Sonic Shifter
Note: This gearbox is only available at this heavily discounted price in this ratio while supplies last. If you want more choice in ratios please see our current generation of shifting gearbox, the...Read More
Product Overview
The Sonic Shifter is no longer offered in the versions containing the 17 tooth cluster gear. We recommend looking at the EVO shifter if interested in a wider variety of gear ratio options.
Key Features:
- The output shaft is centered on the gearbox.
- CIM motor inputs centered on the gearbox.
- The Sonic Shifter is lighter than the AM Shifter and Super Shifter designs.
- Will be shipped with an am-3132 encoder pre-installed.
A color coded graphic accompanied by a ratio breakdown shows which gears are used where and what ratios they form for each sonic shifter.
Sonic Shifter Ratio Breakdown (Not all options shown on this document are available)
Two shifting methods are available for the Sonic Shifter. The pneumatic method is much stronger and faster than the servo method.
- Pneumatic:
- A pneumatic cylinder, Bimba model 04-0.5-DP, 3/4 in. bore x 1/2 in. stroke, (not included) shifts between high and low gear. This cylinder mounts with a 5/8-18 nut (not included). This is a strong, fast method of shifting, lasting under 0.5 seconds and pushing with 26 pounds of force (if using 60 psi). This pneumatic shift can be done while a robot is accelerating.
- Servo:
- A Servo Shifting hardware pack is available (am-2297), but not included with this product.
- A Hi-Tech Servo, model HS-422HD is included in am-2297, using an actuation fork to shift between the 2 gear settings. This is a slow, weaker method of shifting (compared to pneumatic), taking 1.5-2 seconds and pushing with up to 8.5 pounds of force. A robot driver may need to back off of the throttle to let a servo shift gears while moving.
All AndyMark gearboxes require grease for proper operation and long life. We suggest using our red tacky grease, am-2768. We also encourage that the user powers the gearbox continuously for 30 minutes without grease to allow the gear teeth to wear in. While we do design with short run times in mind, this 'run in' period for smooth gearbox operation is recommended. Once this is completed, thorough grease the gear teeth periodically to ensure smooth operation.
Thanks to Evan from 2470 and Sean from 2489 for our new gearbox name, the "Sonic Shifter."
Specifications
- Motor Input: CIM, NEO
- Motor Quantity: 1, 2
- Product Lifecycle: replaced by <a href='/evo'>the EVO Shifter</a>
Returns
Returns are not accepted for this product.
Recommendations
2 reviews
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The Preferred Drive Base Gearbox by 1519 for Most of a Decade!
The Sonic Shifter has been 1519's preferred drive base gearbox for most of a decade, starting in 2014 and continuing through the 2019 FRC game. We love the durable construction, good performance, ratio versatility, and minor evolutionary updates that were made over the years. By essentially re-using most of the components from the prior Super Shifter, and releasing minor updates from year-to-year, teams could reduce costs by re-using old gearboxes and just purchasing new upgrades when needed. Oh, and did I mention that these gearboxes are tough as nails? I wouldn't be surprised if we have over 1000 hours of driving time on these gearboxes (250 hours in each of 4 years) and we've never had a gear, bearing, or shaft wear out. (We have had some issues with the pneumatic shift mechanism, but the core gearbox is as rugged as could be.) We're sorry to see that this product is approaching end of life, as they have been the go-to gearbox for our best robots so far!
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Review
5 Stars
