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View Full Version : Shifting mechanism with a servo , DC or Stepper motor.



ahmad sanad salim
11-17-2012, 09:04 AM
Is it possible to use servo , DC or Stepper motor to make the drum rotate ????

Jon Burford
11-17-2012, 09:20 AM
Yup!

ahmad sanad salim
11-17-2012, 09:40 AM
So do you know teams used motors for shifting ??

Jon Burford
11-17-2012, 09:47 AM
I know of teams using electric actuators. You can buy them!
http://www.kliktronic.co.uk/
here is one of many kits available.

PatClarke
11-17-2012, 09:54 PM
Ahmad,

By far the most radical and innovative shifting system for inexperienced teams is the 'Armstrong' system, though even this is not totally foolproof.

It consists of a linkage connected to the shift shaft on the transmission and is terminated with a lever, usually with a knob on top, in the cockpit. To change gears, the driver simply pushes or pulls the knob! It is called Armstrong because after 20 minutes of gear changes, it helps if the driver has a 'strong arm'. The best way to develop this 'strong arm' is with lots of practice.

When your team is no longer an inexperienced team and can regularly finish events, it may be beneficial to develop a system that will speed up gear changes.

Seriously, I couldn't begin to count the number of times I have seen teams fail because of a failure in their electronic shift mechanism.

Pat

ahmad sanad salim
11-17-2012, 10:32 PM
yes i guess you are right,Mechanical shifting is the easiest, but what about trying to use 2 push button and a micro-controller programmed in C language , which sends signals to the ECU to kill spark, then sends other signals to a servo or stepper motor to rotate the drum .

I'm really grateful for your precious help .

TMichaels
11-18-2012, 03:20 AM
That worked already in many applications in FS/FSAE, but surely is something you can start looking into once you have competed successfully for at least 2 consecutive seasons. Before, it is just a waste of time, resources and reliability.

Jon Burford
11-18-2012, 03:34 AM
Second that, the kit I linked, I would not go as far as saying it was plug and play. They seem to be broken more than they work!
Seriously though, You can be very competitive with a mechanical gear shift, with most ECU's you can turn on a flat shift system quite easily, which makes up-shifting very fast indeed.