Sir I am interested in making a linear slide for a Horizontal or maybe a Tilted version of this type.Although using the motor will allow it to slide but how would i be able to return it to its Initial Stage?
We have seen videos out there on how to do this. We made a small slide that could return. The basic idea is hook a retraction string to the bottom of the last stage. Wrap the string on the same spool that pulls the slide up, only this new string needs to wrap the other way so that it gets longer as the main string gets shorter, and it gets shorter as the main string gets longer.
Hey I was wondering if theres any place we can get the aluminum misumi linear bearings you guys had machined by your mentors? And also if we do use the 3d printed ones, what size screws did u guys use for the bearings? Lastly, where do u put the ball bearings on the 3d printed design? Wait also, how did you guys mount ur slides? Thanks a lot!
How would you calculate the amount of weight a telescoping lift arm can carry in a vertical movement? i.e. lifting a monitor from below a desk to the top of a desk.
Hello, great video! My team and I have been trying to get our linear slides to work. The problem is our motors don't have enough torque to pull the string. What model motors do you guys recommend?
We have switched all our motors to the AndyMark NeveRest series motors. They have them geared for 20, 40, or 60 to 1. The 40:1 should be similar to the Tetrix motors. So maybe a 60:1 will solve your problems. Another thought. We had a problem getting our slides to lift last year, and it turned out that we had pinched our ball bearings so they couldn't spin. We thought it wouldn't matter because the string could pass over them smoothly, but the friction compounds at every ball bearing, and it was making it impossible to pull the slide up. So, make sure there is no resistance everywhere the string makes contact, that might help too. Good luck!!!
Hi, my name is Jacob Homan. I am a Senior Mechanical student at Wright State University's Lake Campus in Celina, Ohio. For our Senior Capstone project, students are required to build an autonomous vehicle. I am intrigued with your lift and linear movement and would like to research further in regards to possibly pursuing this concept into our design. Can I please have your contact information so that I reach out and ask questions pertaining your lifting mechanism? Thanks in advance,
We finally went to the 15mm MiSUMi extruded aluminum which is much cheaper. The 80/20 stuff is super smooth though. We 3D printed our linear bearings, but we had a mentor machine them out of aluminum after we got them right. Since then, we added extra linear bearings on the sides as well. We finally got the 3D printed parts up on thingiverse. Good luck!!!! www.thingiverse.com/thing:1916338
I'm very confused about the linear bearing part in your video. You had said you were able to 3D print one but it doesn't look the same as the square linear bearing (80/20 part number 6730) that you show before. Do they do the same thing? Because later in the video you continue to use the part 6730 linear bearing than the 3D printed one.
Sorry for not getting back sooner. There are a lot of different linear bearings you can use and we show a couple of different options in the video (and there are even more out there). If you use the 80/20 extruded aluminum, you'll probably want to use their linear bearings. You can also improvise and modify those linear bearings and just use part of them, or cut them in half if you're not moving something heavy. The printed linear bearings are for MiSUMi 15mm extruded aluminum. So they are something we designed and printed, but they are not nearly as smooth. REV makes a great linear motion kit, and the Actobotics linear slide looks pretty amazing. I hope this helps a little.
We got those on ebay, and they shipped from Hong Kong. It takes a couple of weeks. If you go on ebay and search for "v groove bearing", you will see some great options. I think these are the ones we used. www.ebay.com/itm/20Pcs-Metal-Sealed-Guide-Wire-Line-Track-Deep-V-Groove-Pulley-Rail-Ball-Bearing-/172263849944?hash=item281bb9bfd8:g:dYUAAOSwys5WVV13 $4.36 for 20 bearings is quite a good deal. They work good with the #6 32 screws, and it's important to get some small washers (we got ours at the Home Depot). The small washers create a small gap between the bearing and the extruded aluminum. This keeps the outer part of the ball bearing from rubbing against the extruded aluminum letting the outer part spin freely. We took the bearing to the Home Depot to make sure the washers were small enough. I think we had to get locking washers (the ones with the small cut in them). I'm pretty sure they were the only ones small enough. I hope this helps.
What was the overall cost of the linear lift? We were looking into using one this season for the cap ball, but our funds are limited. Any estimate is appreciated!
The MiSUMi extruded aluminum is about $3 per stage. They will cut it to length for you, but it takes a couple of extra days. Check it out here: us.misumi-ec.com/vona2/detail/110300465870/ You'll need the locking nuts to go with the extruded aluminum. They are about $9 a package here: us.misumi-ec.com/vona2/detail/110300465710/?rid2 Also get some short M3 screws. Order at least 50, or they end up costing more: us.misumi-ec.com/vona2/detail/110300239070/?HissuCode=CB3-6&PNSearch=CB3-6&searchFlow=results2products You'll also need some ball bearings to use as pulleys. You can see the ones we used in the other comments. The worst part is the linear bearings. Like Seth says in the video, we 3D printed some (We'll try to get them up on thingiverse soon). We didn't use the 3D printed ones for long, so not sure how strong they are. We were lucky to find a mentor to make some based on our 3D printed prototype. MiSUMi doesn't make a linear bearing, so if you want some off the shelf, you'll have to go with something like the REV Robotics 15mm extruded aluminum and use their linear motion kit, but this gets costly. I'll let you know when we get the 3D models for our linear bearings on thingiverse. I hope this helps.
The linear bearings we used on the 80/20 were bought on ebay, but they are an 80/20 part. The ones we used on our MiSUMi slide were originally 3D printed and then a mentor machined them for us. Mentors are awesome!
Hey there. We bought that from Home Depot. It's just nylon mason's line. It's pretty strong. We hung a bucket from it and filled it with weights. It was about 100 pounds when we ran out of weights. We bounced the bucket on the string and it finally broke. We got it because it's easy to see and easy to tie knots and stuff. I think it was this one: www.homedepot.com/p/Marshalltown-Florescent-Yellow-Braided-Mason-s-Line-500-ft-ML339-HD/100318177
Thanks! One more question if you don't mind, what did u use to attach the rope to the motor. I though of a spool, but couldn't find one for ftc robotics.
We took a motor hub, and attached 4 of those Tetrix standoff posts. I think we might have put a small Tetrix gear on one end to act like a spool. You could probably mount a small gear on both ends to make sure the string won't slip off. Nothing fancy. We also used this 3D printed part to reel in a string once: www.thingiverse.com/thing:683138
You're in luck! We finally got them on thingiverse last night. They are made to work with MiSUMi extruded aluminum, bu there's a chance they might work for other 15mm extrusions as well. Let us know how it goes. www.thingiverse.com/thing:1916338
Here's a repeat on a reply from a while ago. I'm not sure if the link is still good, but you'll get the idea!! We got those on ebay, and they shipped from Hong Kong. It takes a couple of weeks. If you go on ebay and search for "v groove bearing", you will see some great options. I think these are the ones we used. www.ebay.com/itm/20Pcs-Metal-Sealed-Guide-Wire-Line-Track-Deep-V-Groove-Pulley-Rail-Ball-Bearing-/172263849944?hash=item281bb9bfd8:g:dYUAAOSwys5WVV13 $4.36 for 20 bearings is quite a good deal. They work good with the #6 32 screws, and it's important to get some small washers (we got ours at the Home Depot). The small washers create a small gap between the bearing and the extruded aluminum. This keeps the outer part of the ball bearing from rubbing against the extruded aluminum letting the outer part spin freely. We took the bearing to the Home Depot to make sure the washers were small enough. I think we had to get locking washers (the ones with the small cut in them). I'm pretty sure they were the only ones small enough. I hope this helps.
FTC Team 9779 PIEaters this does help alot. Unfortunately now that build season started for FRC I can't wait a couple of weeks for bearings so I'm getting some from a local hardware store but all the other information helps alot.
We tried surveyor string from Home Depot, but it stretches and can give problems. We never found a great solution, but since the days when we put the video up, REV makes a string that seems really great. If you go to their website and look for their linear motion kit, you should be able to find it pretty easy. We tried fishing line, but for us, it was so hard to tie.
For the ball bearings, we just drilled a hole through the extruded aluminum. Then it was just a #6-32 screw through the ball bearing, a tiny washer, and the extruded aluminum. A nylock nut on the other end holds it all together. We found it was super important to get the super tiny washer between the ball bearing and the extruded aluminum. This allowed the ball bearing to spin freely. Hope this helps and good luck!!
Ah sorry... For the 80/20, we drilled and tapped a #6 32 hole in the linear bearing. Then we just used the super small washer between the linear bearing and the ball bearing, then a #6 32 screw through the center and into the tapped hole. Does any of that make sense?
