816 - 90% Complete (Video inside)

[Madison]

Originally Posted by thefro526

Madison, the gearbox failure happened during initial testing of the Aluminum link. That being said, we were never able to work the PVC link as hard as we were the Aluminum link because we were afraid that the PVC was going to snap. It's a bit hard for me to say that the aluminum caused the failure, but at the same time it's difficult for me to say that the aluminum didn't cause the failure.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

No worries -- I just want to keep an eye on things as we continue testing and our robots are very similar. I think the PVC is absorbing a lot of the shock loading we've imparted into the system by rapidly stopping and changing direction. The aluminum won't do that nearly as well and we'll likely need to be kinder to the gearbox.

I just ordered a 1.25" OD x .083" wall 2024 Aluminum Round Tube. We'll swap it in on our practice robot tomorrow and see how things go. Also, for what it's worth, we've been running our motor at 40% of its full power. It's otherwise too fast.