, then plug this device into the PDB and into the RoboRIO using these connectors. Then use this sample code to get going with writing different colors/brightnesses or blinking lights to the LED's.

FWIW, introductory courses in embedded electronics in college were all about blinking LED's, and connection of those circuits to the corresponding code was way more straightforward than the FRC LED situation.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Aluminum HTD pulleys with more hearty outer walls. Almost all of our larger diameter pulleys had the wall ring pop off at some point during the season. The belts themselves very rarely slipped off as they were fairly well aligned, but I would love to have not had to deal with it over and over.

If they can't get away from the ring design of the walls, maybe make the walls a little larger so that you could tap and screw it back on after it pops off? It's doable right now with (I think) a #4 screw, but something larger would be nice to work with.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

You could tap the base aluminum pulley, close to the ring, and use a washer to retain the ring. This is similar to how many gearboxes retain bearings (AM Toughbox Nano, WCP DS gearboxes, and a few others I'm sure).

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

VersaPlanetary "Inverter"- allow you to run a motor on the side of the planetary. Our team fobbed our own with a dual motor input and some shenanigans, but COTS would be nicer. The issue with planetaries' packaging is that they package long.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Use a VersaHub. You can attach the VersaHub to larger diameter pulleys by buying or printing some sort of insert with an ID the same as the hub and an OD that matches the ID of your roller. We did that this year with our 4" diameter roller and it worked great.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Thanks, that's a great idea.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Smaller 3/8" hex bearings. Ideally ones that could be used in a 1x1 tube. So like 7/8" OD with a flange. We used crummy conveyor bearings from Grainger with our collector, which surprisingly didn't fail during competition.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

AndyMark sells this bumper kit for the AM14U3 http://www.andymark.com/AM14U3-p/am-3152.htm Much of that was included in the version shipped as the KOP chassis, it included the right and left angle brackets, the thumb screws and the t nuts. There was also a separate instruction sheet on how to use those parts to create bumpers. It did not include the corner angles but personally I prefer to glue and screw the two pieces together and have found that method to be more than robust enough.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Thing is, most LED strips are one of two solutions: RGB LEDs, or Addressable WS8211 or similar LEDs. I know teams that I know (I've never used LED Strips on a robot before) use the VRM's 2 Amp 5 Volt rail to power LEDs. I'd recommend one of two models: Adafruit Dotstar or Adafruit NeoPixels. These are both addressable. In reality, you don't need addressable really, but it makes controlling them easier, and sometimes it's just nicer to have control of individual sections. The main difference between the two, is that one (the Dotstar) is able to be controlled directly from the RoboRIO, albeit at a higher price. The NeoPixels are much more common, but require a special timing protocol, which must be driven by an Arduino or some other single process device. You may be able to find places that have basically identical strips to these Adafruit brands, just search for WS8211,WS8212,WS8212B, or WK6812 LED strips on Ebay or other shopping website. DotStar strips use a less common APA102 driver on the chips, so you'll find less of these types of strips on places like Ebay.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

I get it - there are options. Yet they're wide, varied, sometimes incompatible and sometimes take the power ports we'd rather put to other uses.

Or perhaps CTRE could come out with a couple more 5V ports on the VRM?

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Try this: http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-2899.htm.

It's more expensive than your standard pot, but much less nosiy, much smaller, and comes with a pre-terminated cable.

On the topic of rollers, I've found the secret is the 1.25 x 0.0625 tube. The ~1.125 ID makes a number of COTS hubs and bearings fit nicely.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Try this link. For whatever reason, (Not a web developer so can't tell you why, AM's links require the .htm at the end.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

I was drawing up plans for a linear actuator that uses either the BAG motor or 775pro. It could be built just like the DART actuators and be much smaller. I just don't have access to any machines that can help make it.

It'd be a great off-season project for a team and I think they'd sell like hot(cheese)cakes

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

But if VEX makes it, then it could be designed to work with the ThunderHex shaft without having to drill it out.

Also, it seems that you still would need to crimp or sauter the other end of that connection wire. I'm hoping to just have a potentiometer that has a cable with a pwm end with the other end connected internally. It's a LOT easier to wire.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

This is Definitly a valid product. The cable thing doesn't bother me much but it would be really nice to have a potentiometer that wrapped around a hex shaft.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Not what I want. It's not simple enough (And yes, I know how simple it is). Andy knows what I want. He had a 3D printed version of it at champs 2 years ago. Someone at AM should tell him to make it already.

Ain't gonna happen anytime soon for a lot of reasons. Unless of course all you want is the PIXY CAM with a CAN interface... you can make that happen without a whole lot of effort... use the HERO board to do it maybe?

All that being said, 900 is actively talking about how to "cheesecake" vision onto other robots in the future... no idea what that means at the moment but we're talking about it.

The biggest issue with vision isn't the vision or the detection. It's getting more teams to add encoders to their drivetrains and mechanisms. You need feedback to make use of the vision data.

I'd love to see more COTS options for encoder integration.

I would also love to see the CIM-Encoder that AM introduced this season improved. It's hollow and the little center spacer plate isn't square. Make it filled in, more robust, and square the center plate.

And I REALLY hope brushless is coming based on what CTRE was showing off. I'd love to see it happen.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

217-2733 from Vex?

But in hex.. I like it

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

A lot of the industrial sensors do not pull low enough to reliably switch the Roborio 3.3 Volt digital input. A packaged opto-isolator that sinks the input to the roborio level would be nice. Maybe even with a transistor that inverts the logic back.

A Spike replacement

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

I'm sure I'm missing something and some of this has been alluded to, but how about a small, lightweight, easily mounted replacement for a window motor? Something with low rpm and modest torque. The window motors are flimsy and hard to mount. I love the versaplanetaries but would prefer not to have to use a 3 stage reduction to get to the sub-100 rpm realm.
Clue me in on what you use in these applications.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Crazy suggestion: Make the Neverest motors legal. They are about the same power range as window motors. Bonus, also have a funky output shaft with only a few cots ways of interfacing :P

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

So we built a prototype of a product about a year ago to do simple LED control called the "blinkin Board"

The basic idea was to allow on a single board the ability to drive the WS281* LEDs or 12v RGB LEDs. The voltage buck 12 to 5 with 3 amps of supply is on board, so just give it 12 volts and it would work.

The real beauty (in our minds) was the fact that you can control either kind of strip with a PWM input, we were able to sub-divide the standard PWM signal into tons of discrete signals and using a provided chart teams could make their LEDs do things with no hard programming required. There are a bunch of jumpers on the board so you can select things like your team colors & strip length.



We got the prototype almost ready for production (needed a bit more DFM work and software) but we ran out of time as we needed to focus on other things (like the SPARK). We also were not sure how many teams would be interested in something like this to justify the effort to bring it to market. It is still something we can definitely make, we just need to figure out where on the priority list it falls compared to some of the other large initiatives REV is working on.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

This product used to exist from AM, but it required such a thin inner race at the points that the bearings would fail catastrophically at relatively low loads.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

FWIW, I would love to see FR6's with a 3/8 Hex bore make a come back, I've used them in 2013, 2014 and 2016 without issue. (Bought stock when they were discontinued) From what I've seen, they can be used in Auxilary mechanism, specifically high reduction gear boxes and intake type gearboxes without issue.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

+100 If it had a easy mounting pattern and a hex output shaft that would be amazing. Easy to find specs and a way to actually buy it would also be pluses.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

How possible would a combination gear be? Something with a lighter but still strong internal portion and a steel outer? It might be better than holes for the smaller gears? Like this maybe?



I'm new to this stuff...

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Why couldn't a gyro be an alternative to having encoders on the robot? If the gyro was part of the board, it could likely still be kept all together. I'm not sure if we even used the encoders for our vision tracking this year and we hit every autonomous shot at champs. I'd imagine a game with a bigger goal would be even better.

Edit: Granted, we did use the encoders for going forward a set distance in teleop. This probably would effect our accuracy in autonomous. I would imagine not by too much though. In teleop though, auto tracking would be unaffected by not having encoders.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

Gyros tend to need to be level. You can cheat to an extent with some of the IMU boards doing a self leveling routine on startup and I guess that's probably a viable approach. Just don't forget it.

But why Encoders - At some point you need to get to a point on the field and that's pretty hard without encoders in the drive.

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

FR6-ZZ HEX PS2 Radial Bearings at Boca Bearing, showing 4700 in stock

http://www.bocabearings.com/bearing-...12-FR6ZZHEXPS2

Re: What COTS parts would you like to see?
 

And look at that- only $14 each! What a steal. /sarcasm
Seriously though, nice find. Good to know there's a source out there for 3/8" hex bearings in tough situations. However, I would still want a 7/8" OD 3/8" hex bearing available from Vex or AM.