Subject:
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Re: ok, time for a stupid question...
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Tue, 19 Jan 1999 05:17:07 GMT
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Original-From:
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Russell Nelson <NELSON@stopspammersCRYNWR.COM>
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Viewed:
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943 times
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Chris Stanley writes:
> what exactly is the purpose of a differential gear? i've got several of
> them, i've seen them used in various projects, but i've never quite
> managed to figure out what they do.
>
> ok, there. i feel much better. thank you.
The reason a differential gear exists is that when you go around a
corner, the two arcs that your wheels inscribe are of different
lengths. The inside wheel rotates less than the outside. If you had
a solid axle, then one of the wheels would have to slip. The
differential gear ensures that, when you drive the differential, both
axles get pushed on.
Basically, it acts as a summer. The total number of rotations of the
two outputs must add up to two times the number of rotations of the
input. If you hold one axle, then the other must rotate twice as
much.
Unfortunately, it also means that, if one wheel is more likely to slip
than the other, that when it slips, the non-slippery wheel doesn't
rotate at all. That's why you have limited-slip differentials.
Essentially they work by putting a brake on the idler gear in the
differential.
--
-russ nelson <rn-sig@crynwr.com> http://crynwr.com/~nelson
Crynwr supports Open Source(tm) Software| PGPok | There is good evidence
521 Pleasant Valley Rd. | +1 315 268 1925 voice | that freedom is the
Potsdam, NY 13676-3213 | +1 315 268 9201 FAX | cause of world peace.
--
Did you check the web site first?: http://www.crynwr.com/lego-robotics
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: ok, time for a stupid question...
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| (...) <clipped nice explanation of differentials> (...) This has long been a curiosity of mine; I understand the general idea of increasingly braking an idler gear on the axle that is going faster (I presume the braking is proportional to the (...) (25 years ago, 19-Jan-99, to lugnet.robotics)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | ok, time for a stupid question...
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| what exactly is the purpose of a differential gear? i've got several of them, i've seen them used in various projects, but i've never quite managed to figure out what they do. ok, there. i feel much better. thank you. -- Chris "Clueless" Stanley (...) (25 years ago, 19-Jan-99, to lugnet.robotics)
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