Flexible small drive shaft?
 

I haven't found anything that looks usable at McMaster Carr, unless
I'm overlooking something. Can a flexible drive shaft be made from a
simple spring, like inside a rotary tool flex shaft? Whatever stuff
used for flexible shaft screwdrivers?

The shaft will be driven by an 18 to 36 V DC motor (up to maybe 700
watts). Not sure the RPM, typical DC motor. Bent 90° in about 3".

Thank-you.

Flexible small drive shaft?
 

An appropriate size steel rope inside a guide tube should work. The more
strands the more flexible it would be. You just need to fashion attachment
fittings welded, clamped, swaged or bolted at each end.

"John Doe" wrote in message
. net...
|
| I haven't found anything that looks usable at McMaster Carr, unless
| I'm overlooking something. Can a flexible drive shaft be made from a
| simple spring, like inside a rotary tool flex shaft? Whatever stuff
| used for flexible shaft screwdrivers?
|
| The shaft will be driven by an 18 to 36 V DC motor (up to maybe 700
| watts). Not sure the RPM, typical DC motor. Bent 90° in about 3".
|
| Thank-you.
|
|
|
|
|
|

Flexible small drive shaft?
 

On Sat, 25 Aug 2007 23:41:45 GMT, John Doe
wrote:


I haven't found anything that looks usable at McMaster Carr, unless
I'm overlooking something. Can a flexible drive shaft be made from a
simple spring, like inside a rotary tool flex shaft? Whatever stuff
used for flexible shaft screwdrivers?

The shaft will be driven by an 18 to 36 V DC motor (up to maybe 700
watts). Not sure the RPM, typical DC motor. Bent 90° in about 3".

Thank-you.
=======
click on
http://www.fullfx.com/fxstore/c9sc/i...uct&prodId=682
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6059062.html
http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=2004073378
http://www.orange.co.uk/news/uk/7096...ewsukheadlines


Unka' George [George McDuffee]
============
Merchants have no country.
The mere spot they stand on
does not constitute so strong an attachment
as that from which they draw their gains.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826),
U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.

Flexible small drive shaft?
 

On Sat, 25 Aug 2007 18:49:12 -0700, "SteveB"
wrote:


"John Doe" wrote in message
.net...

I haven't found anything that looks usable at McMaster Carr, unless
I'm overlooking something. Can a flexible drive shaft be made from a
simple spring, like inside a rotary tool flex shaft? Whatever stuff
used for flexible shaft screwdrivers?

The shaft will be driven by an 18 to 36 V DC motor (up to maybe 700
watts). Not sure the RPM, typical DC motor. Bent 90° in about 3".

Thank-you.


Speedometer cable if it's not too small ............. ?

Steve


700 Watts is almost one horsepower

--
Boris

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Flexible small drive shaft?
 

According to John Doe :

I haven't found anything that looks usable at McMaster Carr, unless
I'm overlooking something. Can a flexible drive shaft be made from a
simple spring, like inside a rotary tool flex shaft? Whatever stuff
used for flexible shaft screwdrivers?

The core of a flexible shaft is alternating layers of clockwise
and counter clockwise windings, so a simple spring would either expand
in one direction (and bind) or contract in the other direction, and
rattle around inside the buide.

If you want flexible shafts to build from, try picking up a
speedometer cable -- unless you need more torque than that can carry.

The shaft will be driven by an 18 to 36 V DC motor (up to maybe 700
watts). Not sure the RPM, typical DC motor. Bent 90° in about 3".

That's a pretty sharp bend for a flex shaft to handle the likely
torque from that motor. Are you sure that you won't do better with a
set of bevel gears?

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

Flexible small drive shaft?
 

"Boris Mohar" wrote: 700 Watts is almost one horsepower
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Correct. If you are trying to transmit that much power at low RPM. the
torque will be way too high for a speed cable. If you're trying to run it
really fast, then the torque won't be the problem, but turning 90 degrees in
3" will be, because the cable will be rubbing on the outside of the housing,
and it will get REALLY HOT.

Look at a Weed Whacker type thing to get an idea what you need. Or a Dremel
flex shaft drive.

Flexible small drive shaft?
 

"John Doe" wrote in message
. net...

I haven't found anything that looks usable at McMaster Carr, unless
I'm overlooking something. Can a flexible drive shaft be made from a
simple spring, like inside a rotary tool flex shaft? Whatever stuff
used for flexible shaft screwdrivers?

The shaft will be driven by an 18 to 36 V DC motor (up to maybe 700
watts). Not sure the RPM, typical DC motor. Bent 90° in about 3".

Thank-you.


Speedometer cable if it's not too small ............. ?

Steve

OT: powered skates/skateboards (was Flexible small drive shaft?)
 

F. George McDuffee gmcduffee mcduffee-associates.us wrote:

On Sat, 25 Aug 2007 23:41:45 GMT, John Doe
jdoe usenetlove.invalid wrote:

snipped since the reply isn't about drive shafts

=======
click on
http://www.fullfx.com/fxstore/c9sc/i...uct&prodId=682

Relatively very expensive and not for rough terrain. An ordinary
skateboard configuration has a long exposed underside. I'm thinking
maybe of making an in-line skate board (I already have a rough
prototype) if I could figure out how to steer it. I've seen a
skateboard with in-line wheels but it too has a long exposed underside
in between two pairs of in-line wheels. The beauty of continuous
in-line wheels is that, even though small and low to the ground, they
can traverse rough terrain.

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6059062.html

The server appears to be down.

http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=2004073378

Very vague, IMO, but the idea of sensing forward pressure and
accelerating, and sensing rearward pressure and deccelerating is a
good one. It probably would be a very good idea if implemented
properly, maybe similar to the Segway but more responsive.

http://www.orange.co.uk/news/uk/7096...-linkfromvaria
ble--%3E&link=link_9&article=newsukheadlines

Exploding skates? Umm, No, my stuff is and will be electric.













Unka' George [George McDuffee]
============
Merchants have no country.
The mere spot they stand on
does not constitute so strong an attachment
as that from which they draw their gains.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826),
U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.


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From: F. George McDuffee gmcduffee mcduffee-associates.us
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: Flexible small drive shaft?
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Flexible small drive shaft?
 

"Boris Mohar" wrote


Speedometer cable if it's not too small ............. ?

Steve


700 Watts is almost one horsepower

--
Boris

Conclusion: that would be too small.

Steve

Flexible small drive shaft?
 

--For that kind of power maybe what you need is a miniature one
of these: http://www.nmpproducts.com/artcar0508.htm
--Can't remember what they're called but they work pretty neat.
Photo #3 shows the most detail.

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : A steaming pile of
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : obscure information...
www.nmpproducts.com
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

Flexible small drive shaft?
 

steamer wrote:

--For that kind of power maybe what you need is a miniature one
of these: http://www.nmpproducts.com/artcar0508.htm
--Can't remember what they're called but they work pretty neat.
Photo #3 shows the most detail.

Good pics.

If I can't get what I want, it's just as good to know what I'm up
against.

Thanks.

Flexible small drive shaft?
 

Try doing a search on model power boats. Some of them use flex
shafts, and the larger ones might be usable.

You could also search on flexible shafts. There is at least one US
company that makes them (S.S. White???), and their website will help
you select what you need.

Howsomeever, it sounds like you want to transmit a LOT of torque over
a tight radius. Consider bevel gears insteads.

Flexible small drive shaft?
 

If you want 90 deg. use a bevel gear assembly. Boston Gear
has this sort of thing and you can sometimes luck in on ebay.

For somewhat less bend, universal joints work nicely. They make
them for ratchet drivers and you can often get them at the
discount tool stores.

These places also have the kind of flex shafts that you originally
asked about. Same original application as the universal joints.

DOC

Buy my junk! http://www3.sympatico.ca/doc/robotone/for-sale.html

Flexible small drive shaft?
 

John Doe wrote in news:Z63Ai.13272$4w7.12330
@newssvr22.news.prodigy.net:


I haven't found anything that looks usable at McMaster Carr, unless
I'm overlooking something. Can a flexible drive shaft be made from a
simple spring, like inside a rotary tool flex shaft? Whatever stuff
used for flexible shaft screwdrivers?

The shaft will be driven by an 18 to 36 V DC motor (up to maybe 700
watts). Not sure the RPM, typical DC motor. Bent 90° in about 3".

Thank-you.







How LONG will the shaft need to be?

If ~6" would work, how about using one of the flex-drive extensions for a
power screwdriver?

Flexible small drive shaft?
 

On Aug 25, 7:41 pm, John Doe wrote:
I haven't found anything that looks usable at McMaster Carr, unless
I'm overlooking something. Can a flexible drive shaft be made from a
simple spring, like inside a rotary tool flex shaft? Whatever stuff
used for flexible shaft screwdrivers?

The shaft will be driven by an 18 to 36 V DC motor (up to maybe 700
watts). Not sure the RPM, typical DC motor. Bent 90° in about 3".

Thank-you.



http://www.thomasnet.com/products/fl...4020405-1.html

http://www.sswt.com/bidirection_eng.htm

http://www.elliottmfg.com/Aerospace/Elliottflex1.htm

http://www.suhner-transmission-exper...08&vsprache=EN

Dave