Andymark.biz

[ChrisH]

With all of the other heavyweights around here weighing in, I figure I might as well add my 2 shekels.

First of all, I'm more in agreement with Dave and the "Future through the Past" crowd. I LIKED the limited KOP and AML (additional materials list) and thought it was a good thing. Because it forces you to become more creative. But I also understand that Dave and I are probably the only two hold-outs left, and that SPI just couldn't handle the volume anymore. We're growing up and maybe we just can't do things the way we used to anymore. A limited KOP and AML still require thousands of items which are sometimes only produced in hundreds. So only the first few teams get what they need and everybody else has to make do.

So, since the vast majority seem to be for open markets, I am willing to put my personal preferences aside for the sake of others. (This is sometimes called graciousness, at other times it is called Love). If we are to have an "open market" for robot parts, then AndyMark is a logical development.

Given the current conditions not only do I approve of AndyMark, I hope to be imitating them in a small way in the near future.

I am in the process of designing something that I think most teams would find useful. A set of hardware for mounting and using encoders. This will include gears to mount on the encoder shaft and mating gears to mount on the shaft to be measured. All will be made from Nylon, so it will have good durability without being very heavy. A typical encoder gear will probably weigh about the same as four 1/2"dia holes in 1/8" thick aluminum. I am currently basing the design on the Grayhill 63R series encoders.

We realized the need for a better mounting system after our encoders failed this year. Due to some unique circumstances, it is easiest for us to make them out of plastic, and it is little trouble for us to make 20 or 30 rather than one or two. So we thought we would make them available to other teams.

We are still negotiating on fabrication costs and figuring out distribution and other issues, so I can't tell you the price yet, but it won't be unreasonable. Heck, we don't even have a name for the venture yet. If you have a need for other DLPPs (Dumb Little Plastic Parts) that other teams might need as well, contact me and we might include them in the product line.

ChrisH