WARNING! Long Post!
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I can't figure out why they would limit us like that ...
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I don't think anybody is attacking the work Mr. Neun did on the transmission kit this year. From what I have seen, the transmission is top-notch. Mr. Neun has also been extremely helpful on these forums and I appreciate the work he has done. I also don't think Mr. Neun is responsible for what was and what was not included in the kit of parts.
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Mark & dukesAZ,
"They" is me. Do not blame FIRST for the design decisions made on the gear box. I designed the entire thing. JVN had a lot of design input, but he spent most of his time designing the frame and interfaces. Your beef is with me. Your beef is not with FIRST, IFI, JVN, or anyone else. That being said, I have volunteered my time since July to design, test, and source the transmission gearbox, so be a little more tactful when expressing your dissatisfaction (that one was directed at Mark). The transmission manual: yep, that was me too. I did not receive one red cent from FIRST, IFI, or anyone else. I spent the equivalent of an entire six week build season making sure all the criteria were met (see the transmission manual page 1-2 for details). As for my qualifications: I have my Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and hve been working at FANUC Robotics for 8 years designing and engineering mechanisms for industrial robots.
Every single choice I made on that gearbox was weighed against many others. The custom die casting, for example, was chosen due to the volume of housings we needed to make and the cost (yes, cost) impact. Our criteria was to beat the cost of the drill motor solution or it was a no go. The gears are cut from a long roll formed bar and are sliced to our specs. They can be replaced with Martin equivalents. As a matter of fact, I made the prototypes from Martin gears. Martin can bore any size hole you want and they actually put the keyway in, too. Call Martin sprockets and fax them the drawing at the end of the manual and see what price you get. I bet it will be cheaper to buy the stuff from IFI, because we got a volume discount on the sprocket modifications. Better yet, take Corey's advice and modify them yourself. The standard 21 & 28 tooth sprockets have a 1/2" bore. Buy a 16mm drill and a 5mm broach set from MSC or McMaster and you are all set for the input sprocket. Bottom line is that if you do not like it, then build your own. There is no way you will get the same functionality for the same cost.
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However, FIRST could have informed us of the custom modifications made to the sprockets and informed of us the fact that we could not use standard sprockets unless we made modifications. I also feel FIRST was misleading on how easy it was to build the drive system
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dukesAZ,
The custom modifications are clearly spelled out in the transmission manual on pages 5-13 and 5-15. In fact, every single part drawing is shown in chapter 5. Misleading? The standard drive base can be put together in a matter of hours. My 4 year old son put together one transmission housing in 30 minutes by just looking at the pictures (yes, he knows how to use Allen wrenches). Custom modifications are essential to get cost out of high volume products (over 2400 units). If you use standard components, the cost goes way up and it would have been cost prohibitive to put them in the kit.
In closing,
I expressed my dissatisfaction with FIRST at the end of last year. I said they were not doing enough to help the rookies and lower funded teams be ready to drive on day one of their regional. I offered my services and they took me up on my offer. If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. I suggest you start being part of the solution.
Paul