Hey all,
I was thinking about buying a pair of super shifters for a rookie team i am mentoring (2669, KYBOTS in Israel).
Now, as next year is gonna have new control system, i don’t know if the supershifters will be available for use with CIMs next year, as everything is so vogue.
If i knew that they will work next year, and be COTS, i will order them and practice during the off season with them (Drivers, Encoders, Gyros etc.).
I don’t know if the whole PWM system will stay, if the Victors will stay, if the same Encoders will be ok.
I can’t see how a pwm option is not going to be in the FRC 2009 control system but then maybe it won’t. The supershifter is shipped with the pneumatic shift option installed and servos plus mount in the box. So you will have two options with this system and I definately don’t see FIRST eliminating pnuematics.
In my Point of View, it is a safe bet and solid purchase.
Buying any part pre-season is a crap shoot at best. Even Andy Baker himself can’t tell you if the supershifters will be legal next year or if the CIM motor will be used at all.
Buying them for testing and learning purposes is not a bad idea but don’t count on using them next year,
The CIM will MOST LIKELY be back next year. I say this because it has been a mainstay for many years and is (almost) indestructible.
Still, our mileage may vary.
The encoder should be legal, because it is COTS (it is made by US Digital, and is available separately on their website).
The pneumatics and servos have been legal every year thus far.
As an aside, even if something changes in terms of motors, I’m sure the good folks at AndyMark would have some sort of adapter available (like the existing Fisher Price planetary).
So my recommendation is to go ahead and get them, because they are great gearboxes. And I would bet they will be legal next season (at least they better be, or our whole shelf of AndyMark stuff will become paperweights!).
If they get rid of CIMs then they would have to give us back the mini bike motors, which also can be fitted into the supershifters. 2 speed is the most helpfull thing in the world for FIRST comps so if you want your guys to practice, even if the trans won’t be permitted next year, its good to get them in the habit of shifting while in a game situation.
Why did Looking Forward post in this thread? Perhaps he/she was not logged in to the right account
I wouldn’t worry too much about getting gearboxes that don’t work with 09’ motors. Ever notice how the SS wasn’t designed to use a big CIM? And how it came out before kickoff? You’d think Andy would’ve made it interfacable with the big CIM had he thought it was in the kit…
There is too much interference with the large CIM (mini-bike motor) with the supershifter, because of the additional reduction shaft and encoder mounts. We tried to create a modified plated supershifter to fit it, but decided that it was just easier to use the AM gen 2 ones and create an additional reduction through sprockets.
