My first telescoping arm was rather heavy and overcomplicated, while my second was difficult to fabricate and assemble. On that note, I’ve made another go at the telescoping arm, this time trying to make it more practical for use on a real robot.
While not quite as lightweight as the carbon-fiber one, this one clocks in at 15.0lb, which is still much better than the first one I designed. The rope runs and bearing stackups are pretty similar to my first design, with some small modifications to make them simpler to install on a square tube.
173 used cable chain in 2005 and 2007 to drive their arms. Cable chain is great for it when you support it well. I have linked to the thread for it here. Your design here isn’t far off from that!
Love the tensioned cable track running on the bottom side, that’s a beautiful design. Next step is to integrate some giant plate sprockets into the plates at the base, and find some bearings that can support the load to make this thing into a Pink arm.
Edit: how did I not see the plate sprockets bolted to the side? I think I need to get my vision checked.
