Hey, while I couldn't cast stuff for a few days (high humidity due to monsoon season in Georgia), I got busy with my gearboxes... Here are a few pics of the prototype, the production (prettier machining) one will get posted soon. This GB lets you drive two props with one 550 motor, and weighs less than 50g with gears(not counting motor). Close spaced (.75") output shafts because it's mainly aimed at cruisers. It's 1 5/8" tall with motor, and 1 5/8" wide, and adds .75" to the length of the motor, not counting the output shafts. In production at last
The gearboxes come with a 2.5 to 1 ratio, with a 14 tooth drive gear. So there's room to go up or down. Price for one is $28, and different drive gears are $4 each. I'm getting a box for one 550 to drive one prop done tomorrow. If the machining works out, I'll post a pic here. Future propulsion stuff will include 400-size gearboxes that Greg designed and made the molds for.
Looks good... very similar to my design. Which gears are you using? Robinson Racing? If so, let me save you here and not. They are pure steel, not rust resistant in the least! I only ask because they look very familiar & they seem to be rusting already in the photos. ---> they will last about a season rusting all over the place. So you don't have to swap them out right away... But you should migrate to something plastic or stainless. What we need to do is get some plastic (or stainless) helical gears made for us.
Ive been using Robinson Racing gears for years in my gearboxes without any problems. All I do is put some grease on them every now and then, I do it for lubrication but it also keeps them from rusting. Same with the regular 1/8" steel prop shafts in my crusier.
Any perceived rust on those gears is from the 6 year old digital camera being poopy, the gears are brand new I have some Robinson gears with more than 5 seasons on them. A little lube now and then and they're fine And if they get pooped, at $4 each to replace, knowing I can get them anywhere is nice. If I had the budget to cover the necessary outlay for helical gears, I'd love to. But, helical gears don't swap as easily as standard gears.
Any pictures on the finished product, I would like to see it if available, looks like it would work fine in my VU, trying to keep the weight down, since shes a class 4, I would like to use a 550 series motor.
I am waiting on the milling machine bits to come in to present the final product. If you want me to bring one to the November battle to see how it fits, I can do that. Note that the gray plastic uni that BC makes is too wide for the shafts, you'd need to get their part UNVD, "Universal Set with Dogbone". There are other places online that sell small unis too, that was just the first that popped into mind. In the future, there will be another GB with a big center gear that will move the output shafts another 3/4" apart (to a total of 1.5") for battlecuisers and battleships.
