How about a REAL teaser? This one will keep you guessing...

[Travis Covington]

Dave posted some teasers, and I just couldn't let them get TOO much attention! Sorry guys

[sanddrag]

Hrrm. Even I'm not sure why there are so many gears. It doesn't quite add up to me. I can add up the plates to logic, but not the gears. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Wait a minute. All those plates are purely cutouts almost. So much space, but no bores??? Okay, you're really done it now Travis. I've even seen the early stages of your work and I'm still completely lost.

In any case, ours will be smaller and lighter. I know I've got you beat on that. Anybody want to count up the teeth on those gears. They're huge.

[Peter Matteson]

It obvious to me based on the number of parts. Travis figured out a 2-speed shift on the fly swerve/crab drive.

[Andy Baker]

Top pictures are gears with dog shifters. I don't know why the dog gears don't have hex or square holes in them, but that is a detail that may not matter.

The big question is... why post these pics together? Two thoughts:

1. The large gears are for a single stage, 2 speed shifter gearbox. The plates are for the shooter. That is ok, but it is not likely that 968 would post these pictures together if they are from different systems. These guys have more up their sleeves.

2. The gears and the plates go together to make a 2 speed, shift-on-the-fly shooter. This is to optimize acceleration. They can start their flywheel in low gear, get up to a good rpm and then shift to high gear. With this shifter, they will be spinning at top speed faster than their opponents. Very nice.


Wow... good idea. If anyone else would want to make a shift-on-the-fly 2 speed wheel spinner, I wonder where they could buy hardware for this? Hmmm...

Good luck to 968 with this great design.

Andy B.

[Peter Matteson]

Originally that's what I thought Andy then the number of parts caught my eye. Why would they make 5 shooters. Then I noticed what appears to be a CIM mouning pattern on the assembly which changed my size assumptions of these parts.

I guess we won't know for sure until closer to ship

[Greg Needel]

ok here is my guess. I think that they are doing 4 drive modules on their bot. The circular plate is the wheel mount/protector. They are showing us the sets for their real robot and practice bot.

[lukevanoort]

Each one of those columns of gear has 4 gears and two dogs... this reminds me of a four speed shift on the fly transmission (think double woburn) that we have in our "If we had more money" engineering notebook. So, maybe a four speed holonomic? Or, if some are for shooters, then maybe they're going to have two parallel pickup/shooting systems.

[Bill Gold]

Originally Posted by Greg Needel

ok here is my guess. I think that they are doing 4 drive modules on their bot. The circular plate is the wheel mount/protector. They are showing us the sets for their real robot and practice bot.

I don't know, man. I know Travis' team pretty well, and they've never had the money to make a practice robot, or even go to a second event the past couple years. I'm not exactly sure why he's posting all these parts, but I can't wait to see what he comes up with this season.

Also, Travis has used a 4-speed transmission the past two seasons, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were using another one this year.

-Bill

[Marcel]

It looks like something for the shooter. It could also be for the harvester o.o

[Eric Scheuing]

Looks intimidating. Possibly a single wheel shooter?

But if it was single wheel, why would you need so many gears, unless it was supposed to be a turret.

[Gasperini]

Isn't it obvious?

It's a 32 speed transmisson.

[i_am_Doug]

The first row of sprockets have 56 teeth
The second row also has 56 teeth
The third row has 81 teeth
The forth row i counted 92 teeth but thats inaccurate because the picture started to blur in the back round.

MAN, my brain hurts. I never thought I could squint and count small teeth on a computer monitor.

[JVN]

For some reason I keep thinking I've seen a picture like this before.

-JV

[MrBlack298]

I don't think this has anything to do with holonomic drive, or at least the last 2 pictures don't because there are 10 of those big cutout plates. If it had something to do with holonomic drive, wouldn't there be 8, or some other number divisible by 4? Or, maybe they are up against a mirror, or 8 of the plates have something to do with a drive system and the other 2 are just extras. very puzzling indeed...

[Arefin Bari]

Originally Posted by MrBlack298

I don't think this has anything to do with holonomic drive, or at least the last 2 pictures don't because there are 10 of those big cutout plates. If it had something to do with holonomic drive, wouldn't there be 8, or some other number divisible by 4? Or, maybe they are up against a mirror, or 8 of the plates have something to do with a drive system and the other 2 are just extras. very puzzling indeed...

Travis is pretty crazy when it comes to designing. I wouldn't be surprised if I see a holomonic drive.