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Unread 16-09-2010, 11:03
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Mountain Man Mountain Man is offline
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Re: Custom "Car Style" Drive System

Quote:
Originally Posted by AdamHeard
I would assume a sprocket or gear will be fastened to the face of the housing.
Correct, there will be a sprocket for chain attached to the side of the housing. It will be driven by an AndyMark toughbox situated above the differential.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sanddrag
The design also has a problem, in that each gear is supported by only one single-row bearing. You need another bearing on there, close by. Then use a coupling or universal joint to get the power out and away from the unit. Basically, make the differential it's own robust unit. Shorten those shafts, and have separate ones that go out to the wheels. The alignment of the gears should not rely on a bearing that is many inches away down the shaft, located on a completely separate mounting piece. As shown, the gears will wear quickly, and possibly bind.
There will be "mounting brackets" that contain bearings that the shafts will go through to support the weight of the robot. There will be one on each side very close to the differential and one just inside each wheel out at the edge of the frame.

We have tossed around the idea of a "clutching" mechanism on the idler shaft to limit the slip. This is the first prototype, however, and if we do decide to use something like this for competition we will more than likely have to improve the robustness of the design.