pic: Everything in the tube drive (too late to turn back now)

[Chris is me]

Could I get a picture of your shifter shaft without any gears on it? Kind of curious how that works out, with the pulleys on either end and the shifter in the middle.

[Bryce2471]

Originally Posted by 42!

Have you ever used this technique in real life? Even if you have a facing cutter and a good size mill it would take a huge amount of time and resources. The same result could be achieved by bolting/riveting/epoxying/welding a reinforcement plate in the areas you need on some thinner wall tubing.

In general when working with square tubing it's a better use of resources to order a smaller size/wall thickness than to machine weight away from a thicker tube.

Yes, I have done this in real life. Admittedly to a tube smaller than the one pictured, but it did not take a lot of time or resources to do. Thinning the walls of the tube would be significantly stronger than bolting/riveting/epoxying/welding a reinforcement plate on, and would require less time and resources, because each side of the tube would have to be set up on a mill anyway.

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Could I get a picture of your shifter shaft without any gears on it? Kind of curious how that works out, with the pulleys on either end and the shifter in the middle.

Yeah... I wasn't able to come up with a solution that I really liked, but this is whats in the model:Picture

[chrisfl]

Would you be able to put your front and back wheels inside the rails as well? That would utilize more space in them and maybe make the concept more valuable with as much space as possible being utilized

[Bryce2471]

Originally Posted by chrisfl

Would you be able to put your front and back wheels inside the rails as well? That would utilize more space in them and maybe make the concept more valuable with as much space as possible being utilized

Great idea! I'm surprised I hadn't thought of that. I still don't think the design would have enough value to be worth pursuing, but putting the wheels in there definitely saves some space.
Here's the updated model:Picture

[PAR_WIG1350]

Originally Posted by Bryce2471

Great idea! I'm surprised I hadn't thought of that. I still don't think the design would have enough value to be worth pursuing, but putting the wheels in there definitely saves some space.
Here's the updated model:Picture

Now, what would it take to get the motors inside the tube? They are fairly high on the list of components that get in the way, so that should be a priority. (2.5" motors fit in 2" tubes, right?)

1.25*sin(x)=1
sin(x)=0.8
x=arcsin(0.8)
L=1-1.25cos(x)    //maximum length of remaining material (in inches), measured from
L=0.25            //edge of tube, assuming motor is centered

(Yes, they technically do.)

[chrisfl]

Originally Posted by PAR_WIG1350

Now, what would it take to get the motors inside the tube? They are fairly high on the list of components that get in the way, so that should be a priority. (2.5" motors fit in 2" tubes, right?)

1.25*sin(x)=1
sin(x)=0.8
x=arcsin(0.8)
L=1-1.25cos(x)    //maximum length of remaining material (in inches), measured from
L=0.25            //edge of tube, assuming motor is centered

(Yes, they technically do.)

If you are really ambitious, I bet a few talons could fit in there too! Maybe an accumulator even.

[PAR_WIG1350]

Originally Posted by chrisfl

If you are really ambitious, I bet a few talons could fit in there too! Maybe an accumulator even.

While there are some that would fit, I think it would be more practical to keep the accumulators elsewhere. /S

On a slightly more serious note, there is still unused space in the front and back rails for possible manipulator or slide drive mechanisms.

[chrisfl]

Originally Posted by PAR_WIG1350

While there are some that would fit, I think it would be more practical to keep the accumulators elsewhere. /S

On a slightly more serious note, there is still unused space in the front and back rails for possible manipulator or slide drive mechanisms.

That would be a cool concept. A drop down slide drive with a full 6w tank. That'd be the ultimate butterfly drive! Have 2 omni wheels on the front and back faced perpendicular to the 6w tank. It'd be super heavy and complex though.