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This paper covers how to interface FIRST legal motors (the Chiaphua, Fisher Price, and Globe motor) to the commercial off the shelf Dewalt XRP 3-speed transmission. It includes detailed instructions, pictures, drawings, costs and a good source to get a small amount of machine work done. This lightwe...
This paper covers how to interface FIRST legal motors (the Chiaphua, Fisher Price, and Globe motor) to the commercial off the shelf Dewalt XRP 3-speed transmission. It includes detailed instructions, pictures, drawings, costs and a good source to get a small amount of machine work done. This lightweight transmission assembly is rugged, with all metal gears, and can be shifted on the fly, giving teams with limited machining capabilities a way to get into a multi-speed drive train, easily and cheaply.
1104421604nothingbutdewalts_rev1_0.pdf
30-12-2004 17:12
Max LobovskyGreat! Thanks Joe and Joe. I'm disappointed to see that its a bit more work than I had thought, but after the additional testing that OCCRA gave it, I think we can be assured that its up to the job.
I thought Joe Johnson had said that he had interfaced the drill motors with it, too. Is this true?
Finally, what exactly does Lou Odin provide in this kit of his? The aluminum and plastic plates for the Chiaphua, neccesary bolts, and the modification of the sun gear? What kind of lead time can we expect during build?
Again, thanks for the great work.
30-12-2004 21:24
Joe P|
Originally Posted by Max Lobovsky
Great! Thanks Joe and Joe. I'm disappointed to see that its a bit more work than I had thought, but after the additional testing that OCCRA gave it, I think we can be assured that its up to the job.
I thought Joe Johnson had said that he had interfaced the drill motors with it, too. Is this true? Finally, what exactly does Lou Odin provide in this kit of his? The aluminum and plastic plates for the Chiaphua, neccesary bolts, and the modification of the sun gear? What kind of lead time can we expect during build? Again, thanks for the great work. |
30-12-2004 21:28
Stu Bloom
Great paper - thanks so much for those details. Have any of you done any testing to determine the motor "curves" (torque/speed/current data) for the various motor/transmission assemblies at different reduction settings (1st, 2nd, 3rd gear)?
30-12-2004 23:39
Max LobovskyIs there any reason that the Globe and Fisher Price versions are shown without a shifter?
31-12-2004 01:21
Arefin Bari
This is Very Cool. Thanks joe for the whitepaper. even though this maybe be time consuming, its definitely worth it. and its not even that much money only 65 dollard. Again, Thanks Joe. 
31-12-2004 09:50
Joe P|
Originally Posted by Max Lobovsky
Is there any reason that the Globe and Fisher Price versions are shown without a shifter?
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31-12-2004 09:54
meaubry|
Originally Posted by Max Lobovsky
Is there any reason that the Globe and Fisher Price versions are shown without a shifter?
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31-12-2004 10:02
Joe P|
Originally Posted by Arefin Bari
This is Very Cool. Thanks joe for the whitepaper. even though this maybe be time consuming, its definitely worth it. and its not even that much money only 65 dollard. Again, Thanks Joe.
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31-12-2004 16:14
Joe P|
Originally Posted by Stu Bloom
Great paper - thanks so much for those details. Have any of you done any testing to determine the motor "curves" (torque/speed/current data) for the various motor/transmission assemblies at different reduction settings (1st, 2nd, 3rd gear)?
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01-01-2005 11:28
jimfortytwoWhy did you decide to throw out the first stage of the DeWalt for the CIM interface? Did you find a problem with using an input pinion as in the other arrangements?
So these modules were attached to the robot only by the aluminum clamp? Did you ever have problems with slippage?
Thanks for sharing this paper. I had been looking to discard the yellow clamshell, but I'm impressed by your use of it.
01-01-2005 16:06
Max LobovskyI'm not sure what their reason to discard the first stage for the CIM was, but there is a very good reason I can think of. The gearbox is surely designed for a very high rpm, low torque motor (like the drills from our kit of parts) and the CIM probably has 2 or 3 times the torque of the motor it was designed for. A mas produced gearbox like this is most likely engineered down pretty close to the specs its needed for. It wouldn't take 2 or 3 times the torque.
01-01-2005 16:47
jimfortytwoMy notes say the advertised output torque for the 18V XRP drill is 500 inch-pounds = 56Nm. The stall torque of the CIM (at 107A) is 2.2Nm. So the CIM put through the 46:1 reduction of first gear represents a 101Nm output, or just about twice the number DeWalt puts on the box.
I know someone out there was building CIM-Bosch-DeWalt combos in the off season, and I'm under the impression that the DeWalts survived that fine. Does anyone know if they were using the full reduction?
01-01-2005 21:30
Ryan Foley
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Originally Posted by jimfortytwo
My notes say the advertised output torque for the 18V XRP drill is 500 inch-pounds = 56Nm. The stall torque of the CIM (at 107A) is 2.2Nm. So the CIM put through the 46:1 reduction of first gear represents a 101Nm output, or just about twice the number DeWalt puts on the box
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01-01-2005 23:10
jimfortytwo|
Originally Posted by Ryan Foley
Just a note, the CIM assembly involves dropping the first stage of the transmission, so the gear reductions on the CIM assembly are 3:1, 4:1, 12:1. The CIM puts out .79Nm at 40A (which was the amp limit last year) so after the 12:1 gear reduction, the whole assembly puts out about 9.5Nm (assuming I did math right of course!).
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02-01-2005 14:15
Joe Johnson
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Originally Posted by jimfortytwo
Thanks Ryan. I was responding to Max's suggestion that retaining all three reduction stages (not what Joe P recommends) might lead to a gearbox failure. Personally, I think that the XRP can probably handle twice its rated torque-- but thats just a gut feeling.
Although I am aware that the CIM outputs only .79Nm at 40A, it must be remembered that our 40A breakers can actually sustain upwards of 80A for short durations. Using the 40A number, even with all three stages we remain well under rated torque for the transmission. In my calculation I used the stall current to be conservative. I am curious what the real maximum momentary load from a CIM motor is, once you factor in our breakers and our non-ideal voltage source. |
02-01-2005 14:21
Joe Johnson
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Originally Posted by Joe P
STU,
We just got a prototype chassis running with the CIM Dewalts. We haven't had time to think about this yet. Maybe someone on Team 47 has done some work on this, I don't know? |
02-01-2005 14:27
Joe Johnson
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Originally Posted by meaubry
It is because the shifter is on the transmission side and therefore can be coupled with any of the motor transmission combinations relatively easily. Last year we drove with the motor transmission described without a single issue or repair of the motor transmission set.
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02-01-2005 14:35
Joe Johnson
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Originally Posted by Joe P
MAx,
The kit id Drawing 1,2, 3, and 5. You have to send him the carrier gear to be modified. Yes you can interface the drill motors however we didn't do it in this paper because they may not be in this years kit. |
09-01-2005 22:54
Joe Johnson
We don't know what we are going to do with them but we are sure we will need them.
ASAP we'll be kickoffing off
4 Chiaphua (CIM) transmissions,
3 Fisher-Price transmissions (the extra Mabuchi is the same form factor as the F-P, according to Paul Copioli, it may be the same performance too), and
2 Globe transmissions...
...9 more yellow power packs for CD10. NBD baby... NBD!
Joe J.
12-01-2005 10:48
Joe Johnson
From the website I see that 500+ folks have downloaded this whitepaper, perhaps more copies have been shared from person to person.
There have been some relatively positive comments, but... ...I am curious how things are working out.
Initially, I had some e-mails asking about what to do when DewaltServiceNet.com shows backorders of some parts with longish scheduled delivery times.
Right now for example the following important parts are on backorder:
394514-00 MOTOR ADAPTOR
395666-01 GEAR CASE ASSY
My experience with Dewalt is that they almost ALWAYS beat their promise date BY A LOT. For example they were out of clamshells last week with a promise date of late Feb. The clamshells are shown as in stock right now.
Another way to get the parts is to call your local Dewalt Service dealer. They have access to stock that is not shown on the dewaltservicenet.com site.
Finally, you can always use The Home Depot (or equiv.) as a source. The whole drill is only $150 or so (less if you can find them on sale -- even less if you can find them on ebay or elsewhere).
Please let us know what goes well or what goes lousy for you. In particular, I am curious how many folks are using Lou Oudin at Capital Tool and Die for your modification source. I like Lou a lot and I think he will give you good service at a fair price.
Joe J.
P.S. Just to be clear, I have no financial interest in Lou Oudin or Capital Tool & Die.
12-01-2005 11:56
Stu Bloom
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Originally Posted by Joe Johnson
... My experience with Dewalt is that they almost ALWAYS beat their promise date BY A LOT. For example they were out of clamshells last week with a promise date of late Feb. The clamshells are shown as in stock right now....
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12-01-2005 12:02
Max LobovskyCan someone explain the purpose of the plastic "top hat" for the CIM modification? Is it some sort of bushing to support the shaft? Is it absolutely neccesary? Do the screws holding it to the carrier gear actually need to transfer much torque, or is it just to press it up to the gear?
12-01-2005 12:40
Joe Johnson
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Originally Posted by Max Lobovsky
Can someone explain the purpose of the plastic "top hat" for the CIM modification? Is it some sort of bushing to support the shaft? Is it absolutely neccesary? Do the screws holding it to the carrier gear actually need to transfer much torque, or is it just to press it up to the gear?
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12-01-2005 13:01
Max LobovskyAlright, so there is no reason to even widen those holes (hardened steel isn't so fun to machine). Just find some small enough screws or other fastener.
12-01-2005 13:13
Joe Johnson
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Originally Posted by Max Lobovsky
Alright, so there is no reason to even widen those holes (hardened steel isn't so fun to machine). Just find some small enough screws or other fastener.
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12-01-2005 15:21
Joe P|
Originally Posted by Stu Bloom
I sure hope you're right. I just checked my order status. When it was originally placed the clamshells were on backorder. They are still on backorder until 1/21/05, and NOW the Gear Case Assy is showing backordered until 1/24!!
![]() I think I'll visit ebay! |
12-01-2005 23:24
ajlapp
can someone post some quick deminsions of the dewalt assemblies....notable the fisher price combo. the nominal length of the entire tranny, the dia. of the neck and the length of the neck. just rough dimensions will do. thanks.
13-01-2005 00:17
jimfortytwoI wanted to offer that the clamshells for the 12, 14.4 and 18 volt cordless DeWalt XRP's are interchangable for our purpose. My team also had some luck turning up limited quantities of parts with froogle.com. Also, MaxTools.com will sell you the appropriate 14.4V XRP drill for $99 + $10 shipping a piece. Unfortunatly, our local DeWalt Dealer has been unable to help us.
13-01-2005 10:17
Stu Bloom
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Originally Posted by Joe P
STU,
I am having problems getting the clamshells also. I reordered the clamshells part # 394511-00 and got them in 5 days. If you look at the different model numbers of the cordless drills you can find substitution parts you can use. Our local Dewalt Dealer is helping me with this problem. Joe P |
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Originally Posted by jimfortytwo
I wanted to offer that the clamshells for the 12, 14.4 and 18 volt cordless DeWalt XRP's are interchangable for our purpose. My team also had some luck turning up limited quantities of parts with froogle.com. Also, MaxTools.com will sell you the appropriate 14.4V XRP drill for $99 + $10 shipping a piece. Unfortunatly, our local DeWalt Dealer has been unable to help us.
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14-01-2005 21:09
Joe P|
Originally Posted by jimfortytwo
I wanted to offer that the clamshells for the 12, 14.4 and 18 volt cordless DeWalt XRP's are interchangable for our purpose. My team also had some luck turning up limited quantities of parts with froogle.com. Also, MaxTools.com will sell you the appropriate 14.4V XRP drill for $99 + $10 shipping a piece. Unfortunatly, our local DeWalt Dealer has been unable to help us.
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14-01-2005 21:17
pakrati think that they are interfaced to drills, but you dont need that this year (no drill motors.

14-01-2005 22:32
Joe Johnson
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Originally Posted by pakrat
i think that they are interfaced to drills, but you dont need that this year (no drill motors.
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15-01-2005 14:07
Joe Johnson
I have gotten this question via e-mail:
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We're planning on adopting this design using 4 CIMS and 4 Dewalts to drive our machine this year. But I don't quite understand how pressing the Top Hat Carrier assembly to the shaft of the CIM shaft keeps it from spinning free without the use of a keyway. |
Talking to an engineer friend of mine (Artur O. from team #469), he told me that I have voilated all the rules with the Chiaphua-Dewalt design:
In engineering, many of our rules of thumb are conservative. Our team has had A LOT of hard driving on our transmissions. We have had no failures. I feel comfortable recommending it to others. Now to your specific question: the part is a press fit. There is no room for a keyway in the root diameter of the gear that presses on the shaft -- though, now that I think of it, it suppose it is possible that you could put a keyway in the plastic tophat part. But, in actual fact, we have had good experience with just using the press fit. You need to be very careful to make the hole in the gear "to print" As I recall, .312+0-.0005 and the shaft itself is .313 so this gives a significant interferance fit. |
15-01-2005 14:15
Max LobovskyAfter thinking about what you had suggested about using a shaft collar and washer instead of the top hat, I thought I might as well use the shaft collar to help transfer power, too. You can bolt the carrier gear to the shaft collar and not worry about the press fit.
16-01-2005 01:57
ajlapp
can someone please toss me some general dimensions for the stock dewalt transmission. i don't have one in hand yet...any general length and width dims would be appreciated. thanks.
16-01-2005 12:14
Max LobovskyIf you are talking about the version mated to the CIMs without a servo, I can help you. I used some pixel counting on the pictures in the document (so this is all pretty approximate) and got the following.
Distance to 1/2" shaft from large face of CIM 3.7"
max diameter from CIM to 1/2" shaft 2.7"
1/2" shaft with sprocket, bolt, etc 1"x1" cylinder
16-01-2005 12:28
ajlapp
thanks for that. can someone who has one of these trannys, even a stock one take an overall length measurement from the end of the shaft. thanks you.
my assembly will be using the fisher price so i just need a general length measurement.
16-01-2005 16:48
Joe P|
Originally Posted by ajlapp
thanks for that. can someone who has one of these trannys, even a stock one take an overall length measurement from the end of the shaft. thanks you.
my assembly will be using the fisher price so i just need a general length measurement. |
18-01-2005 10:23
Max LobovskyThe paper suggests that "software synchronization" may be possible for shifting the transmissions. I believe I understand what synchronization is in a shfting transmission; it's waiting until whatever you are shifting is lined up with whatever you are shifting into so that no grinding of gears or shifters occur. Now how could this apply to the DeWalt transmission? How could you tell when the gears are in the right position to shift?
18-01-2005 14:05
Derek Bessette
First off I want to say that this is a great white paper. It makes it a lot easier to start more teams in an area with a small mentor base with ideas like this and AndyMark. I can't wait to try my first DeWalt transmission!!
I do have a couple questions while I wait for my order to come in.
What modifications are required to the fisher price pinion?
Has anyone mounted a gear to 1/2" shaft? My first impression is that a gear would produce a smaller side load but without a transmission in hand I may be missing some issues with mounting accuracy.
Thanks again!
18-01-2005 14:14
ajlapp
same for me.......did anyone toss a spur gear on the drill output last year......if so with what implications?
18-01-2005 14:30
Joe Johnson
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Originally Posted by Derek Bessette
What modifications are required to the fisher price pinion?
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Originally Posted by Derek Bessette
Has anyone mounted a gear to 1/2" shaft?
My first impression is that a gear would produce a smaller side load but without a transmission in hand I may be missing some issues with mounting accuracy. |
18-01-2005 14:37
Stu Bloom
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Originally Posted by Max Lobovsky
After thinking about what you had suggested about using a shaft collar and washer instead of the top hat, I thought I might as well use the shaft collar to help transfer power, too. You can bolt the carrier gear to the shaft collar and not worry about the press fit.
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18-01-2005 14:38
ajlapp
thanks for the fast reply. just for the record Dr. Joe....Dennis and I are using six dewalts so far. in fact it's nothing but dewalts except for the globe motor, but he didn't need any help.....so he's flying solo.
i don't have one in hand yet, but we're excited to give em a go.
22-01-2005 00:12
Gary BonnerI just checked the status of my Dewalt order. I had been hoping to see part of the order waiting for me when I got home today. When I placed the order, the motor adapter was on backorder until 1/24. Now it’s listed as back ordered until 2/11, and this was an alternate, P/N 626494-00. But this may be entirely moot because the transmission is now listed as out of stock and no back order date is listed. Hopefully the local service center is open tomorrow and can help me out.
23-01-2005 19:09
Steve PIf I buy the 12 Volt Dewalt Drill, the DC980KA, do I have all the parts I need to make the CIM / Dewalt tranny? I think I do except they only give you one of the screw you need two of? I really need help on this quick, thanks.
24-01-2005 06:31
Joe Johnson
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Originally Posted by Steve P
If I buy the 12 Volt Dewalt Drill, the DC980KA, do I have all the parts I need to make the CIM / Dewalt tranny? I think I do except they only give you one of the screw you need two of? I really need help on this quick, thanks.
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24-01-2005 10:59
Joe P|
Originally Posted by Steve P
If I buy the 12 Volt Dewalt Drill, the DC980KA, do I have all the parts I need to make the CIM / Dewalt tranny? I think I do except they only give you one of the screw you need two of? I really need help on this quick, thanks.
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24-01-2005 15:25
Steve PHey guys thanks a lot, We should be getting one soon to see if we want to use them this year. Ill let you know how it turns out.
24-01-2005 21:33
Steve PAnother question, do the 12 voilt, 14.4 volt, and 18 volt drills with the 3 speed all have the needed parts and are basically the same? Was wondering if I needed a specific volt drill or if they all will do.
24-01-2005 21:47
Joe Johnson
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Originally Posted by Steve P
Another question, do the 12 voilt, 14.4 volt, and 18 volt drills with the 3 speed all have the needed parts and are basically the same? Was wondering if I needed a specific volt drill or if they all will do.
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24-01-2005 22:43
XuferWhats the torque rating on the chippua stripped down version of the transmission? can you take the chippua and run it through a gearbox first? or is that too much of a load ?
24-01-2005 22:58
Stu Bloom
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Originally Posted by Steve P
Another question, do the 12 voilt, 14.4 volt, and 18 volt drills with the 3 speed all have the needed parts and are basically the same? Was wondering if I needed a specific volt drill or if they all will do.
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29-01-2005 22:13
Stu Bloom
We have completed a couple of these SWEET CIM-Dewalt transmission combos and we plan to utilize their shifting capabilities
. The only problem is that the shifter feels really stiff
. I have a lot of trouble believing that our puny little servos will be able to actually perform that function as shown in Joe P's FANTASTIC white paper. Anyone out there who can comment, either positively or negatively, regarding the servo method of shifting these monsters, or any other methods used specifically with these motors/trannys??
THANKS!! 
29-01-2005 23:54
tiffany34990Great paper guys thanks a whole bunch!! some teams are so gonna be taking an advantage on this one. 
thankies again 
18-02-2005 21:43
bmusser1We need some help. We used the white paper to interface a fp motor to the Dewalt gearbox and had an issue. We could not tighten down the case all the way or the gearbox would bind up. We left approximately 1/8" of a gap and it ran fine. The only thing we can figure is the gear is pressed on to the wrong depth, although we checked it against the instructions in the paper and it was correct. Any suggestions?????? Seems to work for now.
18-02-2005 22:06
jimfortytwoWe went the dewalt route this year. The shifting is pretty smooth for us-- be sure you've removed the little springy piece of metal that makes the drill "click" at each speed position. Also, we found that if we really crunched down the case, the shifting got stickier and the gears bound a little more.
18-02-2005 22:31
ajlapp
i successfully mated the fisher price to the dewalt four times so far.......
did you make the aluminum spacer disk for the motor.......it is crucial for spacing and also stiffens the plastic housing against any warp. double and triple check your parts.............if you build exactly to print your motor should be running perfectly!
19-02-2005 19:36
bmusser1Thanks for the advice. We will check it out further.
19-02-2005 19:52
Matt Reiland
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Originally Posted by ajlapp
i successfully mated the fisher price to the dewalt four times so far.......
did you make the aluminum spacer disk for the motor.......it is crucial for spacing and also stiffens the plastic housing against any warp. double and triple check your parts.............if you build exactly to print your motor should be running perfectly! |
01-03-2005 01:30
sanddragIs anyone using these for their drive motors and shifting them? I wondering if you use one on each side, will they simultaneously shift with the servos? What if you use four, one for each wheel? Will all four shift simultaneously?
Also, can a flex coupling (lovejoy) be placed on the end of the shaft? Will the threads in an aluminum one strip out?
Last, can the Chia gear be reamed on a manual lathe (with a proper reamer of course) instead of EDMed? If so, what size reamer would you recommend (considering the lathe is old and probably not incredibly perfect anymore).
01-03-2005 03:03
Jack JonesWe used them last year, and again this, at all four wheels. We learned from last year's prototype that YES, all four would shift simutaniously, but it was a struggle. A giant servo was used via cables to shift them, but the #4-40 threads would pull out of the linkage.
We considered shifting again this year with one continuous cable (spectra cord) and a short throw pnumatic. But decided that the risk of getting one or more wheels caught out of gear was not worth it. I.E., six robots and nine goals on the field may not leave many fast lanes open - so we're locked in first gear.
01-03-2005 09:46
Joe Johnson
As to shifting wit a "Giant Servo," I don't know under what theory a Giant Servo would be legal under this year's rules or last year's rules.
But... ...be that as it may, if you shift with one Hitec 311 servo (i.e. a legal servo) per transmission in the manner shown in the white paper, the shifters have enough "guts" to shift. They sometimes need to have the gears moving to find the right mesh, but this has not been a problem. Eventually, the drivers move the joysticks, which allow the gears to mesh if a jam occurs.
As to shift on the fly, I have discussed elsewhere that this is possible. The transmissions don't sound like they like it, but they didn't fail either. We told our drivers to do it when they needed to and not to if they didn't. Also, as I've said before, the shifting can be enhanced with software if you monitor the speed of the output shaft and try to pick the right voltage to make the mesh go smoothly. It is not very complex code.
As to simultaneousness of shifting multiple transmissions, they shift close enough to at the same time that it didn't cause us any problems.
Some thoughts from THE Dr Joe... ...accept no substitutes ;-)
Joe J.
01-03-2005 18:01
ajlapp
same info here.....
we're using four dechip's(thats short hand for a cim and dewalt combo) to drive our base. we have one servo per tranny, to whitepaper specs.
we shift them on the fly repeatedly, at full speed, and even while turning. we've beat these things to death on our practice robot for over two weeks and have had no problems.
25-01-2006 15:53
Bill_HancocDoes anybody have the Drawings of the "Chiaphua Plate", "Plastic Top Hat", "Top Hat Carrier", and "Top Hat Chiaphua Assembly" i would like to make a large copy of the drawings for reference and other things but it is hard with the small copy on the whitepaper if anybody can help it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Bill Hancock
25-01-2006 15:58
Kevin Sevcik
Since this thread is resurrected anyways...
As a heads up to any teams planning on buying the CIM NBD kits from Capital Die, Lou Oudin is still doing them, but it's been a year since he last did, and he didn't get all that many orders last year, so you'll need to work with him a little more and have the white paper in front of you when you call. No problems otherwise.
25-01-2006 16:12
Stephen Kowskifor everyone shifting plz rd if ur having problems (giant servo theory) http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=42461
04-07-2007 12:09
Madison
Years later, I'm finally looking at this and wondering if it'd be a good project for our team. We'd planned on building something similar on our own, but our driving directive for the future is, as I've probably mentioned elsewhere, the "12 Hour Drive." If we can't manufacture and assemble a drivetrain in 12 hours, I don't want to know from it.
So, I've got a few questions for folks that I've not seen answered elsewhere -- though I'll keep looking.
05-07-2007 13:23
newton418|
Is it possible to mount the servo plate (Drawing No. 5) onto the opposite side of the transmission housing than what is shown? I like symmetry and using as little space as possible for anything and everything. |
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Is mounting the assembly by a shaft collar genuinely sufficient? It seems like these assemblies can put out quite a bit of torque in first gear at stall and holding it place only by friction seems daring. Might it be better to adapt the Chiaphua Plate (Drawing No. 1) to mount directly to the robot in addition to the collar? I want to mount a gear to the output rather than a sprocket and am concerned that a collar will allow too much play in the center-center distance between the gears and create problems there.
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We can laser cut .125" and .0625" delrin pieces and chemically bond them together to create a plastic top hat as shown in much less time than it'll take to set up and mill them. Will undersizing the .125" piece by as much as .003" be a disaster? The drawing calls for .128". I'd love to laser cut them, since I can then add a keyway in addition to the pressfit.
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The sole purpose of the tophat is to keep the shifting ring from the second gear stage of the Dewalt transmisssion (which, just for clarity sake, becomes the first stage of the gearbox on the Chiaphua design because the normal first stage is eliminated) from tilting out of alignment.
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Is there a particular reason the modifications to the top hat carrier call for a counterbored hole rather than a countersink? Again, it seems to be it might be easier to countersink the hole than to counterbore it given our tools and desire to get it done quickly.
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Is first gear really all that useful, or should I be treating this as a two-speed transmission? It seems like with gearing designed to make the two higher gears useful -- 1:2.5 at the output, resulting in about 1:7.5 and 1:10 -- the first stage reduction then becomes 1:30 and produces way more torque than even the stickiest of FIRST tires can be bothered with. Perhaps it'd be wiser to ignore that first gear all together, since I'm going to be spinning tires there in any case, and gear the second and third speeds down a bit more. 1:10 is awfully fast and 1:7.5 might be illegal on the Autobahn, even.
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16-08-2007 15:08
Madison
I don't trust our ability to make a reliable press fit onto the CIM shaft, so I've been looking at alternatives. It seems like there's enough space on the shaft to allow for the "top hat" piece to be extended back to the motor mounting plate and keyed. Has anyone tried this?
Because we cannot conveniently (or, really, inconveniently) key hubs, I instead was considering that we build up a keyed "top hat" from layers of delrin or some other plastic. We can laser cut 1/8" and 1/16" layers as necessary and extend the overall length of the finished piece into the gap that currently exists between the motor mounting plate and the carrier/pinion gear. This'll get us about 1/2" of key and I'm going by gut when I assume that we can find a plastic that'll hold up sufficiently well this far up the gearing. We could then loosen or eliminate completely the press fit.

We'd be looking at stacking up this assembly on the motor shaft, gluing the layers togethers, then tapping through all of the pieces of plastic at once. Conceivably, we could try plasma cutting these same pieces from aluminum, but we've had mixed results with the plasma cutter, particularly because of its relatively large kerf. It's difficult to get it to make small cuts and holes cleanly.
Also, I'd love it if someone was able to tell me what the distance is between the back of the "top hat" and the motor mounting plate if this is built according to spec. in the whitepaper. The drawing doesn't include that information, nor the face width of the gears in the transmission, from what I've been able to tell. Based on the drawing below, I know only that the overall dimension from the face of the carrier gear to the motor mounting plate is .647" and that the top hat is .188".

I love the idea of making these work for us, but the build out called for in the white paper seems to call for all of our weakest abilities -- press fits, welding, accuracy (
)... and the changes we're making to accomodate that seem significantly vast that we have some concerns. Still, for the weight and price, this arrangement can't be beat, it seems.

16-08-2007 18:27
techtiger1Madison I respect your posts here on CD and I see your doing your best to try and make this work for your team. I don't think that using plastic as a key is such a great idea. This is coming from my background in machining and dealing with different types of plastic. I don't profess to be an engineer but my team has been machining plastic and using it for wheels,turrets and bushings for quite a long time. I have seen this set up and it just seems to me that in a application with the cim motor like you have shown the plastic keys just won't hold up through the whole season. I am only a first year engineering student but whenever there is metal on plastic, plastic usually loses no matter how strong it is after a certain period of time. I think your best bet would be to find someone who can make that size keyway which I believe is 2mm if your talking about the cim. Either that or make the Keyseat on the cim bigger and adjust the plate accordingly. Just a few ideas and I think aluminum would definitely be the way to go as far as the key. I like the idea it just doesn't seem efficient manufacturing wise and from what I read and I reread the post 3 times, that it just won't be durable enough. I do like an idea of a keyway in the top hat instead of a press fit, good thinking.
Just some input and ideas like you asked for,
Drew D.
16-08-2007 18:37
Madison
|
Madison I respect your posts here on CD and I see your doing your best to try and make this work for your team. I don't think that using plastic as a key is such a great idea. This is coming from my background in machining and dealing with different types of plastic. I don't profess to be an engineer but my team has been machining plastic and using it for wheels,turrets and bushings for quite a long time. I have seen this set up and it just seems to me that in a application with the cim motor like you have shown the plastic keys just won't hold up through the whole season. I am only a first year engineering student but whenever there is metal on plastic, plastic usually loses no matter how strong it is after a certain period of time. I think your best bet would be to find someone who can make that size keyway which I believe is 2mm if your talking about the cim. Either that or make the Keyseat on the cim bigger and adjust the plate accordingly. Just a few ideas and I think aluminum would definitely be the way to go as far as the key. I like the idea it just doesn't seem efficient manufacturing wise and from what I read and I reread the post 3 times, that it just won't be durable enough.
Just some input and ideas like you asked for, Drew D. |
16-08-2007 20:38
Kevin Sevcik
Madison,
Two years ago, we used a NDB CIM to spin up a shooter wheel. We too had a problem getting a good press fit on the shaft and ended up keying the unmodified top hat. Mind you, this was a last minute fix and the key ended up also being wedged somewhat under the metal gear... But it worked fairly well for us in that application. I'd probably be a little more worried about its use in a higher torque application, but not too terribly worried if you're lengthening the keyway. Seeing as how this is the off-season and all, I'd just recommend mocking up a similar keyed hole in something like a long, thin(ish) rectangle that you can rigidly attach to something. Then you can hook up a CIM (preferably that you don't like) and rig up something to stall it at 12V rapidly cycling from CW to CCW. One other thing I'd recommend is cutting your keyway as a semi-tight fit. Any slop you have there is going to increase shock loading by that little bit and make things that little bit less reliable.
16-08-2007 21:25
AdamHeard
|
Drew,
Sorry if there was confusion -- I should've made this more clear -- but we'll be using a steel key seated between the CIM shaft and the plastic spacers. Last season, we built clutches for the 256:1 Banebots gearboxes that were delrin and acrylic and included the key in the delrin parts. Those keys didn't last very long at all and repairing them on the fly would've been impossible if we hadn't realized early on that we'd made a really dumb decision. I'm not sure if we'd see better results with a steel key into a plastic keyway, though. It could end up being six of one and half a dozen of another. |
16-08-2007 21:31
Madison
|
I just ran an FEA w/ the plate being 3/8 thick. At just two times the stall torque of a CIM, the keyway already had a lot of deformation. I really don't think it could take the repeated shock loads of being in the drivetrainn.
I have a question though, If you can cut the keyway into delrin, why can't you cut it into Aluminum? You have a laser cutter, right? |
16-08-2007 21:46
AdamHeard
It's coming to the gallery shortly.
Just to make sure my numbers make sense, I took the stall torque of the small CIM (343.4 oz-in) doubled it, and converted it to lbs (42.9250 lb-in). Then I divided it by 4mm converted to inches to get the force at 4mm (272.57375 lbs). I put a pin constraint on each of the 4, 4-40 holes (at .455 radius... taken from the whitepaper) and applied the calculated load to the keyway.
Does that sound right? Since I'm right out of high school I'd like it if someone verified this.... The sketch is in the NBD whitepaper, and took me 10 minutes from sketch to analysis.
EDIT: It's uploaded.
17-08-2007 10:16
Kevin Sevcik
Adam,
I ran more or less the same analysis just now. The true deformation isn't near as bad as your picture, you're looking at the scaled deformation. At any rate, the stresses are marginal at the stall torque of the CIM, but keys don't apply load on the keyway exactly like that in practice, and the worst stresses are at the corners of the keyway, and might be relieved by localized yielding in that area. Plus, the CIM is very rarely going to be stalled during actual use. So, again, I think the best test would be a mock-up to test the design in practice.
17-08-2007 16:23
AdamHeard
|
Adam,
I ran more or less the same analysis just now. The true deformation isn't near as bad as your picture, you're looking at the scaled deformation. At any rate, the stresses are marginal at the stall torque of the CIM, but keys don't apply load on the keyway exactly like that in practice, and the worst stresses are at the corners of the keyway, and might be relieved by localized yielding in that area. Plus, the CIM is very rarely going to be stalled during actual use. So, again, I think the best test would be a mock-up to test the design in practice. |
18-08-2007 00:44
Kevin Sevcik
|
If you're playing Defense it's feasible to stall the motors often. Also, everyone time you go from standing still to full voltage. And going from full forward to full reverse would put a good amount of load into it. I know the deformation isn't as bad as pictured, but that just seems like it would fail with the shock loads it will see in a match.
But then again, let's see a test; can't argue with the facts. -Adam |
18-08-2007 01:58
AdamHeard
|
Risking embarrassment, I'll note that due to a bug in our PID code from shifting signed variables or something, the PID loop for the aforementioned shooter wheel had a fun quirk. When it overspun by a significant amount, it would throw the CIM into full reverse, or near to. Despite that crazy amount of shock loading, our bootlegged version of a keyway still held up. So I think things might work out better than you'd expect. If you still aim for some kind of press between the gear and shaft, that will also help relieve some of the load on the keyway.
|
18-08-2007 03:19
Cory
|
On a similar note, I talked to a team at Nationals who used a metal bonding agent (I don't know what the industry term is.... that's just what they call it where I work at Northrop) in addition to the press fit for the gear. How much of a difference does that make to the integrity of the press fit?
|
31-08-2007 10:36
ctorloeySo I was wondering if the Dewalts transmission worked good for all of you how have it made and running it on the robot? My team started making our first one, we arn't done yet and I was wondering if they help out or did you all thing it was more of a waste of time.
31-08-2007 11:18
Kyle A
My team used the Dewalts last year and they worked very well for us, we had some problems with shifting at our first event,but after we fixed the problem they worked wonders. It was nice to be able to go fast, to score and get away from defensive robots, and at the same time shift to be able to push back if we had to. We also used the low gear to climb up a ramp the one time we had to. I would say they are are not a waste of time, but it also depends on the game that is being played, if 3 speeds are not needed in the game then it may possibly be a waste of time, but they are a nice transmission to use, especially over the bane bots from last year.
01-09-2007 08:57
Mike Martus
We have used the dewalts from the very moment Dr. Joe invented them.
Some comments:
To get the press fit correct you MUST wire EDM to exacting size.
We use a fixture to press on to the shaft of the motor for correct alignment and distance.
We created a fixture to control the sizes of the housings (we do no sand as per instructions) using a mill.
We do run 4 cims with 4 shifters that are in coordination....no issues
I believe the NBD System is still one of the easiest, lowest cost, reliable drive transmissions that all teams can make.
We have yet to have a transmission failure.
08-09-2007 15:20
Andrew Blair
|
We have used the dewalts from the very moment Dr. Joe invented them.
Some comments: To get the press fit correct you MUST wire EDM to exacting size. We use a fixture to press on to the shaft of the motor for correct alignment and distance. We created a fixture to control the sizes of the housings (we do no sand as per instructions) using a mill. We do run 4 cims with 4 shifters that are in coordination....no issues I believe the NBD System is still one of the easiest, lowest cost, reliable drive transmissions that all teams can make. We have yet to have a transmission failure. |
08-09-2007 15:23
Aren_Hill
id like to beg the differ on the modification of the sun gears. my team (1625) had 4 dewalts on the drive of this years robot. and all of the sun gears were modified on a manual lathe with a combination of HSS end mill and 1 carbide ream. and they never had any problems the whole season.
08-09-2007 21:37
AdamHeard
|
We have used the dewalts from the very moment Dr. Joe invented them.
Some comments: To get the press fit correct you MUST wire EDM to exacting size. We use a fixture to press on to the shaft of the motor for correct alignment and distance. We created a fixture to control the sizes of the housings (we do no sand as per instructions) using a mill. We do run 4 cims with 4 shifters that are in coordination....no issues I believe the NBD System is still one of the easiest, lowest cost, reliable drive transmissions that all teams can make. We have yet to have a transmission failure. |
08-09-2007 22:55
Mike Martus
We have no drawings, but I will have students take some digital pictures of all the fixtures we use and upload them to the cd media section. I will post here when the students have done them.
The fixtures really help.
21-10-2007 22:39
ctorloeyI was wondering how the dewalts worked on the programing side of things? having the robots switch speeds during the matches, was that complicated for the programmers to solve? Or was it easy to program.
27-10-2007 15:20
PhalanxI've read over the white paper and the various other threads on the subject with regards to slight modifications. What I hadn't noticed was if anyone had come up with a design or modification to allow these excellent transmissions to work with the Mini Bike (aka large) CIM.
If so, I'd like to hear more about it or discuss it.
It's something that might be worth pursuing.
Thanks
27-10-2007 15:55
Josh MurphyPhalanx,
Yes we converted the big cim last year when the season was over, we built two of them and put them on a chassis.They were really slow. They would be good for an arm but they are really heavy. I would not use these motors in the DeWalt form, I guess I would not trust them, just my opinion.
27-10-2007 16:16
meaubryAs Josh indicated - without attempting to modify the gearing in the dewalt - the big CIM ran pretty slow. Unless the application was appropriate, I wouldn't use them.
If they were adapted to the proper gear box they could work as well as the other size CIM. Although, it might be easier to drive through an external gear box, to get what you need out of them.
So, if you wanted a big heavy motor that would work all day long, without over heating - and you had the weight available - the big CIM's could probably be adapted.
27-10-2007 16:47
AdamHeard
|
As Josh indicated - without attempting to modify the gearing in the dewalt - the big CIM ran pretty slow. Unless the application was appropriate, I wouldn't use them.
If they were adapted to the proper gear box they could work as well as the other size CIM. Although, it might be easier to drive through an external gear box, to get what you need out of them. So, if you wanted a big heavy motor that would work all day long, without over heating - and you had the weight available - the big CIM's could probably be adapted. |
27-10-2007 17:59
PhalanxI should have put this in my previous post, but alas hindsight is always 20/20.
I never had any intention of using the Dewalt transmission with the BIG CIM for a base drive. The thought was as others have pointed out, that perhaps it would be suitable for an arm or turret etc...
Odd are it might be, but it may not be worth it, there might be better choices.
Thanks for the feedback and exploring my thoughts.
14-11-2007 14:22
FTtylerI have a couple quick Questions.
Has anyone had problems removing the chuck off the end of the drill?
And How did you end up getting it off?
We are having problems with it and we need some help!
14-11-2007 14:56
Richard Wallace
Yes, we had trouble. Ended up using heat and impulsive force; i.e., torch, punch, and hammer. That loosened the (left) threads so we could get the chuck off. The trick is using just enough heat and impulsive force to get the job done, and not enough to break things. We had a very experienced tech-ed teacher lead the students through the exercise.
14-11-2007 16:35
Tapoore
There is screw that must be undone that is inside the chuck. I believe that it is reverse threaded. To get the rest of the chuck off, we used a socket wrench with a long lever attached to it. To interface the wrench with the chuck we used a hex adapter (something that fits in the socket and is hex-shaped at the other end). The adapter also needs to fit into the chuck. Tighten the chuck around the adapter and use the wrench to carefully unscrew the chuck.
Hope that wasn't too confusing... 
15-11-2007 06:49
Mike Martus
It is easier and cheaper to order individual parts as per the NBD White Papers.
Dewalt has a great website http://www.dewaltservicenet.com
And YES they can be shifted with a simple servo.
19-11-2007 14:31
FTtylerThanks For the help guys.
Does anyone else have some more ideas?
10-12-2007 21:42
grantman54Hey my team is very interested in NBD. Last year we used the Andy Mark 2 speeds trannys for the drive train. They just didn't seem to be worth the weight and cost. My questions are:
)
10-12-2007 23:35
EricRobodoxTo answer above, it was fairly reliable last year, with no major failures. The unreliable part was piano wire was very hard to work with and we ended up using a ball link. We decided not to shift to all 3, just using 2, as the servo did not have enough power alone. Pneumatics can be used, just may be harder to integrate. We used the extra CIM, and our friends, 1070, did not.
They had an effective time I think with the NBD setup, and so did we. Definitely hard to create an adapter mid-season without instructions to fit 2 CIMs into the NBD, but the BaneBot 2 CIM adapter helped. Mounting also was a difficulte problem to solve mid-season. Planning ahead can help reduce the stress if you guys go with 2CIMs into one DeWalt.
I have a question....
The newer model DC940 is now out, and its hard to find the model that the NBD was made for (DC980KA). Does anyone have the specs or a CAD of the new DeWalt drill tranny?
02-01-2008 04:07
Richard McClellan|
The newer model DC940 is now out, and its hard to find the model that the NBD was made for (DC980KA). Does anyone have the specs or a CAD of the new DeWalt drill tranny?
|
02-01-2008 08:00
Kevin Sevcik
Richard,
If you're just looking for parts for a NDB transmission, go here: http://www.dewaltservicenet.com/
02-01-2008 08:02
AJ R
03-01-2008 00:59
EricRobodoxWe found its more expensive to use the older drill model. We are changing our tranny because of it. Buying the individual parts of the drill will cost more than buying a whole new model drill.
25-01-2008 19:20
adaballer5Our Dewalt transmissions are making a weird binding sound when we shift into third gear and i was wondering if this is normal or not. We've taken apart the trans and the gears are fine. We are just worried about the sound. Is this a typical sound?
25-01-2008 20:55
Teched3We've use them for several years as our man drive, and have found them to be very smooth. Are
you driving them with CIMs? Be certain the sun gear is not too deep into the planetary gears in the 1st stage. In addition, we have not had a need to use super low, as there is not much difference in ratio between 2nd and 3rd. Possibly, if you are using a servo to shift, it may not have enough throw, and you're not fully into 3rd gear. Did you remove the clutch pins from the output shaft? Are you still using the torque ring adjustment?

01-12-2009 22:09
kcedgertonThe old Dewalt transmissions have become very expensive, has anyone had success using a newer model dewalt?
01-12-2009 22:27
ajlapp
Team RUSH has switch to the 36v Dewalt housing with great success. The procedures for modifying them are similar.
We don't have a white paper, sorry...but, you can sort of see them in this picture. They are substantially more rugged, featuring more drive pins inside the planetary assembly.
20-01-2010 21:13
Creator MatWe are trying to use the Fischer price assembly for the dewalt and we are having some problems. The paper is very vague in how it describes the modified pinion gear and we have a whole lot of questions
22-01-2010 00:24
Kevin Sevcik
The modified pinion gear is a modified dewalt pinion gear. The mention is in the very first paragraph on page 17. It notes that the Sun1 (pinion) gear id the same gear as the Planet2 gear. This would be the planet gears of the second stage of the tranny. There's 4 of them and they're longer than the Planet1 gears.
Modified means bored out to a press fit on the FP shaft. He recommends a .125 (+0.0000, -0.0005) hole. This is a very tight press fit, which makes it a little tricky to not bend your FP shaft. I'd recommend measuring your FP shaft with some micrometers and going with a hole that's 0.0005 under your measured dimension.