pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

Re: pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

looks nice and clean. good design

Re: pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

What cut of Al are you using for those front bumper-like thing? I've never seen anyone use that before. Looks clean and light. All welded I'm assuming?

Re: pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

are those gearboxes custom?

Re: pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

The front bumpers are extremely funny, our teacher 3 years ago thought it would be cool if our bumpers weren't rectangular. So he got a piece of 1x2 aluminum and made slits on the ends, then bent the pieces to that U shape on the front and left the back flat. Then we weld them shut. You can't notice the welds on the front due to powder coating. BTW, we weld everything.

Yes, those gearboxes are custom. For some reason we lost sponsorships but got some weird grants over the summer. We have a brand new CNC, a ton of broaches for keyways and hexes, and other random stuff in our shop. So we figured to start making custom stuff, it's pretty fun. Especially when CD gives such brilliant suggestions.

I forgot, in the grant that we wrote for our CNC, it stated that we had to help other teams machine out parts. So i don't know if i should start another thread, but if any teams needs anything milled (can be possible to do with a 3 axis) we would do it for free (you pay for shipping, the product and $1 for the labor/SO as close to free machining.) Contact Me

Re: pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

where do you get powder-coating done? isent that really expensive?

Re: pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

I work in a custom machine shop that has full CNC capabilities as long with powder coating. Is there a rule against powdercoating in FIRST/ or anything like it?

My employer has allowed us to use all equipment during build season. Do you guys always do that drive train?

Re: pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

I'm sorry if I'm missing something, but what are those shafts extending from the gearboxes? They don't appear to be attached to anything.

Re: pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

The 1.5 lb gearbox seems fishy to me. What are the gears? Are you accounting for fasteners, cylinder, bearings, shafts, etc...

Re: pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

I can see them being 1.5 lbs without motors. Two motors are more than 1.5lbs.

That being said: Due to all the changes being made to the kit, with electronics and all, don't secure yourself on the CIM motors. Whatever you do, be ready for a change in case it comes.

Re: pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

Not for as long as I can remember. Any team that has wanted to powdercoat/anodize/paint/otherwise treat their metal has pretty much been free to (aside from the cost limits).

This may change in 2009.

Re: pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

We have a wide range of sponsors that do not donate money, instead they offer resources such as powder coating, we have gotten it for free and yes it is pretty expensive.

No, there is no rule against it. The pink team, poofs and a handful of other teams do it.

The shafts are attached to the gears, it is an andymark supershifter without the last stage of gears.

The gears are all steel, but they have been faced down (from a 3/8 to a 3/16) and they have holes drilled into them by using an index. The weight is accurate but it does not include motors. BTW, there are only five gears (exclude cim gears) in this assembly and we have found a sponsor that will anodize the gears for us.
I was thinking the same thing, I created this drive before Bill's statement. It would be kinda cool to get some Mag Motors. lol.

Re: pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

What grade steel were you planning on using? Did you feel that this grade was not going to be strong enough? I was under the assumption that its not possible to anodize steel.

Re: pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

Have you done the math on this? 3/16, while probably OK on the first stage of reduction is scary thin for your output stage.

Also as Brandon pointed out, you can't anodize steel.

Re: pic: Madtown Robotics Drive Proto
 

Sorry, I didn't mean steel. I was thinking about the aluminum gears.