Where are the globe motors?

Technical Kit & Additional Hardware
1

well it is currently 12:55 am my time sunda… i mean monday and FIRST induced insomnia has hit. So i started to design my teams robot and much to my surprise i couldn’t find a model of the globe motors in the KOP download from autodesk. Then after some frantic searching (multiple times) i couldn’t find a globe motor in the KOP checklist. So here is my question

Where are the Globe Motors?
Am i just missing them in the check list?
Are they in the KOP but not on the KOP checklist?
Are they not in the KOP this year?
If they are not in the KOP this year are they even FRC legal?

I would like to mention that i have not physically seen the KOP because it wasn’t delivered untill after kickoff and we don’t meet on sundays. So I can’t really confirm if we got them or not. Can some one please help me?

2

The globes are not in the kit of parts and are therefore not permitted under rule R52.

3

To answer your title’s question: Not in this year’s kit.

Hence: not being used for 2010. If it is not on the checklist, then we don’t get one, simple as that.

4

They are not on the checklist. This means that presumably they are not in the KOP. (If they are, there is a mistake.) They are not listed in <R52>.

Therefore, the Globe motor is not legal for the 2010 season.

However, there is a compensation. You’ll notice two window motors of each direction on the checklist and, in <R52-D>, one extra available CIM.

5

On a personal note, I never really liked the globe motors. It always seemed that they never filled a niche. If you ever needed motion that slow it was often better to use either pneumatics or the FP gearboxes. All too often teams were just working on the complicated attempt of removing a stage form the globe’s gearboxes.

6

Woody youre too old for this. And put the “n” in my last name. And change the “o” to an “a”.

7

I’m sad to see the Globe motors go, they were a relatively powerful motor for use with arm-like manipulators and didn’t require odd mounting schemes or tearing apart of transmissions to use like the Fisher Price motors (they also don’t light on fire when you stall them…). The Globes always filled a nice spot on our team since CIMs would go straight on our drive and the non-back-drivable part of Window motors isn’t always desirable.

On the up side 5 CIMs this year :smiley:

8

We lost 2 globes, but got 2 more window motors and an extra CIM.

Whether that is good or bad depends on what you want to do, of course :slight_smile:

9

We have used Globes almost every year they have been available. Great torque output at slow speed and capable of full stall current without burning up. That is why they are used for satellite dish feedhorn aiming.
The window motors are about the same speed and power output but are worm gears so they are hard to backdrive. They do have thermal protection though so be careful not to put them into an overtemp condition.

10

I called globe a couple months ago trying to find a supplier for the globe motors that have typically been in the kit before. They informed me that the globe motors we had been using had not been manufactured in YEARS. We were running off of the supplies that had been around after production stopped. My feeling is we’ve seen the last of those particular globe motors in the kit. They were nice little motors, I’m sad to see them go.

-Brando

11

I was the guy who first contacted Globe about donating motors. While many donations were a tough sell, Bill Pellfrey and others at Globe Motors were among the most enthusiastic donation sources I ever worked with. They really stepped up to the plate.

While I am sad to see them go, they’ve certainly had a great run. They donated for years when it could have been easy for them to say that the economy or the auto industry or the price of beer wouldn’t let them do it any longer.

To Globe Motors… …you’ll be missed.

Joe J.

12

Yes, I’ll certainly miss spending hours trying unsuccessfully to figure out how to use the Globe motors.

13

It was really cool having Globe motors in the kit. I too am sad to see them go.

Thanks, Globe, for all those years. And Dr. Joe, for helping make it possible.

Now I will have to find another way to power my favorite gadget. :frowning:

14

We used the Globe motors for several applications over the years. However, the inability to acquire spare motors (if you tried, you know what I mean) made us somewhat reluctant to incorporate them into our designs.

15

I definitely have to disagree. The globes were among the most useful motors in previous kits, particularly for all sorts of manipulators. They were durable, reliable, small, light weight, provided relatively high power, and didn’t burn up under load. That made them perfect for all sorts of devices. While a FP or CIM is much better for high-speed applications, and pneumatics are better for linear actuation, globes definitely found their roles on many robots I worked with.
I remember using a single globe, never replaced, the entire season in 2004 for the shoulder on our arm (which was used for both doubler balls and hanging, though pneumatics actuated the hanging). And actually having iron gears give way before the globes did on our bot in 2007.

I thank Globe for the years of donations, and those little motors will definitely be missed.

16

Agreed, I would actually love to have a globe right about now for some stuff we want to do. It was also great for stuff like controlling turrets in previous years because of the precision movement of the motor.

Definitely something I hope returns if possible.