pic: Plywood Butterfly Drive Render

[RKIyer]

How are the cut plywood pieces of your frame and wheel assemblies attached together? Are you using a glue? Or are there tiny screws?

[z_beeblebrox]

Originally Posted by RKIyer

How are the cut plywood pieces of your frame and wheel assemblies attached together? Are you using a glue? Or are there tiny screws?

It's designed to be assembled using wood glue.

[z_beeblebrox]

Here's my progress on the next iteration of the drivetrain. The chassis will be sturdier when complete, but the module and powertrain are just about done. Currently, it weighs 30.5 lbs (the same as the original 4-CIM version).

Improvements in this version include:
-Simpler and lighter powertrain due to direct-drive gearbox
-Stiffer module with less wasted space
-Smaller, lighter pancake cylinders for switching between wheels
-Narrower side rails and more open bellypan

The outside plates will be attached with T-nuts (http://goo.gl/XBWxdN) so they are removable for easy maintenance.

[z_beeblebrox]

Here's the more-or-less complete version of the drivetrain, except for the finger joints, which are time-consuming and no fun to draw. Sturdier structure, lightening holes and encoder mounts are added. The pneumatic cylinder mounting is improved.

The two aluminum tubes on top are an example of how a hinged superstructure can be mounted, similar to our 2014 robot (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/39338).

I'd like to integrate bumper mounts into the wood frame, but am uncertain of how best to do so in a way that is simple, robust and allows for quick swaps. Anyone have ideas?



Unless anyone has ideas for improvement, next steps are probably cutting some test pieces on the laser to learn about best practices for finger joints, large parts and bearing fits before manufacturing a full drivetrain.