pic: 2004 TechnoKat gearbox

[Max Lobovsky]

alright, maybe I overstated how much application it has to FIRST, but it still is surprising considering there are seemingly no other organizations that sell any sort of gear reduction like these. Up until Andy Baker started, of course

[suneel112]

A chip and a Fisher Price?!? Talk about Power! I hope that it was only for tank drive.

During the 2002 season, 461 made a set of crab-treads (a great drive train, before considering weight), where two were powered by one chip each and the other two were powered by a FP and a Drill each. The FiP didn't work well, since it had plastic gears that couldn't handle competition torque. We ended up just using the drill, and the drive itself worked pretty well. I will look into getting an inventor/auto-cad file for the teams who think they can do four systems (what we did) in less than 50 pounds. A word of advice: while it may seem "cool" and "awesome" to put a 50 pound drive system, the frame better be welded, thin-walled box aluminum and the arms must be light...Very light.

[Mike Schroeder]

Okay so baker and koor are selling these things , soon, this leads me to wonder what marval of machining The T-Kats are gonna have on their robots this year.. I am afraid... Seriously Afraid

[Andy Brockway]

As always, a very nice design. I was hoping you might change your mind about sharing the fisher adapter design but I completely understand.

How much of the gearbox will you be sharing? Is the shifter the same internal rod with hex shaft? Gear types and ratios?

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by Andy Brockway

As always, a very nice design. I was hoping you might change your mind about sharing the fisher adapter design but I completely understand.

How much of the gearbox will you be sharing? Is the shifter the same internal rod with hex shaft? Gear types and ratios?

The FP adapter design worked out well for us, until we got to IRI. The needle bearing on the output shaft found it's breaking point. This is a planetary assembly that we want to sell in the future, but it needs some improvements before that is done.

I do plan on putting together a descriptive paper on this, just not all of the print details. We used the same internal hex shaft shifter. Here are the ratios used:

CIM motor: 18 tooth, 32 dp
Intermediate shaft: 64 tooth, 32 dp (mates w/ CIM gears), 1/4 face

Low gear: 15 tooth, 20 dp, 14.5 p.a. 3/8 face

High gear: 28 tooth, 20 dp, 14.5 p.a. 3/8 face

Shifter/output shaft:

Low gear: 48 tooth, 20 dp, 14.5 p.a. 3/8 face

High gear: 35 tooth, 20 dp, 14.5 p.a. 3/8 face

12 tooth, size 35 sprocket (qty.2)

Andy B.

[Josh Hambright]

Great looking design Andy.
Good luck in your new business venture!

[sanddrag]

Andy,
Any chance we could get a picture in from the (open) side? Also, I know it's early still but is there any general price area you can give us for one of these hot little gearboxes? Thanks.

[Kyle Love]

I got the privilege of assembling the gear boxes that went on 45's robot this year. I learned a ton from Andy, Mark Koors and Steve Butler about how they worked and how to assemble them. They really let us students get in on building some real important parts. I new basically nothing about how to build a gear box or anything on the robot, but by the end of the year I learned how to build gear boxes, use new tools, met a ton of cool new people and I even got to drive the robot around a few times. This years gear box is really reliable and very powerful I think. I would like to thank Andy Baker, Mark Koors, Steve Butler, Alan Anderson and Amy "Prib" for teaching me a ton of new things this year and i really look forward to the next 3!

-Kyle

nice job! I like your guyz's gear box. It loooks kool!

[Matt Reiland]

Andy,

If I were a betting man I would bet on the FP being changed for 2005 after seeing FIRST clearing out all of theirs from stock. FYI