Elevator Lift

[darkMatt3r]

What is the most efficient way of building an elevator lift?

Certain things are given:

• use pulleys
• keep things on lift balanced
• least friction is the best
• generally everything learned from building a multi-stage elevator lift in VEX can be carried on to FRC

The question is what types of ways are there to build an elevator lift?

On our previous robot from 2005, we just had the two towers connected to two long bars of extruded aluminum with a large shaft going down the bars and a bolt on the two towers going through the large shaft to keep the bars in place. The pulleys were powered by two FP motors with a gear ratio of something like 128:1. I wasn't part of the team back then, but from what i've heard, and from some messing around with it, it seemed to go up relatively fast.

For this year, since we decided to go with an elevator lift, we were considering using the linear slides given to us with the KOP, from "igus". They're extremely smooth and stable. The only problem we for-see is the issue with the sliders having friction problems transferring from one rail to another. Having never worked with them before, or better, any elevator lift in FRC, what methods are there of creating a extremely fast elevator lift.

Should we craft our own? Or use parts that we can order/already have?

What is everyone's thoughts?

It may seem like a "everyone knows" topic, but being that it is going to be our lift for this year, we want to know everything we can haha.

Thanks!

-Matt