Optimal Direction of the Drill and Chips

[VinceT]

The drills and chips have optimal RPMs in opposite directions, quite handy in connecting them by a gear.

Vince

[Kit Gerhart]

The difference in no-load rpm of the drill motors has been pretty well covered here, but it should be also be noted that there is also a significant difference in the horsepower the drill motors put out in the two directions. I roughly measured it with a dyno built by one of my team mates few years ago, and there was at least a 10% difference in power between forward and backward. Since we tend to drive our robots in both directions, it may not be worth chosing a motor direction for forward and backward on the robot, but as anyone will know who has driven a robot powered by drill motors only in a "symmetrical-looking" drive train, it IS worth the effort of trying to have both motors turn in the same direction for a given direction of robot travel. The non-symmetry of the Chias is much smaller than that of the drills, though.

[JoshJ]

Does anyone know if reverse power/speed is a constant (or close) percentage of forward power/speed for the drills, or if a drill in reverse matches a drill in forward up to a certain point? Thanks

[Tytus Gerrish]

seing as how drill motors are desinged to drill holes and tighten fastners and they use a planetery gearbox its alwasys Lefyie loosie rightie tightie.

so rotating right (Clockwise) in the perspective from behind the motor would be the way to Optimualy go

[ShadowKnight]

last year, we never had any problems with the motor we were running in forward. The motor assembly we were running in reverse practically melted the whole back end of the motor...one big goop of melted pastic on the back...and we were getting close to destroying the second...it is extremely important that you run them in the same direction...we went out of our way to construct a gearbox soley for the purpose of makign sure both motors were runnign in the same direction