Motor mods

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Posted by Tom Wible.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Coach on team #131, chaos, from central high school manchester and osram-sylvania.

Posted on 12/16/99 6:52 PM MST



Under the rules, what types of modifications are allowed to the motors in the kit? I remember someone using a drill transmission on a seat motor. Can the transmission sections of the motors be modified? I see no mention of this in the rules?

Tom Wible
Team #131 C.H.A.O.S.

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Posted by Joe Johnson.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Engineer on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Posted on 12/16/99 7:07 PM MST


In Reply to: Motor mods posted by Tom Wible on 12/16/99 6:52 PM MST:



My understanding is that the motors themselves cannot be modified.

The transmissions are another matter.

The transmissions can be modified as desired. I think that this applies to the Drills, the Fisher Price transmissions, and the Globe transmissions.

What cannot be done is to modify the motors with worm gears to take power off 'upstream' of the worm gears (the seat motors, the window motors and the sliding door motors).

From conversations with FIRST, it seems that they are mostly trying to prevent teams from ruining motors that are difficult to replace. The transmissions on the drills, F-Ps & Globes are relatively easily removed, taken apart, & put back together. Once a team cracks open one of motors with the worm gears, the motors are more or less toast.

I don't have the actual chapter and verse of the rules that allow this but I am fairly sure that this is a correct interpretation.

Joe J.

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Posted by Ken Patton.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Engineer on team #65, The Huskie Brigade, from Pontiac Northern High School and GM Powertrain.

Posted on 12/16/99 8:50 PM MST


In Reply to: My understanding... posted by Joe Johnson on 12/16/99 7:07 PM MST:




Update #2 from last year had an update to Appendix A that they called Rule M17 (I'm paraphrasing a little here):

The motors and pump may not be modified except as follows: mounting brackets, output shafts, housings may be modified as long as the electrical system is not modified and the 'integral mechanical system of the moving parts (pump head, bearings, bushings, worm gear output stage, etc.) is not changed or removed.' The gearboxes for 'F-P and drill motors' are not considered integral and may be separated.

No mention of using the Globe gearbox, but it seems to me that it is also not 'integral.'

Umm, yes, the rulebook was sitting on my desk at home... )

Ken

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Posted by Joe Johnson.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Engineer on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Posted on 12/17/99 5:24 AM MST


In Reply to: heres the rule: M17 (update #2) posted by Ken Patton on 12/16/99 8:50 PM MST:



I think that the Globes were allowed by the fact that FIRST chose to publish the free speed and stall torque if the motor as well as the motor with gearbox (Why have the info it it is solely an internal device? Why not publish the armature speed of the window, sliding door and seat motors?)

In actual fact, I think that it would be a big disadvantage to use the motor without the gearbox, but I guess techically it was allowed.

One potentially useful thing to do I suppose would be to remove one of the planetary stages increasing speed at the cost of stall torque. Now that I think of it, there are a number of other changes that might be useful depending on the situation.

Cant't wait for the 2000 game!

Joe J.

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Posted by Tom Wible.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Coach on team #131, chaos, from central high school manchester and osram-sylvania.

Posted on 12/17/99 7:36 PM MST


In Reply to: Motor mods posted by Tom Wible on 12/16/99 6:52 PM MST:



Thanks!
Hope to see you guys at the kick off.

: Tom Wible
: Team #131 C.H.A.O.S.