I was thinking of using a ratchet on the lift for this years game but the normal ratchets can’t turn both directions.
I suggest you do some research on what makes a ratchet a ratchet.
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What about using two ratchets, one clockwise and the other counterclockwise, and having a mechanism that toggles the directions of the ratchet?
I posted a ratchet design than can. It’s also almost silent… requiring no rubber bands. Search for my threads.
Here:
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is there a way to put that on the same gear
something like this
if that is not possible I already have a piston powered ratchet built but it is very bulky
What would be the point of this? Normally in VEX ratchets are used to cause a mechanism to only move one direction, either to act as a lock or to be used in power sharing. This wouldn’t work for that, and seems like it would just add friction and reduce the efficiency of the mechanism.
That is the same as a mech with no ratchets at all.
to hold the robot in place during the hang
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You should probably look at some hanging locks from starstruck you’ll definitely see some better alternatives like maybe using a piston(cylinder 
). Another game could be toss up, here’s a good example video Vex Toss Up High Hang Lock V2.0 - YouTube.
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I was wondering if there was a passive mech but if not I already have the hang lock built
We tested this ratchet during Spin Up for a catapult-intake ratchet. Unfortunately, the forces were so great that the aluminum pawl bent inside the gear, and it wasn’t strong enough, even with 2 pawls.
It’s a cool design, but in my opinion it should be used for less strenuous implementations. A steel ratchet gear with a steel pawl works well for high torque applications, like hanging robots in the air.
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Throw a pic up of the bent piece. I’d like to see exactly how it bent.
So I don’t think you can have a ratchet do that but u can use a mechanism with a piston to achieve the same thing. If you want it to ratchet in both directions you can use a double acting piston which has 2 free spinning gears both with a ratchet for both sides. If you only want it to ratchet for end game you just need a sign acting piston with a the direction you want the ratchet to work. Also there are other designs you can do but the general premise is that you can achieve the same result with pistons. you can also you a passive lock.
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