Page 138 - Build Your Own Combat Robot

FIGURE 6-9 Chapter 6: Power Transmission: Getting Power to Your Wheels 119
Timing belt used
to drive a
spinning weapon.
(courtesy of
Andrew Lindsey)

than regular flat belts. Timing belts can transmit significantly more torque than reg-
ular flat belts. They provide a much more quiet operation than chain drive systems.
They have no backlash (they don’t slop when changing directions), so they are ideal
in precise positioning systems such as automated and robotic machine tools.
For combat robots, synchronous belts can be used to convert a two-wheel-drive
robot into a four-wheel-drive robot, and they can be used for speed reductions.
The drawbacks to timing belts are that the costs for the belts and pulleys are fairly
high compared to belt systems and chain drive systems, and they require the pul-
leys to be precisely aligned and in the same plane with each other.
Table 6-2 shows a list of the traditional belt sizes. Table 6-3 shows a list of high-
performance belt sizes.

Belt Type Pitch, Inches
MXL .080 inch
XL .200 inch
L .375 inch
H .500 inch
XH .875 inch
XXH 1.250 inch

TABLE 6-2 Traditional Belt Size Designations