pic: Four-Speed Ball-Lock Single-Pneumatic Transmission Design

[camtunkpa]

Looks good! I'm going to reiterate Jared's caution about using a double solenoid setup. The first ball lock we built in 2004 was a three speed. We experimented with using a double solenoid setup but there was no real repeatability. What we ended up doing instead was using two cylinders for the three selections. We joined our transmissions together through shifting forks and a linkage. One cylinder would shift to first and third gear while the second cylinder acted as a wedge to shift into second gear while we vented the cylinder for shifting between first and third gear. The setup worked well for us, but was alot of weight and alot of work for a third gear that saw very little action. Not to discourage this design in any way, but there are very very few games where you would need more than 2 speeds.

Also another tip on the plunger shaft, using the pneumatics as a spring doesn't always work. Your best bet if you plan on making a solid plunger shaft would be to get it heat treated. We always run a spring loaded plunger shaft. This year we had a slight alignment issue in one gearbox where the balls were getting jammed and even though we had springs the springs were fully compressed and the cylinder acting as the spring at this point nearly destroyed our plunger shaft.

Anyway take your time on the ball lock shifter and enjoy it. They hold up and function very well. We've been running ball lock shifters since 2004. Each year they keep getting smaller and simpler. Best of luck!