pic: 3 CIM WCD Crazy Geabox

[asid61]

Originally Posted by Bryce2471

I am in love with the packaging as well, but there are too many compromises necessary to make it fit like this.

-The gear ratios are close together, and they're not really adjustable.
-You would have to take a standard 64t gear and cut a ball shifter bore in it.
-It requires two expensive bearings that are 0.75" id 1" od.
-two of the motors go through 1 or 3 stages of gearing, and the other goes through 3 or 5 stages of gearing.
-It's heavier than my other gearboxes.

It would definitely be cool to build one, and you wouldn't find a gearbox with a lower COG, but I think my other designs are a lot closer to ideal for my team.

As a side note, those bearings only cost a little bit on Boca Bearings, and you could use a bushing if you wanted to.
However, I see why you don't like this. Custom gears are tricky to machine without a softjaw or machinable collet IME.

[Bryce2471]

Originally Posted by asid61

As a side note, those bearings only cost a little bit on Boca Bearings, and you could use a bushing if you wanted to.
However, I see why you don't like this. Custom gears are tricky to machine without a softjaw or machinable collet IME.

The cheapest I found them for was $25. Not super expensive, but that's $100 dollars per robot that could be avoided. We also don't have any experience ordering from Boca. Which is also not a deal-breaker, but it adds to the list of difficulties.

[GeeTwo]

It's a neat idea, if (as you noted), pushing too far unless you REALLY need that low profile. If it's that important, perhaps you could put one (or maybe even two) of the CIMs on the wheel side of the gear planes, either ahead or behind the wheel. It would limit the wheel size, but it sounds like you've already committed to that anyway. Oh, yeah, you'd have to wire or control the wheel-side CIM backwards.