Cable/winch vs. chain for telescopic arm

[Madison]

Originally Posted by VEN

Hey guys,

In 2005 we had a telescoping arm which was extended by jackscrews. It was SLOW and loud. We do not have a lot of experience with telescopic arms. Does anyone have any experience with succesful extension of the arm? We are leaning towards the cable/winch as a more compact/lightweight solution but we would like to hear from others.

Thanks,

Vova

For simple, two segment telescoping arms, I like using roller chain.

Our 2005 robot had two such arms. You can see them here: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/20233

The chain was a complete loop that ran up the outside of the arm and around a sprocket at the end of the first segment. It then passed inside the tubing, between the first and second segments, and was bolted through the links to the inner piece of tubing. We used delrin blocks as linear bearings to make it all slide easily and to space the inside segment from the outside segment properly.