Andymark.biz

[Andy Baker]

AndyMark.biz is up and running. We have 3 products for sale:

• AM Shifter
• 8" Trick Wheel
• AM Planetary

Prices for the 8" Trick Wheel and AM Shifter are set. The AM Planetary is having a design upgrade and the price will be set within a few weeks. Details for these products are listed on the website.

We are close to being able to receive credit card payments through the website. If you want more info, either contact Mark or I through our website or PM us (Andy Baker / Mark Koors).

Thank you for the support and encouragement we have received.

Sincerely,
Andy B.

[Joshua May]

Very nice job. I like how you will allow for some options with the products. Looks professional, too. I'll definitely have to notify my team of this.

[Bill Beatty]

Andy

Stuff looks great.

I am the kid that must have the first one on the block.

I will order two shifters and two planetarys. I'll hold off on the wheels for now. Email me when I can enter a formal order.

Best of luck.

Mr. Bill

[Madison]

This is probably a dumb question, but do these come preassembled?

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by M. Krass

This is probably a dumb question, but, do these come preassembled?

Yep, pre-assembled and tested. Our quality assurance for the AM Shifter tests the unit for the amount of drag, therefore estimating the efficiency.

Andy B.

[Jeff K.]

I didn't read through the whole thread but I was wondering, do these gearboxes also come with motors that you can choose when you order them, or do you have to supply your own?

[Billfred]

AFAIK, you supply your motors from the kit.

[JVN]

Andy,
Site looks great, and the products look awesome!
Congratulations on making this happen! Best of luck to you and Mark.

I'm already trying to convince my team we need some "new toys" for this season. Expect my order soon!

Rock On,
John

[Raul]

Originally Posted by Bill Beatty

Andy

Stuff looks great.

I am the kid that must have the first one on the block.
I will order two shifters and two planetarys. I'll hold off on the wheels for now. Email me when I can enter a formal order.

Best of luck.

Mr. Bill

Andy and Mark,

I agree with Bill. I want to be the second on the block to get some pre-built trannys. The question I have is - if we buy them now can we use them on the robot in 2005? Do we know the official ruling on this?

Also, some advise on the Urethane wheel options for the Omni wheels: Softer material gets more traction, but make sure to use a high enough durometer, otherwise the weight of the robot will cause too much deflection of the rollers and they will not work very efficiently. I had experience with this last year.

Raul

[Jeff_Rice]

Now this is just a hypothetical question, and please don't be insulted by it. If Andy Baker learned through his volunteering with FIRST that all of the motors would be changed, would it be illegal for him to stop making and selling these and begin making compatible products? I was just thinking along the lines of illegal stock tips.

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by Raul

The question I have is - if we buy them now can we use them on the robot in 2005? Do we know the official ruling on this?

We have not sought out an official ruling, and I don't have a plan to do so. Tomorrow, I could buy standard gearboxes from Bayside, HD Systems, Boston Gear, Mectrol, or others. These standard, purchased gearboxes would be legal on FIRST robot for 2005, if FIRST keeps the rules the same as they did last year. Why should our standard gearboxes be treated any different from the ones that are currently available in the industrial market?

Originally Posted by Jeff_Rice

Now this is just a hypothetical question, and please don't be insulted by it. If Andy Baker learned through his volunteering with FIRST that all of the motors would be changed, would it be illegal for him to stop making and selling these and begin making compatible products? I was just thinking along the lines of illegal stock tips.

(For the record, FIRST has not told us what motors are in the kit for 2005. We have some educated guesses, but no "for sure" information.)

Good question, and no offense taken. I could see that IF FIRST told us which motors are in the kit, they could require us to not be on a team. I am not saying that they would do that, nor am I saying that we would agree to do that, but I could see them asking.

On the other hand, I cannot see them coming out with a rule stating "teams can buy any mechanical part they wish, from any vendor, as long as it is not from AndyMark, Inc." This seems unreasonable to me. Call me crazy, but I am assuming that FIRST may like that certain companies are marketing directly to support FIRST teams. They should see this as a good thing, I hope.

Speaking of supporting FIRST teams, Mark and I have decided to post complete CAD files of our 3 current products on our site, in "STEP" format (.stp). This way, teams can plop our CAD models into their designs and see if they fit. Teams can then choose to purchase our assemblies or make (and/or alter) these designs themselves. We think that our prices are low enough and our delivery will be good enough that teams will want to buy from us. If teams are pinching pennies, they can buy certain parts from us which are difficult to fabricate and then make the rest of the design themselves. Stand by for an update on our site about this.

I will post an update here when the STEP files are available on the site.

Andy B.

[Andy Baker]

Here , at the bottom of the page, there is a link to our 8" trick wheel step (.stp) file.

Similar CAD files for the gearboxes will come soon.

Andy B.

[Aignam]

The AndyMark.biz logo is suspiciously similar to my Avatar...

Eh, I made that for my Dad's practice, and since we have the same initials....(I'm a Jr.) I kind of use it for personal use all the time. So...I guess I stole it in the first place...Hm.

About the Website:
Looks good---nice and professional! Sweet looking products, too.

Side Note:
Fix the spelling of guaranteed on the Warranty page. Otherwise...no complaints!

[Stephen Kowski]

cool stuff andy....i might get one of those planetarys just to mess around with it...

[Andy Baker]

Update:

We have our first batch of standard parts fabricated and currently being tested. Mark and I will be at the Ford Sweet Repeat this coming weekend (Oct. 9). I will be volunteering at the event while Mark will be milling around the competition. We will have products with us for teams to see and purchase.

Here are the weights of the 3 current assemblies:

AM Shifter: 3.5 lbs
AM Planetary: 0.75 lbs
8" Trick Wheels: 1.52 lbs

Our website will have an update this weekend, and it will be able to accept credit card purchases.

Sincerely,
Andy Baker