Exact positioning

[Monafly]

I'm trying to make a gear 'square' with all four of the gears meshing with each other (1-2, 2-3, 3-4 and then closing the square 4-1), but I can't figure out how to get the 4-1 mesh set properly. Is there a way to get Gearotica to figure out the exact placement of the shaft(s) for this?

Thanks.

[ArtF]

Hi :

  No, program wont.. BUT, I think if the gear has an odd number of teeth, and you use 90 degree snaps, it will mesh..
like this you mean?

Art

[Monafly]

Thanks Art.

Unfortunately, I'm trying to use different sizes for the various gears (artistic license) so the 90 degree trick won't work for my application.

To assist with my attempts, is there some way to minutely adjust the position (angle) of a gear within a train? If this is possible, will subsequent gears in the train adjust accordingly? From my original question, if I have 1-2, 2-3 and 3-4 as a train, can I move the position (angle) of 2's connection with 1 with the angle that 3 is attached to 2 staying fixed?
Another way of asking this is whether I can manually adjust the center-center distance between axles and the rotational (angle) position of the axles (preferably within the middle of a train).

Thanks.

[BillM]

Monafly:

Judging from your response to Art regarding your desire to have a "square" of meshing gears does not literally mean a square.

Attached is a jpg and gth file named 4-Gear.  The gears are designed in metric with a gear module of 2.  Gear teeth are 10,20,30,40.

This is my interpretation of what your original question to Art.

Bill

[ArtF]

Hmmm, you can adjust the position of any gear in the train going forward.. but only if the gear is driven by a shaft.. just select that gear and press the angular correction buttons on the properties tab..
  In your case though , I think your wondering if you can adjust the centers almost like a 4-bar linkage so the other gears follow.. You cant
at the moment, though I can see where that would be handy.. Ill consider it as an addition.. Ill dwell on how I might
accomplish it code wise.. moveable skeleton perhaps. Gearotics simulation is getting kind of complex.. makes it hard to modify
but I will give it some thought..

Art

[John T]

I think its easier in actual construction than a simulation.  For real gears I use a "deputing" tool to get the centre spacing and in the case of a four square or bigger.  The first two are easy the last one I do with intersecting arcs from the two meshing  gears.

I haven't tried to do this in a simulation. 

[Monafly]

AAWFM:

Yes. What you sent is an example of what I'm trying to do, but I'm interested in the general case so that I can specify the gears to be any size I want. I said "square" originally as an easy explanation of what I was trying to do.
How did you set the positions of each of the gears in your example so that they mesh properly? According to Art there is no easy way.


JohnT:
Yes, I can see your method as a way to do it, but that's not within Gearotica  :-[

Art:
Thanks for considering this as an improvement to the program. I'll try your method of adjusting the angles, as probably with a bit of trial and error and a bit of JohnT's method, can figure out how to accomplish what I'm trying to do.

[BillM]

Monafly:

There is no automatic way to adjust the gear positions.  On the attached files, I started with odd number of toothed gears, module 2, metric.  The first drive gear is 11 tooth.  The  next two gears were meshed to the left and right of the drive gear.  The last spur-3 was added to spur-2.

The "move on gear" function was used alternately on spur-2  and spur-3 that the gears looked like they meshed.

The adjustment didn't take very long and was quite easy to do.  Unless you are doing 100's of these artsy gear designs then you should have the patience to position them manually.  Besides you will be forced to explore some of the features of Gearotics which will be time well spent.

I like John T's method ... build by actual construction rather than simulation.

I imagine that there are combinations of gear sizes that would be physically impossible to arrange.

Bill