pic: VEX High Reduction Gearbox

[JVN]

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Check out videos at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5OQ8LdEcvo

[JVN]

This is something goofy I made which is inspired by the concept of a millennium clock. I've made plenty of things which spin really fast, but I've never made something which spins VERY slow; I think this qualifies.

I use it as a lesson for Robowrangler students. I ask them to calculate some things as a way of proving they learned their gear theory.

I thought maybe someone here would think it is cool.

-John

[s_forbes]

Hmm... I'm suddenly tempted to add a year hand to my LEGO clock.

[AdamHeard]

Is it even possible to turn the little wheel by hand?

This is one of the most ridiculous/amazing things I've seen recently.

[JVN]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

Is it even possible to turn the little wheel by hand?

This is one of the most ridiculous/amazing things I've seen recently.

Thanks!

No, it takes a lot of effort to turn even the 4th 60t gear from the input. I've had this gearbox sitting on my desk for a few months and every so often someone gives it a spin. Even after all this time we've been unable to advance the small wheel a noticeable amount (you can see the sharpie line we added when I first built the gearbox on the top of that wheel.)

-John

[Qbranch]

Wow... with that kind of gear reduction... I bet you could move the Earth!

...well... provided the gears don't explode first...

Great nonsensical gizmo. I think I'll dub it the Neunian Reduction Box for my memory.

-q

[IKE]

If my 24 hours of lemons team took this with us driving from Detroit to San Francicso, strapped on the back of the back of the race-car for the full length of the race, and then drug it back to Detroit, the little wheel would have only turned about 40 degrees.

Another way of looking at this is 1 JVN small wheel degree is equal to about 168 miles. In order words, our trip to Atlanta this spring is only 4.5 JVN small wheel degrees. That doesn't sound so bad.

[JVN]

Originally Posted by IKE

If my 24 hours of lemons team took this with us driving from Detroit to San Francicso, strapped on the back of the back of the race-car for the full length of the race, and then drug it back to Detroit, the little wheel would have only turned about 40 degrees.

Another way of looking at this is 1 JVN small wheel degree is equal to about 168 miles. In order words, our trip to Atlanta this spring is only 4.5 JVN small wheel degrees. That doesn't sound so bad.

This is the kind of goofy stuff I make my students calculate.
It is an awesome learning aid. It makes a pretty cool piece of desk art too.

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by s_forbes

Hmm... I'm suddenly tempted to add a year hand to my LEGO clock.

How's that Fluids studying going? ready for the final?

Neat gearbox...in the old days cars used to have mechanical odometers. The cable driving it turns 1000 revolutions per mile. The odometer has 6 digits, the first one turns one revolution per mile. I guess it's a similar concept.

[sanddrag]

Reminds me of something the artist Tim Hawkinson made once. A ridiculous gear reduction, where the input spun at several thousand RPM, and the output would take hundreds of years to make one revolution.

[Barak Shelef]

haha... I was just yesterday teaching our new team members about planing a good reduction gear assembly. I'll show them this picture

[colin340]

Originally Posted by squirrel

How's that Fluids studying going? ready for the final?

Neat gearbox...in the old days cars used to have mechanical odometers. The cable driving it turns 1000 revolutions per mile. The odometer has 6 digits, the first one turns one revolution per mile. I guess it's a similar concept.

dang you got busted !!!!!!

thats really cool john

[Greg Needel]

Originally Posted by JVN

This is the kind of goofy stuff I make my students calculate.
It is an awesome learning aid. It makes a pretty cool piece of desk art too.

I think this is awesome. I think I am going to borrow the idea for my team, but we are going to make a "Shipdate countdown clock" So Whatever day they build it they will have to calculate the right ratio for a ~60 day output cycle.


Now the real question, has anyone ever run a vex controller for 60+ straight days using a power supply?

[Madison]

I think the makes it reasonably possibly to accelerate the larger wheel to the speed of light.

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by Madison

I think the makes it reasonably possibly to accelerate the larger wheel to the speed of light.

If not for that pesky friction....