So we made a prototype of a slip-gear today, since our working model broke due to a faulty stopper. I’d like to get some suggestions on the following questions.
What’s a good way to stop the slider
Is direct drive or geared drive better for the slip gear? We are running speed motors
I’ve seen some very fast punchers. If anyone has knowledge on how this is done full-field, we’d like to use it on our puncher
(Pictures are appreciated! We’d love to incorporate other ideas.)
I can upload some pics for you tomorrow at school. The string is a stopper as well as a screw and nut on the stationary part of the launcher and on the slide that moves. You should be able to use one string throughout an entire tournament.
@Samuel Crouch (7842D) did you try 7842B’s approach? that is use spacers at the rear of the launcher to provide a “cushion” that absorbs some of the shock. we have yet to have a problem with it coming loose.
Yes.
That’s not the problem.
Our knots come a little more loose every time we fire. even with knots that are designed to do the opposite. There’s just so much force involved.
I’ve seen teams use a bunch of solid Teflon spacers in a row, foam on both sides, or lots of friction mat. The general idea of a stopper is to a.) distribute the force as evenly as possible along a large surface area and b.) provide a cushion of some sort so that the puncher doesn’t get damaged. For this reason, I would recommend foam.
To increase the fire rate, 3-4 high speed motors should do the trick. A high speed motor turns at a little over 2 revolutions per second, but of course this theoretical speed is decreased quite a bit by rubber bands. So, like @4361T said, direct driven should work fine. Depending on how much you reduce friction and how many motors you use, your fire rate will likely be around 0.5 - 0.7 seconds.