Re: [mowbot] Re: Gotta have gas to cut ??

KEN_REED nospam at hp-boise-om2.om.hp.com
Fri, 7 Mar 97 07:39:43 -0700

> My LawnBot will use two such electric motors/cutters to provide a 12" cutting
> path.

Have you considered just making one blade bigger to get the same cut? I
recall that the lawnranger used 2 disks, I think to acheive a short
wheelbase. It would at least save you another 600ma of current drain.
Dave

>>>Actually I'm using two small disks instead of one for several reasons.
>>> The small disks fit into my robot planform much better.
>>> Two small disks have 1/4 the mass and inertia of one big disk,
>>> which loads the motor shaft and bearings and battery much more.
>>> The motors I could find worked out to have about the right amount
>>> of power for small disks.
>>> ken

>
> Its also my recollection that the commercial robot lawn mower used such a
> system, and it is solar powered. There is a link on the Mowbot Webpage to thi
s
> commercial mower.

Yes thats almost exactly like theirs. The solar mower also had the
blades springloaded and they came out under inertia and retracted when
the motor spun down as a safety feature.
>
I have the solar mower patent (5,444,965) in GIF format. It is quite
informative, I was going to put it on the website, but there didn't seem
to be much interest.

>>>I'd be very interested in the patent, if few others are maybe we can
save some of your time and have it mailed out.
ken