2C: Slapdown Intake
Rollers
The rollers are powered with a single Kraken motor with small reduction of 1.6:1; often, you want rollers to be spinning very fast, but still have enough torque to bring in game pieces without stalling the motor. Compression also matters a lot with this. You want to balance compression of a game piece so the intake can move it easily enough without needing too much extra torque from the motors. This is often why adding grippy material to the rollers instead of increasing compression is optimal.
Dead Axle Rollers
There are 3 total rollers. Rollers often provide more consistent compression than wheels and are a great option for transporting game pieces. They are typically cheaper, lighter, and easier to put on a dead axle than wheels. Dead axles allow the intake arms to be connected by effectively long standoffs, making the assembly more rigid, while still allowing the rollers to spin on bearings.
The dead axle rollers used in this project use polycarbonate tube and 3D-printed endcaps for the bearings and power transfer. We use Andrew Card's Configurable Rollers for the example intake, but you are also welcome to model your own rollers.
Roller Locations
Only 2 of the rollers are on the pivoting arm portion. The final one inside the frame perimeter is on a separate plate. This can keep the pivot for the intake arms lower, decreasing the vertical height of the intake when stowed.
