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It might bind the chain...
Nice job running with the ball.
Of course I have my usual concerns that homebrew shifting is probably more bother than it is worth given the shiftering drill transmissions. But, putting that aside for a minute, there is a lot to think about and, yes, admire.
Not wanting to give you too big of a head, I will focus on the negatives ;-)
Is the forward red thing a spring loaded tensioner for the chain?
If so, I think you many need one on the back side also (for when the tension in the chain is on the front chain -- this would tend to pull the tensioner solid on the front side, leaving slack to cause issues elsewhere).
If not, I am thinking perhaps the shifter will bind during shifting, when the chain is routed over 2 drive spockets. This is especially a problem since the chain will not like to sit over the two sprockets because the they are spinning at different speeds.
I am concerned about what keeps the two triangular carriers in line with eachother. Perhaps the carriers could be gears and a wide gear could keep them in phase by bridging both sides. Not a perfect solution, but I suppose it could work. Just a thought.
Finally, I think would drive the shifter with a window motor (assuming one is in the kit -- should be, they have been in since 1997). Generally speaking window motors are not backdriveable (though not always -- they can be backdriven if you push them hard enough -- we had a gripper in 1998 that we had to keep power to or else the springiness of the balls would push the fingers so hard the window motor would backdrive) which would work pretty well as a shift drive means.
Joe J.
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