[Phil_Lutz]

We are using a bolt attached thru the winch drum.
This bolt is stopped by a metal bar which is actuated by a servo and tensioned by a spring.

Here we go.
Before applying power (speed) to our winch motor, programmatically we move a servo which moves the steel bar out of the way of the bolt. The steel bar is tensioned with a spring. When the speed is set to neutral the servo returns to it's start position and the bar blocks the bolt in the winch drum.

If we are still winching when the game is done, the spring tension pulls the bar back against the winch drum effectively doing the same thing.

Now for getting down.
We send the command (toggle switch) to the robot to winch down.
Motor actually winches up for 5 loops or about a 10th of a second rotating the winch drum bolt away from the bar ( .1 seconds is the time required by the servo to rotate from one extreme to the other). Servo pulls the bar out of the way and then we set the winch speed to unwind. It works extremely well.

Phil