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Tracks

Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
edited 2012-09-28 07:19 in BASIC Stamp
All--

I am looking for·tracks. I am thinking something on the order of three inches wide, but a little narrower or a little wider would be fine. Currently, I am using 0.75" wide, double-sided timing belts for my skid steer platform. They are fine, but I want to build a larger platform and need wider "tracks."

Do you have any resources?

Here is a picture of my just finished chasis . . .

9-12-07%20Frame-g.jpg

I would REALLY appreciate some ideas for larger diameter tracks.

Thanks!

--Bill

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Comments

  • dandreaedandreae Posts: 1,375
    edited 2007-09-12 23:02
    I have heard·of some hobbyist who have used chain for their tracks.· I believe that·McMaster's catalog ·has wide range of sizes that you could use.· Of course you'll need to find the right size sprockets and I believe that they carry the sprockets as well.



    Dave

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    Dave Andreae

    Parallax Tech Support·
  • Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
    edited 2007-09-12 23:11
    Dave--

    Thanks for the clue!

    I buy a lot of stuff from McMaster-Carr. Usually tools. But, I will look at their chains for my application.

    I usually buy "parts" from SPD/SI. In the picture above you can see their timing belts, timing belt pulleys, and thrust bearings. I made everything else, except the bearings in my aluminum bearing blocks. I got those bearings from VBX.

    Hopefully, the next time you see the picture above it will be somewhat more "populated." Stamps, Banebot gear motors, and batteries.

    --Bill

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  • dandreaedandreae Posts: 1,375
    edited 2007-09-12 23:12
    I can hardly wait!· I like seeing home brew robots.



    Dave

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    Dave Andreae

    Parallax Tech Support·
  • Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
    edited 2007-09-12 23:17
    Dave and All--

    McMaster-Carr has some steel timing chains slightly over 1.25" wide. Their acetel chains are only 0.75" wide.

    I will keep looking. If anyone has hints, I am all ears.

    --Bill
    PS Dave, the NEXT version of this ‘bot will be long enough to navigate stairs. I will use a Propeller in that machine.



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  • Larry SutherlandLarry Sutherland Posts: 77
    edited 2007-09-13 00:00
    here is something to look at.


    http://www.pololu.com/products/misc/0415/

    L Sutherland

    devil.gif·Phoenix Arizona

    PS: Watch out for the· "Arizona Diamondbacks"
  • FranklinFranklin Posts: 4,747
    edited 2007-09-13 00:55
    How about this www.lynxmotion.com/Product.aspx?productID=512&CategoryID=94 Thet also make 2" wide product.

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  • FranklinFranklin Posts: 4,747
    edited 2007-09-13 01:06
    If you want to go big! (I have no idea where you could get some of this, I found it in the junkyard. That's a piece of 2x4 next to it for scale.

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  • cutsrockcutsrock Posts: 32
    edited 2007-09-13 01:13
    Bill,

    You might try a google for flat top or table top conveyor chain.· It can be found in acetal, carbon steel, stainless, etc.· Most is made for the food, beverage, and clean room ops.

    Here is a web site of a manufacturer that has 3-1/4" wide, plus sprockets and a download pdf catalog.

    http://www.dyna-veyor.com/

    Hope this can help.

    cutsrock
  • Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
    edited 2007-09-13 01:36
    Larry and Stephen and cutsrock--

    Thank you for all the clues! I REALLY appreciate it.

    The Pololu tracks are only 0.9" wide . . . hardly wider than my current setup. (But, Pololu has some other great stuff . . . I have some of of it.)

    Dyna-Veyor bears more investigation on my part.

    Stephen, I don't think even the gear motors I am going to use will move the junk yard stuff! (Too bad. [noparse]:)[/noparse]·But, the Lynxmotion tracks and sprockets may be just what the doctor ordered! THANK YOU!

    --Billy

    or Dyna-Veyor

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  • John AbshierJohn Abshier Posts: 1,116
    edited 2007-09-13 14:43
    Lynxmotion has 2 inch and 3 inch wide tracs
    http://www.lynxmotion.com/Category.aspx?CategoryID=94
  • theloneducktheloneduck Posts: 20
    edited 2007-09-18 23:55
    could use a treadmill track.

    checkout the Tyng Track System at http://www.rctankcombat.com/articles/track-systems/
  • Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
    edited 2007-09-19 00:32
    theloneduck--

    Thank you! I read and bookmarked it.

    --Bill

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  • Larry SutherlandLarry Sutherland Posts: 77
    edited 2007-09-19 01:38
    Excellent!
  • theloneducktheloneduck Posts: 20
    edited 2007-09-20 02:08
    yeah, i am attempting the whole "robocut" (see customer applications) type robot for my backyard, except I am going to mount it on tracks as well.· basically my goal was to have a chassis like the rc combat tanks group with a weed eater in the center as the lawnmower.· I live in a hilly area of the ozarks so i need more traction that a three point bot.

    Here is a picture and to give you a scale, the side you see is about 36 inches long
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  • Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
    edited 2007-09-20 03:09
    theloneduck--

    Wow! Soak it in Thompsons and caulk it and you could throw it in Tablerock and watch it swim! As long as it does not weigh too much. [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    Good work. I would appreciate additional pictures as you progress. Maybe I can steal some of your ideas!

    I went to high school in Ava and Crane.

    --Bill

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  • theloneducktheloneduck Posts: 20
    edited 2007-09-20 17:15
    I planned to use wood for the initial design and then replace (as $$ & wife allows) the wooden peices with some aluminium or lexan.

    the project is going slow as i have a 3 month old, but i will keep taking pictures and post regularly.· i hope to have the tracks setup shortly
  • DJSandbergDJSandberg Posts: 56
    edited 2007-09-25 03:35
    Bill,

    I made some tracks out of Delrin and urethane.· They work well and are very durable. Here are some pictures.

    http://www.pdxbot.org/gallery/daryl1

    Daryl
  • Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
    edited 2007-09-25 14:06
    Daryl--

    Gee. That was fantastic. I ABSORBED the whole sequence.

    Many of those parts looked milled. Do you have a mill? If so, what are you using?

    I am very appreciative of your work.

    --Bill

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  • DJSandbergDJSandberg Posts: 56
    edited 2007-09-25 15:14
    Bill,

    Thank you for your compliment. I made the track links using a table saw, drill press, router and a mini mill. If I did it again, I would skip the mill and do it all on the table saw, drill and router. It would have taken less time.

    Daryl
  • Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
    edited 2007-09-25 23:05
    Daryl--

    Your tracks are marvelous and your innovation and mechanical skills are the envy of thousands. Plus, I agree with the self-appraisal of your looks.

    However, neither you nor my wife are going to talk me out of a mill! [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    --Bill

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  • DJSandbergDJSandberg Posts: 56
    edited 2007-09-25 23:19
    Bill,

    I would never try to talk you out of getting a mill and even a small lathe. I got a really good deal on a lathe and mill about five years ago. It made a huge difference in what I could build.

    Daryl
  • Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
    edited 2007-09-26 03:47
    Daryl--

    This is what I have in mind . . .

    http://www.grizzly.com/products/G3103

    Plus triple axis DRO, and about the mill-amount more$$$ in tooling. I want to build a lot of stuff short of automotive.

    If you have advice, I would love to hear it.

    --Bill



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  • DJSandbergDJSandberg Posts: 56
    edited 2007-09-26 04:50
    Bill,

    Wow, that's a magnificant machine.

    Here's mine.
    http://www.grizzly.com/products/G8689

    Daryl
  • Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
    edited 2007-09-26 12:39
    Daryl--

    Yours is the first one I looked at. But, since I was waiting on retirement before I would have time to do anything, this one came out, which I believe is a little larger one that yours (barely), but with a nice rpm readout and a quill depth readout . . . http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0619

    Then, I asked Griz if a six inch rotary table I really wanted would fit on it and they told me that it would not, since it would take up all the width of the table. Gee, there must be no room between the inside edge of the table and the column on that machine? Is there on yours?

    Anyway, I had to have something larger than a 4" table, so I restarted my search and finally decided on the one you see above, which is way less than I want and probably way more than I need.

    Here is the one I really want,·but currently do not have a shop big enough to put it in . . .

    http://www.grizzly.com/products/G3617

    I used a horizontal when I was a teenager . . . and then promptly left the common sense world and went into higher education. On July 1 of this year, I returned to the real world.

    --Bill

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  • DJSandbergDJSandberg Posts: 56
    edited 2007-09-26 14:40
    Bill,

    I've got a 6" rotary table for my mill and it works fine. It's too tall to use with a drill chuck and bit, but other than that, it's good. I will get 4" table in the future just to be more convenient. The 6" table weighs a lot and it's often bigger than what I need.

    Daryl
  • Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
    edited 2007-09-26 14:55
    Daryl--

    I've got this one . . .

    http://www.grizzly.com/products/H5685

    Is that the one you want, or perhaps this one with dividing plates·. . .

    http://www.grizzly.com/products/H5940

    I bought mine for some stepper experiments I was conducting a few months ago.

    The Grizzly site was overwhelmingly slow last night and appears to be having issues this morning, as well.

    --Bill

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  • DJSandbergDJSandberg Posts: 56
    edited 2007-09-26 15:16
    Bill,

    That's a great price. I'm not sure I would use the dividing plates.

    I've bought a lot of stuff from littlemachineshop.com

    The next table I buy will probably be from them. They have great customer service. Really great.

    Daryl
  • Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
    edited 2007-09-26 15:21
    Daryl--

    I have been leaning to Grizzly because they are only about 190 miles from KC. HOWEVER, so many folks seem tired of their machine shop equipment. They do have a good name in the customer service arena and I have had some pleasant,·no hassle experiences with them . . . IF I can get them to respond at all.

    --Bill

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  • Blackbird455Blackbird455 Posts: 124
    edited 2007-09-26 20:03
    Bill,
    · Did you ever solve that track problem? Have you looked at automotive supercharger belts? http://www.theblowershop.com/

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  • Bill ChennaultBill Chennault Posts: 1,198
    edited 2007-09-27 02:33
    Blackbird455--

    I have not looked at them, but I have thought about them. I think they are too wide for my purposes. HOWEVER, I am very glad you sent me that site, since I have a non-robotics project I would like to launch involving a CJ5 and a crate hemi. (Imagine AA Fuel Altered look at this point.)

    --Bill

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