Quote:
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Originally Posted by Andy Baker
"that ratio looks way off. you should try... (yada yada)"
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I'll be open and say that I've tried to help out some teams in the past few weeks by showing some quick math to help adjust some gear ratios.
Last year was VERY painful for us because our gear ratios were so poor. We were tripping breakers left and right, and we couldn't figure out why.
It was incredibly embarassing.
I wish somebody would have just pointed and said, "Hey Matt, that's geared wrong! Switch those sprockets to 25 tooth and you'll be all set. Here's the math to support it."
Figuring out the right gear ratio is something that's so important, I try to help teams avoid the heartache we had last year- by saying something before the competition starts. I believe for many teams, the $60 or $70 in sprockets they'll need to replace so they can compete at a reasonable level may be worth a little ego bruising. I try to show math that would help support other teams that may have the same trouble, so everyone can learn, and avoid this sort of engineering mistake.
Often, these teams are either student run, or engineer light, and I think it's in the best interest of everyone if somebody napkin-sketches out a gear ratio corss check when it sounds funny.
However, maybe it is best left to a PM. I'd just hate to see teams go without this sort of information.
Matt