Caterpillar tracks - Work in progress

thingiverse

10/8/2016 - demo of my completed prototype https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L4LVY-RTuY new files coming soon. 30/7/2016 - Added assembly video for track segments https://youtu.be/RxB7USuMwRw 28/7/2016 - Update! Fixed measurement error in chassis part (it was 5mm too wide D'oh!) 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 toque output of the axles. Uploaded video of first stationary test run of the tracks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmsgHxXG8BA (sorry batteries were going flat) This is a work in progress, so watch this space. Firstly thank you to timmiclark 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 the moment this is more 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 have adapted the design to use the double gearbox kit from Tamiya. Reason being is the kit provides a 344:1 reduction with gives the bot a hell of a lot of toque 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 gear boxes (2 or 4 motors) The drive wheels needed to be modified to accept the shaft from the gear boxes (this has not been fully tested under load) the axle is a very small hex shape while it should be fine pressed tightly into the drive wheels, there is a small risk they might strip the hex hole, in which 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 drive. 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 the further changes as I make them, with a full writeup when the project is finished.