90 Degree Gearbox?

[LeelandS]

Hello CD Community!

I, along with a few others on 1405, have been working on an off-season project that we would hopefully be able to use on robots for years to come. One of the requirements we set forth was the placement of the CIM motor used to drive wheels. We're trying to reduce the amount the CIMs hang out into the center portion of the robot's drive base.

One of the ideas I came up with was using a "90 degree gearbox" on the CIM, so we could move the mounting position out of the center of the robot.

I don't know enough about this form of power transmission. I'm doing some research, but I'm hoping someone may be able to share some experiences with these gearboxes! Right now, one of my biggest concerns is that these gearboxes typically use worm gears, which, as I understand, are impossible to run in reverse. Which, if this is going to be part of a wheel set-up, tends to be an important feature...

If you have any experience using 90 degree gearboxes, I'd love to hear your thoughts on them!

-Leeland