AndyMark Super Shifter: Dos??

[AdamHeard]

Hmm... their 2-speed dog shifter seems darn near perfect, maybe a little heavy, but they didn't take all the possible measures to lighten it (not really a flaw, just the only thing that isn't near perfect about it). I don't blame them though, the extra cost really wouldn't be worth the ~1 lb or so that might be saved. At least on AM's side, teams should lighten if they want. I just hope we don't hear teams at kickoff saying "OMG!!1 the AM Gen3 is really heavy, AM screwed up, waaa waaa".

Maybe they'll sell an upgrade kit that has lighter parts (Plates, gears, spacers instead of case).... Not really likely though for the same reason as above.

I think it would be awesome if AM made a dewalt kit; you choose what motor, and they do all the parts and come up with an awesome mount. I don't know if the work would be worth it for them in terms of profit, or if it would compete with the 2-speeds too much, but I like the idea.

I'd also like to see a gearbox designed to run an arm off of 1-2 globe motors or 1-2 FP motors, kind of like the CIM planetary, but not as beefy. There currently isn't a COTS gearbox for those two (besides the cumbersome stock FP gearbox) that provides a significant amount of reduction, in a reliable package (please don't mention banebots).

I know I kind of went off topic.... but hey, I can dream...

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

I'd also like to see a gearbox designed to run an arm off of 1-2 globe motors or 1-2 FP motors, kind of like the CIM planetary, but not as beefy. There currently isn't a COTS gearbox for those two (besides the cumbersome stock FP gearbox) that provides a significant amount of reduction, in a reliable package (please don't mention banebots).

I know I kind of went off topic.... but hey, I can dream...

how about a FP motor to AM single speed or planetary adapter? But you still have the problem of the little motors smoking when held stationary with current running thru them.

[Madison]

Originally Posted by squirrel

how about a FP motor to AM single speed or planetary adapter? But you still have the problem of the little motors smoking when held stationary with current running thru them.

The AM Planetary (http://andymark.biz/am-0002.html) serves this purpose if you're trying to simultaneously reduce the output RPM of the FP motor to better match that of an unmodified, small CIM.

A simple adapter might be useful -- but if you added a FP motor directly into the AM single speed gearbox, you'd only be getting a 12.75:1 reduction on 19,700 RPM -- and that's not usually very helpful.

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by M. Krass

The AM Planetary (http://andymark.biz/am-0002.html) serves this purpose if you're trying to simultaneously reduce the output RPM of the FP motor to better match that of an unmodified, small CIM.

A simple adapter might be useful -- but if you added a FP motor directly into the AM single speed gearbox, you'd only be getting a 12.75:1 reduction on 19,700 RPM -- and that's not usually very helpful.

Yeah the AM planetary + AM CIM planetary w/ a FP is a little too much reduction in my opinion (~666:1)

The AM planetary into a single speed is too small a reduction to be worth the weight (~49:1)

[Protronie]

Well hes from Indy so... The Indy Shifter

[Qbranch]

For our '05 bot, we ran a pair of FP/AndyMark Planetary pairs into a FRC/AM (same reduction i believe) kitbot type single speed gearbox, then ran the output of that single speed gearbox into another single speed gearbox. The reduction is extreme, but if you remember how big the lever arm was on our '05 tetra bot.... it needed a TON of torque and a teeny weeny bit of angular velocity. (So much torque that it once exploded its #35 double wide chain sprocket... into five pieces.... one embedded itself in the wall of our mentor's room.... )

So... yeah i see where you can say that there is a market for an 'in-between' level of gear reduction.

-q

[Schnabel]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

I'd also like to see a gearbox designed to run an arm off of 1-2 globe motors or 1-2 FP motors, kind of like the CIM planetary, but not as beefy. There currently isn't a COTS gearbox for those two (besides the cumbersome stock FP gearbox) that provides a significant amount of reduction, in a reliable package (please don't mention banebots).

Actually the TechnoKats used an AM Planetary Gear Box with small CIM for our arm. The only problem we had was when we backdrove the arm, we kinda twisted the half inch steel shaft and snapped it.

Originally Posted by Protronie

Well hes from Indy so... The Indy Shifter

You guys do know that his "where I am from" says Kokomo, Indiana don't you. So then the shifter could be called the Kokoshifter.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Schnabel

So then the shifter could be called the Kokoshifter.

uh-oh, don't let Ed see that....he'll love it!

[Andy Baker]

Well... after a long build up, the Super Shifters are ready to be shipped to eager customers.

We've even hired our first part-time employee* and his focus is to assemble these Super Shifters with me over the next few days.

Also, we have some other new products:

1. Omni spacer - this neato aluminum donut easily couples two aluminum omni wheels together to make "dualies".

2. 6 hole spacer - this acetal (aka: Delrin) spacer mounts between a sprocket and an aluminum omni wheel (and also our to-be-released 6" Mecanum Wheel)

3. 6" Mecanum Wheel - this is a lighter, cheaper, smoother-rolling, and stronger version of our 8" wheel. It has curved, not stepped rollers. This will be available in early December.

* - Nick Boyce is a freshman at Purdue - Kokomo, and was a 4 year TechnoKat. He was the lead mechanical student during the last 2 years.

Thanks to all for the continued support.
Andy

ps... as for that Kokomoshifter, that is a wonderful name

[Dan Petrovic]

Originally Posted by Schnabel

You guys do know that his "where I am from" says Kokomo, Indiana don't you. So then the shifter could be called the Kokoshifter.

Then how about instead of a dog-shifter we have a kat-shifter?

...I'm still waiting for the AM ball-lock shifter, though.

[Conor Ryan]

All that I know officially is that right now, SuperShifter 2 is under development as codename "Greased Pig". I have heard several confirmed rumors of an IVT potentially running on with centrifugal clutches.