WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Back for more! Announcing our 2017 FRC Product Release. As a general disclaimer, most products are in stock. Inventory updates, CAD files and manuals will be going up throughout the week. Products that do not have an ETA:TBD date will be shipping by this Friday. If stuff is missing or incorrect, please email support@wcproducts.net or me directly here.

• 2 CIM Flipped Gearbox & Dog Gears - Ever since FIRST decreased the size of robots in 2013, space has become one of a designer’s most valuable resources. FRC is a game of inches, and with the 2 CIM Flipped Gearbox you can save up to 5.5 inches of critical center floor space on your robot. To some that number seems small, but the smart designer knows that that’s enough to fit more game pieces, contain that hard to position control system module, or find more space to get that manipulator in place. This new gearbox designed to save space is battle tested by FRC 1323 in the 2016 season and is capable of using any wheel size from 3.5” up to 8”. Almost any ratio is achievable!
• A whole new Roller System! - We came up with various end plugs, new pulleys and some squishy flexible wheels to help teams intake and move objects. Designed to work with anything from plastic balls to inner tubes, just put the plugs in the end of some round tubing, tighten down the bolt, and away you go!
• GT2 Pulleys & Timing Belts - 24/36/48/60T pulley sizes added to the collection with ½” hex bores! Perfect for intake rollers and shooters, these pulleys & belts make for an ultra quiet, highly efficient subsystem. Pair them with our 12T pulley pinions and get 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, and 5:1 ratios or pair with each other to get your reduction right in the sweet spot you need!
• Spartan Chain Tensioners - #25 and #35 chain tensioners for various systems such as elevators and arms. Just connect the tensioners to the chain loop, tighten the bolts to the perfect tension, and you’re good to go! Pioneered and battle tested by FRC Team 971!
• More Sensors! - Dual Output Encoder, Absolute Encoder, Breakout Gyro, Talon SRX Breakout and Molex Headers - You won’t need anything else to control your robot after this!
• 100T ⅜” Hex 32DP Gear - Another gear addition to our 32dp line. This gear is pocketed for max weight savings and anodized black. Now you can start your reductions off right with a huge 8.3:1 reduction when paired with a 12T pinion. That reduction would take up 5.7” in 20DP gears but can be done in a little over 3.5” with these 32DP gears!
• Pocketed Gears - VEXpro gears pocketed for extreme weight savings, on average 50% per gear! Pocketed gears have been tested for strength and durability for years on teams such as 254, 973, 1323, and 971. In fact, Team 971’s 2016 robot saved about 2 lbs of weight just by lightening their gears! This was enough for them to add their hanging claw at the Championships!
• Aluminum Wheels - An ultra light wheel designed to be used with any drivetrain you create! Available in 1.5” tread width for 3.5” and 4” diameter wheels!
• Female Rod Ends - A lightweight Rod End perfect for FRC use. Designed to be used in tandem with any air cylinder to achieve the actuation you need.
• Split Collars and Helical Beam Couplers- Split Collars allow teams to add and take off collars without disassembling the assembly. Beam Couplers allow for an easy way to couple sensors to mechanical assemblies without the risk of slippage.
• CIM Timing Pulley - Want to use a CIM or Minicim with our HTD belt line? Now you can! This pulley interfaces directly with the 8mm output shaft of the CIM and makes starting off with belts easier than ever!
• 6” to 8” Pneumatic Adapter - Love our 6” pneumatic wheels? Well, we added an adapter so teams can use 6” or 8” pneumatic wheels without changing the hub! Just slip on the adapter, add the 8” tire and tread, inflate and you’re good to go!

Updates to our Current Product Line

• We can’t believe we didn’t have these items before! - CAN Connector, Talon SRX Encoder and Analog Breakout, Versaframe Linear Motion Gusset & Roller Chain Attachment.
• Versaplanetary V2’s are now available!
• The Spartan Board is now cheaper and comes with a gyro on every board ordered.
• Our 32DP and GT2 Pinions are at our facility, they are being kitted and put on our shelves. They will be available by Friday. These pinions have an updated coating to them.

MCC 2017

• We will be releasing another MCC Robot for the 2017 season. We expect to release the robot with full BOM for everyone to check out on 1/13/2017.
• Please follow us on Facebook & Twitter to get Live Updates!

Videos and other resources, We are adding youtube videos and other design resources so teams can utilize VEXpro and WCP products easier.

• GT2 3mm Timing Belts
• Versachassis Design Video

Manuals & User Guides

• WCP Spartan Board
• GT2 3mm Belts
• VersaChassis, more in Que

Community, if you have suggestions for stuff you’d like to see in manual form as a design resource or videos please email me directly @ rc at wcproducts.net.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Wow. Lots of cool things I'm excited to see here. The Flipped gearbox looks really cool, and the price seems much better then past dual speed gearboxes.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Hella parts! Thanks RC and WCP for giving teams great COTS solutions.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

This looks awesome! What material/dimensions are those polycord pulleys? Your website doesn't seem to list them. Only the materials/dimensions of the hubs. Unless your pulleys are 6061-T6 Aluminum... If they are aluminum, how well does that interface with the polycord?

Did you guys update the WCP DS gearbox as well?

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Dimensions, weights, CAD, and other info will be added throughout the course of the day, and into tomorrow.

Polycord pulleys are black ABS.

The DS itself is the same as of right now, but there is an added 2 CIM Flipped DS that we think will provide teams with more freedom to utilize the central space of their drivetrain.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Sorry the pulleys are plastic, we should have all the super detailed information iron'd out and up tomorrow. The specific page has it listed as ABS.

The normal DS gearbox will have a slight update on its page later this week.

WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Awesome! Been looking forward to this since I heard about some of this at Throwdown. We'll be putting in a pretty big order once the season starts :D.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Holy parts batman! These look like some great additions to your already fantastic assortment of products. Reading through the list I was able to think of countless areas in the past where these would have been an enormous help.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

This is a sweet product lineup! Can't wait to play with some of these.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Awesome! So excited to get my hands on these!

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Amazing products. I was actually planning on mimicking 971's tensioning system if necessary. I'm glad I will be able to just buy a product now.

Do you project that products (specifically the flipped gearbox) will remain in stock through, at latest, the first week and a half of build season? I know it's difficult to project how many teams will buy products and how many they will buy, but is there considerable preparation for a large influx of purchases?

I ask because I have doubts that our head coach will want to buy four gearboxes (2 for competition robot and 2 for practice robot) with a bunch of different possible gear spreads before build season when we will actually be making design decisions.

If you do not have a definitive answer that is fine, but any quenching of my fears will help.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Wow, this is amazing!:ahh:
Some of the products aren't pictured, and the pictures aren't captioned. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I don't understand how to use the roller system. Will there be guides/instructions on how these parts are put together?
By 8" pneumatic wheels do you mean truly 8" pneumatic wheels (actually I don't even know if those exist :p ), or the 200mm pneumatic wheels more commonly used in FRC?

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Good questions. Pictures and captions will be uploaded here shortly along with design manuals, cad files, specs etc... Should be up late tonight or early tomorrow. Just takes a bit due to the amount of products. Will post back here when stuff gets uploaded.

The adpater allows teams to use the 200mm pneumatic tires. Finding a true 8inch wheel is fairly hard.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

The roller system looks awesome. Also, new Aluminum wheels? Yes please.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

I have placed an order (backordered) for the inverted gearboxes, minus the gear spreads. I am very excited to use these, I asked you guys a couple of years ago if you were planning on bringing them into your line, and you said they might eventually show up. Yay! I hope we can purchase the correct gears easily enough once the game is released.

Is the backorder status due to too many orders being placed in the last six hours, or have the products just not arrived yet? I'm assuming the latter.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

I'm guessing the roller ends have the 5/16"-18 thread in the ends to accept a 3/8" shoulder bolt, which will then ride in an FR6 bearing. Plug with the protruding hex shaft will take a hex pulley or sprocket to drive the roller and the plain roller plug will be the non-driven side of the roller and just accept another shoulder bolt.

EDIT: Picture of 254's robot from this year shows how (I think) it's supposed to work. https://www.team254.com/photos/72157...0/26920320025/

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Some of the products pictures only show CAD models. Do you have pictures/videos of the prototypes that can be posted?

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Bingo! We have guides and examples coming out soon that'll clear everything up! We appreciate everyone's patience and excitement!

More pictures and videos will be coming soon, but posting renders of products has been a staple for FRC suppliers for a while now. It's sometimes easier to post a render because you can control visibility and lighting settings better than you can with a photo and the real product.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Based on this statement:
I would say that the parts not containing the ETA: TBD tag have arrived, but may not be entirely through the inspection or inventorying process yet.
/speculation

An example of a new item with the ETA: TBD is the new Flipped DS.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

I am excited to see the GT2 pulleys and tube axle components - they'll open up many new possibilities, thank you!

I have heard that GT2 belts are built stronger than HTD belts (especially in Gates Carbon), but can you confirm? Are 9mm wide GT2 belts capable of carrying drivetrain loads, when we've only been able to use 15mm HTD belts safely before? If so, could this be a path for West Coast chasses with fixed axles / no tensioners?

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

We had 9mm GT2 (possibly GT3. I don't remember) belts on our 2016 robot. They worked, but they were not ideal. The belts would skip on hard accelerations and when we crossed defenses. And during the season, we had a few belts snap. However, there was only one instance I would think it could have been the belt's fault. The other instances had their own, independent problems. And I would also blame the toughness of 2016's field. In a more traditional game field format I would be inclined to think that one instance would not have happened.

During the offseason we swapped the belts out for 1" GT3 belts. At the one offseason competition those belts got used, we had no skipping and no snapping.

So if a 2016-like game presents itself, I would not recommend 9mm GT2 belts. But in other situations I wouldn't think such problems would be so prominent.
And to avoid the skipping, I would think some tensioning system would suffice. We did not implement a tensioning system whatsoever with the belts.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Posting renders has been a "staple" of new products that haven't been fully launched yet. I don't know of any serious supplier that doesn't provide photos once they have the product in their hands.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Thanks, I need to read more carefully.:o

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Definitely hoping to use that intake system, stuff looks good RC!

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

GT2 is stronger than HTD by a large margin. The Gates precision and light duty manual is a really good read, though it can be a bit boring.

For something as critical as a drivetrain, I'd be hesitant to run them untensioned. It's hard to get everything perfect to get the perfect tension. You also want a pretty significant preload to prevent ratcheting.

We are going to be running 15mm GT3. We've run 9mm GT2 and 9mm GT3, and they are on the edge of surviving a season. (3.5" wheel, 24 tooth pulley).

We are pretty excited about the pulleys!

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

CAD Models are up on the group product pages, not individual. If there are any issues please let me know. Pocketed Gears page shows some the amount saved. Some of the inventory has been updated on new products, more will be added throughout the week.

Roller examples will be coming out today sometime. Will update page as they are up.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Nailed it!

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Looks great! I'm really excited to using these parts in the future.

What is the 1.625" Flex Wheel made of? The page lists it as being 6061 Aluminum, but that doesn't make sense for a flexible intake wheel.

Also how much does the new 2 CIM Flipped DS weigh? Other than I am assuming it will be comparatively heavy, it looks like a great new addition to the COTS gearbox list.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

This may be a silly question but, how do you get to the "individual" pages from the "group" pages aside from searching for the product number? It is very useful to have specific product info available, but I am having a hard time getting to the right page...

Thanks

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Could you explain how a preload prevents ratcheting? Is a preload just applying some small torque on the pulley shaft?

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

preload=tension on the belt when system is at rest.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Ours are slightly different and include a counterbore to accept a portion of the shoulder bolts shoulder to eliminate the shear/bending force on the threads themselves (where the cross section is smaller and there is an inherent stress concentration in the thread itself). This means the thread/screw is primarily resisting the axial load and does not have to withstand the full shearing force of external loads.



I should note that all of these additions are awesome and we have already ordered a handful of the new stuff to evaluate and likely use this season. Awesome work to RC and all the WCP folks. It's good stuff!

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

5mm GT2 are marginally stronger than 5mm HTD, but note that these sprockets are 3mm GT2. They will not be suitable for drivetrain loads.

9mm wide GT2 (5mm) is VERY borderline for an FRC drivetrain, as it's only rated to around .8 HP at typical WCD high gear wheel rpms (1000+rpm)(with common 24T pulleys). 2 CIM gearbox can output peak ~.9HP. You would need to step up to at least 26T pulleys to meet this requirement with 9mm belts.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

I don't think anyone is recommending the 3mm GT2 for primary drive train loads (they are however final for initial reduction in drives).

We've used them a good deal on intakes, shooters, initial drive reductions, etc... with great success.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

The post I quoted and the other follow up reply seemed to pretty specifically be asking about HTD vs. GT2 vs. GT3 in in a tradional WCD style application. Wasn't sure they realized these are 3mm.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

I know I say this every year but now with even more of your own products you should really consider stocking them in the VEX Ontario warehouse. Shipping times are obviously crucial in FRC and I think the high density of "high performance" teams in Ontario would be well suited to your products. I can recall a couple of times were a product offered by WCP would of been a better solution but we chose something else due to convenience.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

In addition to expidited shipping times, it would help reduce costs aswell. I'm not sure if it's just a glitch right now, but when I went to buy a few of the polycord rollers and a few feet (I assume it's sold by the foot at $0.75) of poly cord, the shipping came out to $140us to ship economy to ontario :ahh:.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

I always re-assemble the gearboxes we look into buying in Solidworks, and that includes the new flipped DS. Was wondering though why there is a 44t gear with a 1/2 hex bore on a 3/8" shaft (See attached screenshot)?

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Let me check on the polycord issue.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

That guy gets an adapter. Currently there isn't a 44t 3/8 hex gear. There will be one soon :)

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Deleted because apparently I can't read.

Re: WCP: 2017 Product Launch + MCC 2017
 

Try that now, it should work. Thanks for pointing that out.