Gearbox Construction

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by Kevin Sevcik

4. After it's built, you can measure power input vs power output. There's a team I can't remember that will test your drivetrain for you.

A simple test is to measure the motor current required to spin the gearbox, and compare it to the motor's free-spin current. Be sure you are using the same voltage for both measurements. This test will give you a idea of the (unloaded) frictional losses; just multiply the difference in currents by the voltage you used to get the frictional losses in units of Watts.

Originally Posted by Kevin Sevcik

7.1 Sealed are well sealed againt water, dust, etc. with rubber typically. The seal holds grease in the bearing so they don't need maintenence. ... 7.1,2,3 Other than that, they're effectively the same for FIRST purposes in terms of torque, etc.

Sealed bearings may also add significantly to the frictional losses, esp. when the bearing diameter is large.