I am now actively building more weights and components for the counter rotating wheel assembly. As we have seen before, the PIE design works better with two wheels but this is the first one that has “self-propelled) with just one wheel. I think it will be very interesting to see it work with a second wheel, especially a counter rotating one.
If I do decide that I do not want it to counter rotate, the weights can be modified by just grinding the welds for the ramp brackets that I welded to the side of each one. The pivots are being made to work with the stops in either direction. The other pieces that would need changing are really just the actuators for the switches, so it would not be a super big deal.
It has been a little while since the first half was built, so I did have to go back and look to make sure the new weights match the original ones in both size and weight. Eight 2X2X3/8″ steel squares, two 1-1/2X3X1/16″ rectangles, a block to hold the pivot bushing and the bushing itself. Once the basic box is made, the BB’s are added to complete the weight measurement and make it a dead blow. I thought they were 2 kg each, but I actually had to weigh one to be absolutely certain! Once the BB’s are added, the top is welded on, and it will need a coat of paint.
The wheel is already constructed, as is the sun gear, so some of the most time-consuming work is already done.
I will update the blog here, as it all progresses.