So today when I tried to order the 20:1/26:1 gearboxes [for the 550] today I realized both are out of stock…
After calling banebots and getting no answer, anyone know how long before they get back in stock?
Banebots will be the only one to answer that question. I can provide some related answers you might be interested in, however. Namely, what other options you have.
Andymark has the GEM500 gearbox 13:1 2-stage, 49:1 3-stage. Or the PG-71 gearbox at 71:1.
From Banebots, you could buy all the P60 parts individually and assemble the thing yourself. It’s about $25 more expensive (Crazy, I know). I can post a list of all the necessary parts for a 20:1 or 26:1 gearbox if anyone’s interested.
In my search for gearbox alternatives last year, I came across some possibilities that I’ve yet to try. WARNING: These look like they interface to an RS-500/550 based on the gearbox drawings. I can’t guarantee that, nor do I know anything about the robustness or reliability. Most have the motor attached, so you’ll need to press the pinion off the shaft or find a new pinion somewhere.
Robot Marketplace PK27 (27:1) (sounds spur gear, less robust)
Robot Marketplace PD27M (27:1) (planetary, more robust)
Also possibilities if you can find somewhere to buy them:
http://www.mfacomodrills.com/gearboxes/942d_series.html
Or any gearbox/motor off this page:
http://www.kysanelectronics.com/Products/SubClass.php?recordID=247
Ran into the same problem a couple days ago. Those gearbox’s are not listed on the FIRST team list of parts. We recalcalculated our need and switched to 775 motors and gearbox’s that BB showed available. I would not trust them to get an out of stock order to you in time.
That brings up another possibility. Order a 775 gearbox plus the correct 550 rear block, mounting kit, and pinion. Still more expensive than ordering exactly the gearbox you need, but a little simpler than ordering all the individual pieces.
This or a comparable bargain brand drill has approximately the ratio you want and mounts a 550 sized motor. These motor mounts will mount the gearbox. This guide explains how to take apart and modify the drill to lock out the slip clutch.
Based on the relatively low price of the 32DP gears that Robot Marketplace lists, I suspect that we’ll be self-building the three ~26:1 gearboxes we need. We had planned on using several the P60 26:1 but learned of the backorder status earlier today (independant confirmation). Sigh.
I just got a few 16:1’s and plan to reduce them further. Shouldn’t be too bad for now until I can get a shipment of 20:1’s in.
This is bad news…
I know of a few of the other solutions but we would really rather not have to go moding drill motors or something.
I hope they get some stock soon…
An interesting update from BaneBots:
PLEASE NOTE: We are currently out of material to manufacture 5:1 P60 planet gears. As a result of this all P60 gearboxes with a 5:1 stage will currently be marked out of stock.
We are having more material made; however, it has a lead time putting general availability of 5:1 gears in the late March / early April time frame.
We are continuing to search for alternative sources of material and believe we have found a few small lots. We hope to make a small number (100 - 200) 5:1 and 26:1 P60 gearboxes available within a week. In the interim we encourage you to look at the 4:1, 16:1, 64:1, and 256:1 P60 gearboxes.
I’ll bet that modified drill is looking a whole lot better now, huh?
We got our order of 11x 20:1 p60’s in today, made sure to order early
Classic Banebots. Will they ever learn that the demand rises hugely during FRC season?
Time to start moding those drill motors…
BaneBots are really mainly BANE
We have a lot of new, unopened cimulators if anyone needs them down the road.
We also have a surplus of used 4:1s if someone was really in a pinch.
I don’t know your specific application, but wouldn’t 16:1 be comparable to those other 2?
This is what we will probably have to do…
But the difference is about 1000 vs 650 RPMS.
A CIM-sim fed into a CIMPle box will give you a 23.8:1 total reduction, albeit using more space, weight, and significantly more money. Unfortunately, the CIM-sim transmissions are also currently out of stock, but I’d expect AndyMark to get them in sooner than the end of build season than Banebots expects to restock the 5:1 stages.
Has anyone else noticed that Robot Marketplace claims to have the BB gearboxes in stock? We ordered a few yesterday and are hoping they are truly in their stock and ship tomorrow.
Based on BB’s failure every year to meet the FRC short lived seasonal demand, it would seem to me that building a slow stock over the rest of the year of typically used parts and reselling them would be a great business model. Hopefully that is what Robot Marketplace has actually done.
We got a call today, apparently Robot Marketplace was out of stock too, their website inventory was inaccurate. 
I still think stock piling BB gearboxes is a valid business model. If anyone does it, let us know where we can order from next season 
If you have old P60s(new style) just get the 16 and then replace one 4 stage with a 5.09 stage from the old P60.
Why don’t you order the next higher reduction they have in stock and then remove a stage? Anyone with access to a lathe can do it in about 20 minutes! You dissassemble the gearbox, remove a reduction stage, measure the thickness of the unwanted stage and then remove said thickness from the ring gear. QED!
I can’t stress how simple and easy this is!
I think that banebots should a) redesign their output shaft assembly and b) provide all teams two 328:1 gearboxes in the KOP. That way everyone gets some P60s and anybody can remove reduction stages to get the gear ratio they want.