[ratdude747]

Originally Posted by Billfred

Hi, old-timer turned AndyMark employee.

The 2004 kit drivetrain is the only pre-modern "kit drivetrain" I got to experience. I emphasize the quotes, because the setup using Bosch drill gearboxes and custom unobtanium mounts and couplers left a lot to be desired. (Oh, and they expected you to weld the frame.)

The 2005-2006 kit drivetrain was a sheetmetal frame designed by a college student (John V-Neun, you might've heard of him) with a single-speed gearbox designed by Paul Copioli (you might've heard of him too). This was the first time you could order all the parts online in a non-obnoxious manner, through IFI Robotics. (The internal spur gears were sourced from an upstart company in Indiana called AndyMark.) The molded hubs on this drive system that clamped around the kit Skyway wheels (remember those?) established the 1.875" bolt circle as a de facto standard for FRC that remains today. (The cast housing and metric-sized output shaft on the gearbox? Not so much.) I don't remember when the original AM Toughbox came out, but I know we were evaluating it during the 2006 season. It became part of the Kit of Parts in 2009 and 2010.

But yes, the original AM Shifter does trace its lineage back to designs introduced by the TechnoKats. Many of the shifting parts have carried over to successive designs, even as things like external output shafts, servo shifting, room for more motors, and encoders have been added.

Yeah I should have clarified that I was mainly speaking of the AM shifter... as I among many others know the former technokat that designed it as a student on 45.

The tough box came out in 2008 KOP. 2007 had the same setup as 2006. I thought they were AM gearboxes because of common gears... I was obviously wrong.