Back for more..VEXpro 2014 Product Unveiling

[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.