pic: wait a minute

[deathbycornchip]

loading photo ...

[MrForbes]

That's the "rounded out" look, the bowtie was before it gave out completely.

Bummer.

[dtengineering]

While this tranny is temporarily completely shot, there are likely many others that are suffering issues with binding... when it kind of gets stuck and doesn't run smoothly, or even push smoothly in one or both directions.

It is my belief (and I can't claim it as unique nor original) that those problems are related to the deformation that occurs during bow tie formation. As the bow tie grows, the metal has to go somewhere, so it bulges outwards. As it bulges outwards it pushes against the shaft, and against the gears... undoing the work that you might have put in shortening the spacer (between the CIM and the first stage sun) and the CIM shaft.

I suspect that the new carrier plates are going to solve a great many problems. Not that that offers any consolation at the moment, of course, but I am sure Banebots is doing everything they can to get those new plates out ASAP. They are a small company making a big effort to correct a problem that was missed by many, many very talented people.

Jason