Caterpillar tracks - Work in progress

thingiverse

10/8/2016 - demo of my completed prototype at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L4LVY-RTuY new files are coming soon. 30/7/2016 - Added assembly video for track segments at https://youtu.be/RxB7USuMwRw 28/7/2016 - Update! Fixed measurement error in chassis part (it was 5mm too wide, what a mistake!). My assumption about the Gearbox axles stripping the small hex holes in the drive wheels was correct so the solution is a Hub that will attach to the axle with grub screws and then slot into a much larger Hex hole that will be able to handle the torque output of the axles. Uploaded video of first stationary test run of the tracks at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmsgHxXG8BA (sorry, batteries were going flat). This is a work in progress, so watch this space for more updates. Firstly thank you to timmiclark at http://www.thingiverse.com/timmiclark and his design found here http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:972768. As I type this, I am still working on the design, printing parts, and assembling my robot, so for now it's more of a show'n tell and I will release files as I print and test them fully. So what have I changed in this remix? I started by completely drawing the parts from scratch in Fusion360 (I will eventually be releasing these source files). I adapted the design to use the double gearbox kit from Tamiya. The reason for this is that it provides a 344:1 reduction, giving the bot a huge amount of torque at virtually no cost in speed, as at full power it still runs very fast and is much more controllable. The bot can be run off 1 or 2 gearboxes (2 or 4 motors). The drive wheels needed to be modified to accept the shaft from the gearboxes. This has not been fully tested under load, so there's a small risk they might strip the hex hole. In that case, I may need to design a hub using a grub screw that then attaches to the drive wheels with a stronger design. While redesigning the wheels, I refined their shape for smoother and quieter driving. The chassis will be a sturdier and more adaptable platform from which to build off of. I have developed a great way to assemble the tracks using filament to join them. I will update further changes as I make them, with a full writeup when the project is finished.