6-Motor Drivetrain?

[NeedMoreEngines]

I really hope this wasn't already posted. I checked so...here goes.

Did anyone use a gearbox last year that was configured to use 3 motors? Essentially creating a six-motor drivetrain?
The mentor from our team remembers seeing someone with this setup, and we're trying to figure out if it would work.

How well does it work? Would it be a noticeable enough improvement over a two-motor gearbox to make it worth the extra effort?

Does anyone know of any suppliers (Andymark, Banebots, IFI, etc) that offer a configuration like this?


Oh, and uh...shaft.

[blaskay16]

The rules stated that you could only use up to 4 CIM motors last year as well as this year and a max of I believe of 8 motors

[NeedMoreEngines]

I know, but what about two CIMS + a smaller motor? Anyone ever do that yet?

[Greg Needel]

Originally Posted by blaskay16

The rules stated that you could only use up to 4 CIM motors last year as well as this year and a max of I believe of 8 motors

The maximum number of motors you can use this year is not 8! It is the total number of motors in the kit plus the extra 2 cims.

Remeber folks we have, Fisher Price motors, Small cims, Big cims, Bane Bots, Window Motors, Muchabi,




As for the 3 motor drive teams have done it from time to time. If I was going to do that this year I would most likely use 2 small cims and the AM FP planetary.

here is an example from team 217

[NeedMoreEngines]

Originally Posted by Greg Needel

The maximum number of motors you can use this year is not 8! It is the total number of motors in the kit plus the extra 2 cims.

Remeber folks we have, Fisher Price motors, Small cims, Big cims, Bane Bots, Window Motors, Muchabi,




As for the 3 motor drive teams have done it from time to time. If I was going to do that this year I would most likely use 2 small cims and the AM FP planetary.

here is an example from team 217

217 the ThunderChickens, right? big green thing? if this is there setup from last year, now I know why I couldn't push them.


alright is that gearbox a custom job or can we buy it?
How much more power does that produce? (torque & speed mainly)

[DjAlamose]

Also, f you did want to use all 6 CIM motors (4 2.5" and 2 3") then B.O.B. has done this (team 85). They have a picture of it in CD Media.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/23156

[jgannon]

Originally Posted by Greg Needel

The maximum number of motors you can use [...] is the total number of motors in the kit plus the extra 2 cims.

...plus the extra mini-bike motor.

Originally Posted by Greg Needel

If I was going to do that this year I would most likely use 2 small cims and the AM FP planetary.

To maximize your peak power and minimize your cost, I would suggest two CIMs and a mini-bike. However, that will take up a ton of space and weight.

[Travis Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Greg Needel

As for the 3 motor drive teams have done it from time to time. If I was going to do that this year I would most likely use 2 small cims and the AM FP planetary.

I think we only get one Fisher-Price motor/gearbox this year. At least that's what the KOP checklist indicates.

[Kevin Sevcik]

Originally Posted by T. Hoffman

I think we only get one Fisher-Price motor/gearbox this year. At least that's what the KOP checklist indicates.

That appears to be the case, even though 57 recieved 2 FP motors in our kit. I'm slightly miffed at the lack of matched motors in the kit aside from the CIMs and the (much) weaker globes and window lifts.

[jgannon]

Originally Posted by T. Hoffman

I think we only get one Fisher-Price motor/gearbox this year. At least that's what the KOP checklist indicates.

There's another thread around here where basically everyone confirms that they got two FPs. This leads me to believe that it's a typo in the checklist, and not a mistake in packing. I'm sure this will be covered in Team Update 1.

[Paul Copioli]

We get 2 FPs this year. Expect the clarification to come soon.

The picture on this thread looks like it was taken from our 2005 robot. We used this exact gearbox housing (the big aluminum thing) last year and we will use it again this year (check out rule R20 or R24 regarding reusing parts ... best rule ever!) We will use the 2 CIMS and FP (as shown in the picture). Basically, we will make all new parts except for the housing and use the new motors. The best thing about the FP motors is that even when they change the motor speed, they keep the center distance requred to the mating gear the same. This year they have 19 tooth pinions so I change the gear that mates to it and my speed matches perfectly!

By the way, there are 15 motors available to us this year. 12 are included in the kit and 3 can be purchased in addition (2 CIM and 1 mini-bike).

6 down and 9 more to go!

The reply to the question regarding output is as follows:

The total gearbox output equation is as follows: TorqueOut = (-63.89/426)*AngVel + 63.89

AngVel is in RPM and Torque calculated is in N*m.

Stall torque is 63.89 N*m and free speed is 426 RPM. Maximum power is 712 Watts.

The gearbox was connected to 6 inch wheels. It is a custom gearbox, but I will make available the drawings and solid models to those who request it.

[Dick Linn]

I missed the kickoff and am trying to catch up. I assume we have a humongous new battery (or small nuke) to power all these 15 motors for days on end, right?

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by Dick Linn

I missed the kickoff and am trying to catch up. I assume we have a humongous new battery (or small nuke) to power all these 15 motors for days on end, right?

The second red bin contained a flux capacitor and a Mr. Fusion...