I have, for many years now, been fascinated by the mathematical complexity yet mechanical simplicity of the Cycloid Reducer drive. No sooner had I mentioned this to Art Fenerty and he added a Wizard to his free software Vexx for designing and creating the necessary parts to build a cycloid reducer.

I have started out by making a basic 5:1 reducer and it works beautifully. Obviously bearings would be needed for the shaft and the eccentric if was to run at any speed but hey-ho it’s all a learning experience for me.   

Those interested can download Vexx from Art’s website here;  https://gear2motion.com/

You may also want to look at Auggie (another free software from Art) and maybe, if you have an interest in clocks or other mechanisms, consider Gearotic Motion.


Tweakie.

  I love it !   
Never heard of it before, THANKS Tweakie !
(nice animation here)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycloidal_drive
 

Now, you got me wanting to make one for my class !
Thanks again Tweakie !
https://www.tec-science.com/mechanical-power-transmission/cycloidal-drive-speed-reducer-gear/how-does-a-cycloidal-gear-drive-work/

Hi Russ,

I am sure it would make a great project and I am sure it will be fun.

Cycloid reducers are easy and cheap to make so they are generally the choice for the industrial robot arm joints. Lots of them about but not often seen perhaps.

I did make a video of this one running only to discover that Win10 does not support old DV camcorders. However, not to be beaten…
Paul still has a WinXP setup so he used a dashcam or phone to put a very short (poor quality) video onto an SD card which he then used with Windows Movie Maker and uploaded the result to his YouTube a/c.   https://youtu.be/u3Mh1E4GgHE     it's only a few seconds so don't blink or you'll miss it 

Tweakie.

Cycloid reducers are easy and cheap to make so they are generally the choice for the industrial robot arm joints. 

 Tweakie.

Thats interesting Tweakie, thanks. And, a cool video !
The few robots I worked on utilized the harmonic style of reduction drives ... don't recall the brand though.

Cheers 
Russ