pic: Vex Face Bearing Gusset Gearbox

[Lil' Lavery]

Interesting idea. Have you done any price comparisons between using your method and using clamping gearboxes*?

*See the "gearing options" portion at the bottom of the page.

Originally Posted by Ari423

It looks like the two pieces VersaFrame still need to be precision machined for the gears to mesh well. Am I wrong? If not, how is this any different from any other custom gearbox?

All the machining required on the versa frame for this can be done with a drill press or hand drill and a dremel. You can match drill all the gusset holes. Any slotting required for clearance for the first reduction gear can be done with a dremel, cutting wheel, and some patience. All the piloting is handled by the gussets and bearings, so no precision machining is required.

Originally Posted by Ari423

EDIT 2: Is there any reason why the first reduction has to also sum to 84 teeth, or can that be any gear ratio provided you use the right C2C distance?

A total of 84 teeth (20DP) is the "right" C2C distance for the 2.103" spacing used by Vex for the gussets.