The AndyMark Climber in a Box is a robust, lightweight, configurable and affordable solution for climbing challenges historically present in FRC end game periods. The design of Climber in a Box has been inspired by many team designs along the way including 254 and 2056. The final prototype for this climber was developed in partnership with FRC Team 3940 CyberTooth for the 2020/2021 Infinite Recharge season. This mechanism has been battle tested with hundreds of climbs on a full weight FRC Robot without failures, both in development and real match play. Available in single and two stage configurations, this product should help teams of all levels elevate their team's performance at competitions.
This product uses a "spring out, winch back" powertrain strategy, using off-the-shelf 3.5lb constant force springs to raise the included Hook Kit, and 3mm Dyneema Rope to retract it with the included Winch Kit. Simply unspool the included rope using a planetary gearbox to raise the hook(s), drive the robot up to the bar, and winch it back to elevate your robot. The AndyMark Climber in a Box does not include a motor or gearbox, but is compatible with many off-the-shelf planetary gearboxes on the market that have a 2" bolt circle mounting pattern and support a 2" long 1/2" hex output shaft, including the highly durable blue Sport Gearboxes.
The bearing kits within this product are designed to go from 2" square 1/16" wall aluminum tubing, down to a 1" square 1/16" wall tube, with a 1.5" square 1/16" wall tube in between for the 2 stage flavor of this product. A combination of durable 608 bearings and custom molded plastic components provide the bearing surfaces for a free-flowing telescoping tube mechanism with no 3D printed parts. Each stage has a maximum travel of 24.5."
The AndyMark Climber in a Box is an unassembled kit of everything you need (besides a gearmotor) that is designed to not require any precision machining in order to make your FRC robot climb. The plates included within the Hook Kit, Bearing Kits and Winch Kit are all designed to be assembled and used as drill guides for match drilling their mounting locations onto the aluminum tubes. Each tube is pre-cut to a 30" length so no cutting of the tubes is required to achieve maximum travel.
Watch the teaser video here
