Hello! I saw a bunch of posts about new product ideas, and this is a list of them.
Some thoughts:
Do you want the V5 sized ones or something smaller like these Adafruit wheels?
Could be cool, but in the wild I’m only seeing the 250 mm tires really used for flywheel shooters, in your state / region are you seeing lots of robots use them as wheels?
Can you say some more on why a pentagon?
You should scout around and find a V5 team that uses these. You’ll quickly find that they are a pain to use, a pain to set up, not that helpful in matches. I see a lot of VRC and VEXU matches, I don’t see teams using these much.
Adding to your list:
I would like to see these come in a bag / sku so I can get them out to teams. I love them, but there isn’t a cost effective way to get them, I also like them on gears, since it keeps the shaft collar captive.
I would like to see “Stand off corner connectors” modeled off of PVC Pipe Connectors that are designed for furniture. There is the new 90 that I like, but would love to have a 3 way elbow, 4 way, etc. Also having the elbow in 45 degree format.
A 0.5 pitch standoff extender, but with a double pin on it. I’d like to be able to mount an axle or standoff and pin two plates at the same time. As a side note, I could use these with the existing standoff connectors to build some of the 3 way, 4 way parts above. (or maybe I’m just not seeing the obvious with the current parts)
The 2 wide - 1x2 offset corner is cool, but there have been times I’ve wanted the fourth hole in it.
The Double 2x wide, 2 x 2 Double Offset is one of my favorite frame build parts. I’d love it in a Quad version, (pins coming off of all four sides). I use the smaller Triple and Quad all the time. (Being able to get the existing quad in quantity would be nice)
High Strength Shaft Adapter (1/8" Square Bore, 1/2" Long) (This is a V5 part)
I could use this in a 2 pitch length. In building things it’s nice to be able to put shafts in from both side and then connect the two ends so they rotate together.
I use these now, but a legal 2 pitch would be nice. Maybe an SKU with 10 shorts and 10 longs?
Metal Motor Shafts (Add-On Pack.) Presently comes in 2x, 3x, & 4x pitch lengths. Could we get a 5x length? Those flywheels need to get stacked somehow.
In the new things we got department:
Thanks for the individual SKU for the Rapid Relay Ball! That will be good, I can order spares.
Umm…. No they are only used for flywheels, but 250 mm Omni wheels mean larger ground clearance for a X drive. You are right, not a pentagon, but maybe a 15 x 15 rounded triball shaped plate.
Maybe the V5 sized ones being legal in IQ . I mean the mechanums. Maybe a AI sensor legality in IQ. Seems worth the struggle to do it.
One thing: shaft encoders for odometry and PIDs.
As far as I know, bearings (like the ones in V5) don’t exist for IQ. A similar part for IQ would save so many of the plastic holes from warping. The part would ideally be a bit tougher than the regular IQ plastic (maybe reinforced with metal?).
This also will help reduce friction from the not-circle holes which should improve autonomous skills consistiency since we do not have shaft encoders (please Vex!)
For high stress loads you can double the beam up with a 1x3 or larger. The other thing is to not have cantilevered gears/wheels. I’m seeing pictures of flywheel shooters that could really benefit from having an end support.
You are right that the plastic beams can be doubled up, but the holes of the outermost plastic beams still get bent when the beams are doubled up, especially if there is a lot of force (other than just rotation) acting on the axle. Bearings like the ones in V5 would help with distributing the force to a larger portion of the beam than just a single hole. For this purpose, the bearing would have a larger attachment surface than the V5 ones, possibly a 3x3. Concept sketch/diagram:
So you want these High Strength Shaft Ball Bearing (11-Pack) - VEX Robotics with a 1/8" insert rather than the 1/4" insert. Those bearings are VIQ sized, you would just use a 0-2x pin.
But that doesn’t help your beam twist issue as you noted. You would need to switch to doubled up 3x beams / plates.
Nice drawing!
Not quite, I was trying to explain a part like this:
