help! is this bad?

[Stephen P]

Originally Posted by greencactus3

how close is quite close? ours is about 2 inches maybe?

That is probably ok, but try running it and watch for any visible problems, like wobble, etc. it depends on how far apart the other bearings are, cause the further apart, the steadier the axle.

[Madison]

Lining up three bearings on a single shaft requires a bit of precision. Otherwise, you'll deflect or bend the shaft in a way that might result in increased friction or binding.

Cantilevering the load against your sprocket outside the bearings isn't a great idea, either, but I think it's the lesser of two evils in your case.

[Max Lobovsky]

I would defenitley say yes because we have our wheels outside of our bearings and we've been driving for a week without any problems. Logically, if a wheels that is getting bumped around and torquing the axle in all the wrong ways runs fine, then a protected sprocket torquing in the right way will be fine.

[Mr. Van]

Once again, I will ask an engineer to back me up on this...

It can be a real problem having three bearings on a single shaft.

It is very, very easy for them to bind up! Avoid this at all costs unless you have a flexible coupling in there somewhere.

The kit shaft is very strong. A cantilevered sprocket should be no problem as long as the sprocket is close to the bearing.

-Mr. Van
Coach, 599

[Matt Adams]

Originally Posted by Mr. Van

Once again, I will ask an engineer to back me up on this...

It can be a real problem having three bearings on a single shaft.

It is very, very easy for them to bind up! Avoid this at all costs unless you have a flexible coupling in there somewhere.

The kit shaft is very strong. A cantilevered sprocket should be no problem as long as the sprocket is close to the bearing.

Will this be the end of the world to have it cantilevered... no. Optimal? Not really.

The easy answer to whenever you have 3 bearings in a line... what is the middle one for? Can't you just remove it? Since they're bearings, they must be lined up on rigid surfaces. It should be as simple as running the sprocket and wheel in between the two bearing and mounting blocks...

I hope this helps.

Matt

[greencactus3]

Originally Posted by Matt Adams

Will this be the end of the world to have it cantilevered... no. Optimal? Not really.

The easy answer to whenever you have 3 bearings in a line... what is the middle one for? Can't you just remove it? Since they're bearings, they must be lined up on rigid surfaces. It should be as simple as running the sprocket and wheel in between the two bearing and mounting blocks...

I hope this helps.

Matt

yes, it is possible, only if we choose to do that, the bearing to bearing will be almost 12 inches.
that or a cantilever then.
which should i do

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Without seeing your device up close, I would think it would be OK. There is always a source of trouble in this setup with implementation. The pillow blocks work well for slightly misaligned shafts but the torque on the wheels and the sprocket tend to try and drive the blocks out of alignment. The surface to which they are mounted and the mounting hardware must be sturdy enough to prevent movement of the assembly. If the blocks move, the chain will loosen, the wheels will not run true or they may even begin to drag on the robot body. You are using the big shaft right? I don't think you will be able to bend that without doing some harm to other parts of the drive.