Quasi Cycloidal Drive SomethingOrOther

thingiverse

Saw some intriguing variable ratio drive mechanism that sparked this idea. Figuring out how to craft variable radius drive pins wasn't overly complicated, but determining how to adjust the radius of the circles they engage with proved to be a significant hurdle. (Circles are actually a set radius based on an epicyclic drive system, but the offset from center needs to vary in sync with the pin offset.) Even if that's resolved, it wouldn't constitute a true cycloidal drive as the outer engagement surface would not be fixed or geared to a specific ratio, necessitating a friction ring to allow some minor slippage. (Essentially a rubber tire-like component.) Hence the "quasi" designation since it falls short of being a genuine cycloidal drive. Additional components still require refinement, but this is merely a rough concept for a mechanism.