Rotomatic robot base test 2. It works !

[robothut]

 

[robothut]

Do to the magnetic clutch design if you hold the body base plate so it can not rotate the power will be shifted to the legs so that no damage is done to the mechanics. If only the vintage toys had been designed this way. I used a Geneva design to control the timing of the walking and body rotation. A single gear motor powers the robot. Now to design a body of some sort. I can also take a gear box drive from the mechanics to control other features in the robot design.

[RoboDerby]

Nice work John. I’m going to have to remember that Geneva wheel for future projects.

[Brian..]

You clever bugger! I wondered what that strange reel device was doing, that bit attached to the magnetic clutch. I now see that its function is to drive the movement of both legs from just a single motor axle pointing down. Ingenious.  Now the motor has a free axle pointing upward just waiting to be used to power other motion. 

 

I hate running old rotatomatic robots because each time might be its last, but your mechanism has nothing to wear out. The magnetic action produces a result that is better than the original design. If Horikawa had this, then all those split nylon gears would never have existed. 

 

It's such a pity that the mechanism is hidden inside the robot because it's a work of art. 

[6Stelab9]

I agree with Brian. It would deserve a see thru design.

[robothut]

In the test video #1 you can see how the vertical motor shaft drives the cam that moves the legs.

One thing I moved in test 2 was the magnetic clutch is now in the bottom of the leg cam, in test 1 it was at the top of the leg cam. It makes for a easier build to place it at the bottom. Also I guess in this case I should not call it a slip clutch as it really is a magnetic differential. The gear motor power always goes either to the legs or too the body rotation, it does not ever just slip and go no place.

 

I also played with a change to the sliding ratchet wheels set up. With out printing new legs or ratchet wheels I want to see what would happen if I changed the action of the ratchet wheels from Normally Open "free wheeling" to Normally closed "locked". Then have the movement of the foot Unlock the ratchet wheels when the feet move forward. Normal shuffle foot robots have ratchet wheels that normally free wheel and lock when the foot moves back so some foot movement is lost as far as propelling the robot forward as the ratchet wheels lock in place. But if the wheels are normally locked then they are always ready to propel the robot forward. And no foot movement is lost when the foot moves forward the ratchet wheel is Unlocked in the new design. So it seemed like a win win. So the first test was a simple leaf spring that gently pushes the sliding ratchet wheel forward to the locked position. The foot is now ready to advance the robot forward. And do to the design of the ratchet finger with a rounded top when the foot moves forward the ratchet wheel can roll off the ratchet finger and rotate freely. No leg / foot movement wasted. Here is a picture that shows the addition of the small leaf spring in the rotomatic foot you saw working in the video.

[robothut]

Now I just took the design to the next step and that is I re made the foot ratchet axle slide holes angle up. So now there is no need for the extra leaf spring. the weight of the robot will make the ratchet wheel move forward and lock "normally closed" and when the foot moves forward and the ratchet wheel rolls off the rounded top of the ratchet finger it can free wheel "normally Open". Right now I have only printed 1 foot and to test this design I will have to print another set of parts. So I might hold off until I decide what to do with the body and so on.

[ROBODUDE]

AMAZING !!!!