Quote:
Originally Posted by GeeTwo
I definitely like how the launcher can be held fully cocked with little torque required from the motor; probably little enough to let the gearbox hold it (especially if that last 12:1 reduction is through a worm gear).
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33 2014 used a NBD ('Nothing But Dewalts') transmission with the CIM interface. We had ordered a huge number of DeWalt replacement parts when NBDs were popular and are slowly using them. I wouldn't recommend it for new designs. If I did it again I would probably use the ratcheting wrench trick (using a 1/2" ratcheting wrench on a 1/2" hex shaft) on some intermediate shaft in the gearbox.
Also the example gearing is not what 33 ended up with, but it was an early iteration.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeeTwo
Is the driven axle assumed to be located midway between the "pivot" and the "pin" mounted to the disc? Have different axle locations been investigated?
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The entire purpose of the spreadsheet was to investigate different locations for the pivot and the pin, based on the start/end force of the spring.
There are two geometry points on the choo-choo. The first is the diameter of the disc. The second is the length of the 'fling' arm (blue in the illustration above).
During the first half of the rotation, the pull-in length will be 1 diameter of the disc and the torque lever (torque applied to the motor) will be 1 radius of the disc. During the second half of the rotation, the pull-in length will be (fling length - radius) * 2and the torque lever will be (fling length - radius).
If the spring force starts at 0, it would be ideal to make the fling 3/4 of the diameter. The first hump would then pull in 2/3 of the total pull-in length with a longer torque lever (more torque on the motor), the second hump would pull in the other 1/3 of the total pull-in length but the torque lever would be shorter. Since the spring force is constantly increasing, the torque seen by the motor will be equal between the two humps.
As your spring equation changes, you can play with the diameter and fling length to get the total pull-in distance that you need along with balanced torque humps for fastest pull in.
The pin location doesn't matter at all, it can be anywhere on the disc as long as it pushes the fling arm. 33 2014 used the driving axle as the pin and made a notch in the fling arm for the axle (with a thick washer on the end) to nest into. I'll see if I can find pictures.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeeTwo
If the axle was not in the line between the pivot and the pin (below this line when horizontal), it appears that the two drive periods would overlap and merge into a single steadier pull, at the cost of introducing a null sector at the opposite part of the cycle.
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This is true. However, the 'null sector' would actually be a slight reversing of direction and the total pull in distance would be reduced (it would pull in the mechanism a bit too far, let it out a little, then let it go).