Quote:
Originally Posted by sanddrag
Many people would argue you could have predicted it's failure when you saw the "Banebots" sticker on it. The brand has become somewhat notorious for poor design, workmanship, and material quality. Although, I cannot comment on that specific model, so I'll leave it at that. Perhaps things have improved since those days.
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The last part of this statement, which I have placed in bold, is the most important part.
I hope everyone gets a chance to check out a P60 gearbox and see just what awesome little machines they are. I also hope they get a chance, at some point, to talk to the people at Banebots, who are committed to quality and customer service and stand behind their product 100%.
We've had BB gearboxes on our robots for years now, including a 26:1 P60 (which we modified to a 20:1 and then a 16:1 just by changing a few inexpensive parts) on this year's machine. The ONLY time a BB gearbox has ever failed us was when an overseas supplier sent insufficiently hardened output stages for use in the "Rack'n'Roll" KoP. Banebots responded to that problem by rush manufacturing replacement plates and shipping them -- for free -- to every FRC team whether they needed them or not. An unfortunate incident, perhaps, but one handled with class, grace, and an abundance of care for the customer. To my knowledge not a single one of the upgraded gearboxes failed. <Edit: I have been informed, by a most reliable source, that there were a few that did, due to a machining issue in the replacement parts.> And yet Banebots went and redesigned the entire thing into the P80 gearbox to make it even more durable.
The previous small gearboxes, manufactured overseas, were not of the same construction quality as the "Made in the USA" P60's, but still served us well in many applications including the Poof Ball shooter on our "Aim High" bot, which has outlasted two FP motors and is still happily firing Poof Balls about our shop these days. Yes, we took time to grease them, and no, we did not use the gearboxes for high impact loading or high-torque applications. Although we have a 256:1 on the shelf, I think 64:1 is the highest reduction we ever used.
Any gearbox will fail if you subject it to extremes of loading beyond its design specifications. For years Banebots made this very clear with their high reduction gearboxes, reminding customers that the highest gear reductions should be used more as a way to reduce speed, than a way to increase torque. It's probably a reminder worth putting back up on their website. And it's probably worth it for them to sacrifice a few gearboxes to a torque test and publishing that value, too. (Impact loading, as in an arm or large spinning mass suddenly reversing direction, would be a bit more difficult to measure.)
The good news is that they sell spare parts, and if you give them a call they should be able to tell you exactly what you need to get that P60 back up and running.
The bad news is that statements such as the first half of this quote are unfair to a company that has produced a solid, reliable line of small, low-cost gearboxes for robotics hobbyists for years. Some of their previous, less expensive gearboxes haven't been as pretty or as well made as the P60s are, but they worked, and worked well when used with respect for their small size and low cost. Banebots has stood behind their product, even at considerable expense, and their products have enabled us to build better robots than we could without them.
They deserve better than snide remarks.
Jason