Sonic Shifter - recent feedback?

[BoilerMentor]

Originally Posted by James3245

If this year's game warrants a 2-cim shifter we will be considering AndyMark's "Sonic Shifter"

I read some earlier posts (2014). It would be helpful to have recent thoughts from users on how this product has been for:

-ease of assembly/installation
-operation
-reliability over time
-use of encoder (which I understand comes pre-installed)

Thanks!

Sorry for the thread jack, here is my two cents.

My personal opinion regarding AM's shifting products is that they are very robust and depending on your driving style worth the extra weight.

Steel gears are heavier, but stronger. This may not be warranted in some parts of a gear box where speeds are higher and torque is lower, but I believe it's a nice feature in the final reduction stages where you see the highest dynamic loads and you're transmitting the most torque.

In my FIRST career I've only had one type of failure from an AM dog style shifting gear box and that was due to mis-use It's important to regulate the pressure available for shifting down to the stated spec because that will damage the linkage connecting the pneumatic piston to the shifter shaft. It would appear this issue has been mitigated with shorter throw cylinders at this point.

Winch mechanisms circa 2010 are an example of how much abuse the mechanism will take. Many users were disengaging dog gears with several hundred pounds of force in play.

In comparison, I do like ball lock style shifters, because there isn't a force acting to disengage the shifter and shifting seems smoother to me.

These factors would drive the decision in my world.

Cost: Within 50 dollars of one another.
Safety factor: AM seems to have higher safety factors while VP designs are lower.
Weight: AM gearboxes are heavier while VP designs seem to be lighter.

I have my horror story. I've done a thorough analysis of why that happened and I'm confident in my understanding. Do I think most teams would encounter the same issue? No.

Also, I have some inherent bias. I have a number of good friends who are a part of Andymark, so no doubt it feels good to spend money there.

Ultimately you've got to use whatever gives your team the competitive advantage and fits your need.

Please implement automatic shifting regardless of which transmission you use. With the worry of brown-out and observations during 2014 with people blowing 120 amp breakers I think it's a must. Drivers generally don't use manual shifting when they should. It's hard to teach and takes a ton of experience to learn to use without hesitation. Ultimately in an intensive enough competition situation they will forget.