Does anyone know anything about slip rings?

[Burgabot]

Well, I was hoping that some of you could help me on this one. Something that would be very useful on our bot this year would be something like what I drew up and attached to this post (please forgive the rough sketch, I just drew it in Paint). It is something like the commutator of a motor, in that it uses brushes to transmit current on a rotating cylinder. You'd connect wires to both ends, and you'd be able to turn one end freely without worrying about twisting the wire. The rings are concentric circles so that many wires could be connected. If anyone knows what this is called or where to get one, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Bduggan04]

Check out this thread about Slip Rings:

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=slip+ring

[Kevin Sevcik]

They're apparently called slip rings. There's a thread about them here:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=slip+ring
I believe the conclusion was that it was probably legal to use.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by Kevin Sevcik

They're apparently called slip rings. There's a thread about them here:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ight=slip+ring
I believe the conclusion was that it was probably legal to use.

Burgabot,
Nice idea! Yes they are called slip rings and FIRST has ruled that they are acceptable this year if they fit the flowchart and they must be included in the robot inventory price limits. They are very expensive pre made but I expect some teams to come up with homemade alternatives. BTW, your car alternator uses slip rings to supply current to the field coil. I am waiting to see if someone adapts a part of an alternator for use on their robot.