Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!sgiblab!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!hobbes!earth.armory.com!rstevew
From: rstevew@armory.com (Richard Steven Walz)
Subject: Re: Cables for robotic applications
Organization: The Armory
Date: Wed, 6 Apr 1994 13:38:52 GMT
Message-ID: <CnuB8v.5pK@armory.com>
References: <1994Apr4.180343.5901@aisb.ed.ac.uk>
Sender: news@armory.com (Usenet News)
Nntp-Posting-Host: deeptht.armory.com
Lines: 28

In article <1994Apr4.180343.5901@aisb.ed.ac.uk>,
Mark Wright <markwr@beryl.ed.ac.uk> wrote:
>Does anyone have information on the type of cables used for robotic
>applications such as low cost stepper motor arms or hands?
>Will steel do or do they need to be less elastic?
>Any information or advice gratefully received.
>
> Mark Wright				email: markwr@aifh.ed.ac.uk   
> Department of Artificial Intelligence   telephone: 031-650-4504 (lab) 
--------------------------------------------
The standard for many applications is what has been called "aircraft
stainless", although I am NOT certain which, stainless or plain steel, has
the greater constant of elasticity or sheer strength. I can see that a
non-corroding cable might be preferred in aircraft, but I also imagine that
it would be nice if one's control surfaces don't get sloppy in an aircraft.
I suspect that it is what most printers have been using for those fast old
heavy carriage print heads, daisy and dot, but I again do not know. Asking
a printer manufacturer why they selected what they did would undoubtedly
give you info if they have it. I have seen things like Qume Sprint series
printers go at an amazing rate with perfect registration of characters, so
I suppose that these old beasts that can almost take your hand off without
missing a character would represent the kind of strength we would all like
in our robitic muscles, and that they would make a good model for such. I
have liked some bidirectional cable drives for robotic arms since I first saw
some at a show. They are light and simple and yet VERY powerful and
accurate!
-Steve Walz   rstevew@armory.com    Santa Cruz, California,  U.S.A

