pic: 1458 Manipulator prototype1

[Woody1458]

Originally Posted by abeD

If the belt is pushing down hard enough it doesn't look like it will come loose, I like this design nice job on the prototype. What kind of reduction/rpm is the belt running at?

Its a CIM running at a speed reduction of 2:1, we could put a higher ratio on it, but even at this low ration it is able to do everything we ask of it.

Originally Posted by Hachiban VIII

Cool! Looks like you guys are doing great this year!

We prototyped a design just like this on day 2 and it seemed to work well. However, I think you'll find that unless you are planning to build a very low drivetrain you may not be able to get the forks under the ball. A lower roller might be necessary...

Thank you, we are further ahead of schedule this year then last, hopefully if you pick us again we will be more of a help . We have the bottom fork further behind then the top rollers, approximately 10". This allows the ball to come in contact with the rollers before the bottom forks. We haven't designed our drivetrain yet because This is our leading design, so if we select this design our base will be radically different. (probably a foot shorter then limit, and an open front)