Back for more..VEXpro 2014 Product Unveiling

[Paul Copioli]

Originally Posted by 42!

Any idea on the current lead time for the 3 cim ball shifter? It says one week right now. Also will WCP be able to keep up with orders this year? The single speed 3 cim gearbox from them seems like a good WCD option to me, but I'm not sure when I'd be able to get it.

All of the components for the 3 CIM Ball shifter are in our assembly facility here in Greenville. They are currently being inspected and kitted. We are pushing to have these shipping this week.

We got started on the manufacturing of the WCP items a little later than we wanted. Both WCP and VEX are pretty particular about design details so we released the drawings to production later than we wanted. The dates on the VEXpro website for the WCP items are still our expected ship dates. Please note that this is an initial inventory problem only. Once the items arrive, WCP, The Robot Space, and VEX will have plenty of inventory for the entire 2014 season.

Originally Posted by mman1506

Have you released any information for adapting the 2 CIM ballshifter to the VersaChassis?

We are working on the application drawings for this and should have them by the weekend.

[Answer42]

Originally Posted by Paul Copioli

All of the components for the 3 CIM Ball shifter are in our assembly facility here in Greenville. They are currently being inspected and kitted. We are pushing to have these shipping this week.

We got started on the manufacturing of the WCP items a little later than we wanted. Both WCP and VEX are pretty particular about design details so we released the drawings to production later than we wanted. The dates on the VEXpro website for the WCP items are still our expected ship dates. Please note that this is an initial inventory problem only. Once the items arrive, WCP, The Robot Space, and VEX will have plenty of inventory for the entire 2014 season.



We are working on the application drawings for this and should have them by the weekend.

Thanks. That's great to hear.

[AustinH]

Minor question on the .500 hex Versahubs... can they be press-fit into Vexpro wheels and other Versahubs designed to take bearings?

[Aren_Hill]

Originally Posted by AustinH

Minor question on the .500 hex Versahubs... can they be press-fit into Vexpro wheels and other Versahubs designed to take bearings?

Yup, the hub diameter of the VersaHub is 1.125", same as the bearings.

-Aren

[Answer42]

Are the wcp gearboxes compatible with any encoder mounts?

[zcohen]

You guys released a teaser to the 2014 drive in a day chassis on twitter earlier this week. Do you have an estimate on when it will be listed for sale?

[Nemo]

Originally Posted by zcohen

You guys released a teaser to the 2014 drive in a day chassis on twitter earlier this week. Do you have an estimate on when it will be listed for sale?

+1

Definitely eager to see CAD, pricing, and estimated ship date on DiaD2014 as we make design decisions. We put together a 2013 DiaD in the off season, and we find it to be very nice.

[Grant Cox]

Originally Posted by zcohen

You guys released a teaser to the 2014 drive in a day chassis on twitter earlier this week. Do you have an estimate on when it will be listed for sale?

We know that teams may wish to use it for this season, so we're working quickly to get it posted. Productization includes things like final design reviews, pricing, making a webpage, etc, all of which just take time.

Originally Posted by DampRobot

Also, how do you use CIM style motors with VersaPlanetaries? I saw that you used them this way in Build Blitz, and that they could be essentially "officially unofficially" used like this in last year's version. Is there any special trick to doing it this year? How do the CIMs mount, etc?

Team JVN used a method similar to the Spectrum post linked above, and I assume Team Copioli did the same. The only difference is that this year's VersaPlanetaries include a few minor adjustments. One is that there are new motor mounting plates - for the CIM-style motor application, you can just ignore mounting plates and mount the input stage directly to the CIM. The other is that the input stage no longer has a bearing inside; the CIM shaft fits directly into where the collar would normally go. It pretty much "just works."

The necessary disclaimer is that VEX doesn't officially recommend or support this. Team JVN used a Mini CIM (stall torque ~1 ft-lb) through a 9:1 single stage, which is as high as they were comfortable going. The numbers technically work, but keep in mind that reversing or other shock loads can lead to torque transfer much higher than that 1 ft-lb at stall. It worked in this case because it's just an intake roller (low impact), not a rotating arm or something like that.

[ttldomination]

Originally Posted by Grant Cox

The necessary disclaimer is that VEX doesn't officially recommend or support this. Team JVN used a Mini CIM (stall torque ~1 ft-lb) through a 9:1 single stage, which is as high as they were comfortable going. The numbers technically work, but keep in mind that reversing or other shock loads can lead to torque transfer much higher than that 1 ft-lb at stall. It worked in this case because it's just an intake roller (low impact), not a rotating arm or something like that.

So, you're saying that Team JVN was "comfortable" going up to 9:1 Versaplanetary, but what is the general of "rule of thumb" stall torque maximum for the versaboxes?

We tried finding that value a little while ago, but couldn't really find it in the documentation.

- Sunny G.

[R.C.]

Originally Posted by Answer42

Are the wcp gearboxes compatible with any encoder mounts?

The single speed gearboxes accept a s4 encoder on the back.

The dual speeds do not have any encoder mounts. What we prefer in a WCD config is to put the encoder on the wheel shaft. Every VersaShaft for the WCD comes with a 1/4 hole that allows encoder mounting.

I know manuals aren't released ATM. We are trying to have them done this weekend so teams have more information/how tos available to them.

Let me know if you questions.

[Answer42]

Originally Posted by R.C.

The single speed gearboxes accept a s4 encoder on the back.

The dual speeds do not have any encoder mounts. What we prefer in a WCD config is to put the encoder on the wheel shaft. Every VersaShaft for the WCD comes with a 1/4 hole that allows encoder mounting.

I know manuals aren't released ATM. We are trying to have them done this weekend so teams have more information/how tos available to them.

Let me know if you questions.

Thanks so much for your quick answers. It happens that I just did a design with the single speed speed gearbox. So that works just fine.

[mman1506]

Originally Posted by Paul Copioli

All of the components for the 3 CIM Ball shifter are in our assembly facility here in Greenville. They are currently being inspected and kitted. We are pushing to have these shipping this week.

We got started on the manufacturing of the WCP items a little later than we wanted. Both WCP and VEX are pretty particular about design details so we released the drawings to production later than we wanted. The dates on the VEXpro website for the WCP items are still our expected ship dates. Please note that this is an initial inventory problem only. Once the items arrive, WCP, The Robot Space, and VEX will have plenty of inventory for the entire 2014 season.



We are working on the application drawings for this and should have them by the weekend.

Thanks for the prompt reply.

[DampRobot]

Paul, JVN, RC, do you have masses for the 3 CIM Ball Shifter WCD version?

[AlecS]

Originally Posted by DampRobot

Paul, JVN, RC, do you have masses for the 3 CIM Ball Shifter WCD version?

3.05 lbs

*For most products on the WCP page, if you configure the product it will update the weight for you

[DampRobot]

Also, how do you use CIM style motors with VersaPlanetaries? I saw that you used them this way in Build Blitz, and that they could be essentially "officially unofficially" used like this in last year's version. Is there any special trick to doing it this year? How do the CIMs mount, etc?