Re: Fisher price motors
 

A word of caution regarding the two minute match mentioned by Andy A.

During build or pre-match testing (especially driver training), don't forget to check your motor temperatures and give them frequent cool-down sessions.

Re: Fisher price motors
 

I contacted kids wheels and they are in the process of verifying that they have that model...
I will get back to you guys tomorrow with a exact link to that model motor (assuming they carry that model)

Re: Fisher price motors
 

We also contacted Kids Wheels and we were told the person who could tell if the exact motor was available (and for sale) would be out of town until next Monday. If anyone finds out before Monday, please pass the word!

Re: Fisher price motors
 

Ok when i contacted them they said they would let me know tomorrow??
I guess we will see if we can get any info from them.....

Re: Fisher price motors
 

Ok,
After hours of searching and many pnone calls we have been told by the most likely supplier of fp motors (KidsWorks in Austin) that this years 08 model is not available and that all of them available earlier this year from the manufacturer were picked up by FIRST. If you found a retail source, good for you and if you didn't use one this year and graciously shared yours with another team even better! Team 987 wound up using our local network of teams (now 15 in Las Vegas) and in just hours after putting out the word had offers to help supply us with back up fp motors. Maybe this was FIRST's intention all along-force teams to work together graciously? It worked...

Re: Fisher price motors
 

Indeed. I was able to call around and arrange a swap of small CIMs for the FPs 973 needs.

Re: Fisher price motors
 

57 has heard from official sources that FP itself will not work with individual FIRST teams and is re-directing them to FIRST. FIRST is apparently attempting to secure a supply of extra motors to put up for sale on the IFI FIRST Store as soon as can be managed. Till then, motor swaps and loans are your best bet. Maybe next year, FIRST will just chunk the quirky FP motors and gearboxes and go straight with BaneBots RS-550 motors. The peak power is about the same, so I don't see why not. It could be an arrangement similar to the CIMs and Mini-Bikes, get some in the kits, buy more if you need them. I think it'd work well for everyone involved.

Re: Fisher price motors
 

I myself would hate to see the fischer price motor go for a replacement as shotty as the banebots rs-550. In the off season our team had a mini competition and we chose just ordering 8 of these motors and 16:1 gearboxes to use as drive motors. And not a single one of the motors still functions, they are very very quick to let out magic smoke. If you use this motor put it in an intermittent operation area with at least 1 fan on the end of it due to the lack of an internal fan.

And when we toasted these motors some died with very little load on the shaft so its wasn't us abusing them. My mini bot i later switched out to fp's and it can now pull me around in an office chair no prob

Fans on Fisher-Price motors?
 

Has anyone gotten an official reading on whether you can add extra Victor fans on the Fisher-Price motors? Robot rules say we can use as many Victors as needed, but don't specify that the motor can be treated as a separate assembly from the controller, or that the motor can be used separately.

Re: Fisher price motors
 

There are muffin fans in the KOP that are not meant for the Victors. There are no rules that would prevent you from using one of these to attempt to cool a Fischer Price motor. Some of the board members far wiser in the way of motors than I (Joe Johnson perhaps? I forget) suggested that with the way the motor is set up it may only be marginally effective or even entirely ineffective to do this.

Re: Fisher price motors
 

We mount victor fans on the end of our FP's and it makes them very happy.... I would suggest doing it especially if it is in constant use on your robot...

Re: Fisher price motors
 

Looks like IFI's KOP store will be carrying the FP motors in a couple days ..

http://www.ifirobotics.com/first-store.shtml

You can also order victor fans from there, although I'm not sure how exactly it fits into the rules (since a fan is technically a motor .. )

http://www.ifirobotics.com/accessories.shtml

Re: Fisher price motors
 

Has anyone actually let the magic smoke out of an FP this year? My team made some interesting decisions with gripper design and ran into a scenario where the FP is exhibiting characteristics consistent with built-in thermal protection.

Under a constant load (with the FP's not turning) they will hold for a bit, then they will suddenly release. The victors are still outputting correctly and no "snap" of the breakers is heard. Then shortly after the motors can be used again.

Re: Fisher price motors
 

they do have a thermal cut off built in...
We are having the same problem but we think we have a solution:D