GearBoxes.py

Another issue that needs solving is putting things together - properly. For now there are no lids in Boxes.py that are suited for a gear box. The attitude has been avoiding screws. Most things are just pressed/hammered together with finger joints which are pretty hard to get apart again. For a gear box we want something that we can screw on. Especially as this lid is probably going to hold the shafts in place.

One way would be using some two layer lid - basically like the RoundedBox. The lower layer firmly attached with finger joints and the upper layer glued to the cut out in the first layer. This creates a lip giving extra stability. May be the first layer could also be attached with finger joint holes creating a ridge around the top in which the second layer fits in.

This two layer approach also allows for stud hole for the intermediate shafts.

Second design to try is a "simple" spur gear box. This will be based on a simple Boxes.py box based on finger joints. There already exists a generator on Boxes.py for quite a while. But it is even further from being usable that the planetary gear box. What's wrong with it basically translates one to one into the projects design goals...

First scribbling on paper suggests that it will be difficult to come up with one universal design. So this will probably end up as several different generators each for the number of stages from one to probably 4. This should cover the range from 2:1 to 1000:1.

I am still at beginning with this design. One thing I want to try is having a hex bolt in the last gear and also fit a ball bearing within the same gear in another layer. This should allow supporting the output shaft on the bottom side and so having the full height of the gear box as support (with a second bearing on the top end).

It very clear that the gears need different strength and though thickness for the different stages. Need to check out if I can automatically adjust the modulus of the gears. May be squeezing even bigger reduction out of the earlier gears. Lots of stuff to try out...

This is the first design I am trying out. There already is a generator alredy online but it is just not there yet.

The gear box will be build from laminated layers starting at the bottom with the plate for mounting the motor. On top of that are rings and ring gears housing the planet carrier made out of two disks connected with walls by finger joints.

There will be two possible top sections: One for driving a belt which has a pulley directly on the planet carrier that is supported on top by a ball bearing:

The second variant will have a plate with one or two bearing that the drive shaft passes through. My idea is to use a hex bolt who's head is pressed into the planet carrier.

It should be easy to create multiple stage gear boxes by just adding more ring gears and dropping in planet carriers with a sun gear on top.