Variable Ratio Gearbox
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- 1 Total hours
A variable ratio gearbox (CVT/shifter) with analysis behind the physics and math to ensure I have the best possible design for maximum performance output.
Created a v1 simulation for the math and energy analysis of different types of gearboxes to confirm the usecases of a variable ratio gearbox like a CVT or shifting gearbox. Surprisingly found that the benefits are actually very small (if any) in mechanisms like drivetrains or fast lifts, because the sprint distance is so short that a shift in gear ratio doesn’t even make sense for a motor to accomplish. I am not quite sure if my algorithms to determine when to switch are perfectly accurate, so I will do a deeper dive into that (hence the export feature), but this got me a very important takeaway: the mechanism to be limited by the actual ends of the ratios (e.g. stalling or running at max speed), otherwise even though motors are inefficient and suboptimal at different moments, a single gear ratio actually suffices.
