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Subject: 
Boosting power in a gear train
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.technic, lugnet.robotics
Date: 
Tue, 20 Mar 2007 16:12:42 GMT
Viewed: 
8532 times
  
I have a gear train that is driven by a very weak input, very small torque.
There are some places in the gear train where I have some worm gears driving
some 'regualr' gears.  As I go along the gear train, I boost the output as much
as I can with 'gearing it down', so that I have worm gears driving 24-tooth
gears, and such.  [Yes, I know there are issues with friction here and there and
that fewer transitions is better.]

Since it is geared down, the final output rotation is quite slow, as one might
imagine.  I want to add some power to the output to speed it up, say, adding a
motor somewhere, along with gearing it up, so that I can get more speed AND
power to maintain that speed.  In a sense, it seems to me like a power steering
kind of problem.

If I use my NXT motors and put them on really low power (like single digit
levels), then they don't have enough power to turn the output shaft unless I
turn the input shaft, because the worm gearing prohibits the output from driving
the input.  But unless I constantly turn the input shaft, the friction induced
by the motor builds up and actually makes it harder to turn the input shaft,
kind of like putting pennies in a door jamb to lock the deadbolt so that your
college friends can't get out during a fire drill.

Anyway, anybody got any ideas about boosting power in a gear train?

Much thanks!
Rafe



Message has 3 Replies:
  Re: Boosting power in a gear train
 
More information about your application would be helpful. The first thought that jumps to mind is "Use a more powerful motor. Duh!". So there must be something that I am missing. There must be some reason you need to use the puny motor. Maybe you (...) (18 years ago, 20-Mar-07, to lugnet.technic, lugnet.robotics)
  Re: Boosting power in a gear train
 
(...) ... (...) So use a rotation sensor to sense the position of the weak input - and use a NXT motor to track that position and drive all of the gears. You can change the ratio of the input angle to the NXT motor's angle in software and thereby (...) (18 years ago, 20-Mar-07, to lugnet.robotics)
  Re: Boosting power in a gear train / torque amplifier
 
I think one way to do this uses a differential (URL) and a pole reverser (URL). I don't have a picture to hand but the idea is simple. One side of the differential is connected to the low torque "input axle". The differential housing is connected to (...) (18 years ago, 21-Mar-07, to lugnet.technic, lugnet.robotics)

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