Constructing a simple Two Drum Winch .

[Tom Line]

Nice job!

Another option that removes the requirement to machine is to use AM hex hubs. Use an extended or 'long' shaft on your gear box and slide your hubs on.

Keep in mind that your wire / rope on the drums may not build up or release at the same rate as the diameter changes (if it overlaps itself on the drum). Many teams use a tension spring on the pull-down side to account for any inequalities between the drums.

[billbo911]

Here is one of my favorite 2 drum winches of all time. This is from 2011. Can you tell who's it is? It should be obvious as they won on Einstein that year.

[cgmv123]

Originally Posted by billbo911

Here is one of my favorite 2 drum winches of all time. This is from 2011. Can you tell who's it is? It should be obvious as they won on Einstein that year.

That's a 254 robot for sure. All the blue gives it away.

[cadandcookies]

Originally Posted by cgmv123

That's a 254 robot for sure. All the blue gives it away.

That and the "world champion 2011." Last time I checked, neither Wildstang nor Greybots did blue powdercoat (though I think I spotted some blue anodized parts on 111's 2014 bot).

[TerryS]

We're using a single drum with a "continuous" loop of winch line to pull our forks both up and down. We have about five wraps of line around the drum. We use a small turnbuckle to make sure that the line is always tensioned properly. We used this approach successfully on our elevator in 2013 and our line never tangled or overlapped. Our drum that year was made out of ABS pipe screwed on to AM hubs. Last year our catapult winch used a 100% 3D printed ABS drum, no metal hubs required. It held up fine and we needed a lot of torque to retract our catapult. Used a hex bore on the drum because the ABS can't take the stress concentration in a square keyway. We're 3D printing our drum for this year's winch and we added helix grooves in it to guide the wraps.