pic: Vex Face Bearing Gusset Gearbox

[aldaeron]

Originally Posted by 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.

I have seen what you are talking about. This drawing shows how clever Vex was when making the plastic bearing blocks and clamping gearbox.

My issue is that we used the plastic bearing blocks on our simple 2015 drivetrain and the blocks cracked a lot. To the point that we reinforced them with .125 sheet metal because we were tired of changing them. And that was for a game with no contact. We ran a Vex Double Reduction Gearbox, with its output into one of the plastic bearing blocks and then did a 54:30 reduction via the two pressed together blocks. I was not a fan, hence the desire for more durable metal parts. YMMV.

On the same topic I wish Vex & WCP would slightly modify the VersaBlock such that it has a small flat side and the same 84T spacing as shown above. It would be a small modification, but would make VersaBlocks even better (though still expensive).