Show HN: I'm a 15 Year Old Wannabe Engineer, This Is a Cycloidal Gearbox I Built
A 15-year-old engineer shares their journey in designing and 3D printing a cycloidal gearbox, including the Python scripts used for generation. The post details the iterative process of overcoming precision challenges to create a functional mechanical drive.
Why it matters
This highlights the accessibility of advanced engineering tools and the value of open-source knowledge sharing in the maker community.
This is my cycloidal gearbox I built, and the python script I created to generate it!
Version 1 This gearbox was a handcranked gearbox specifically meant to test the validity of the python cycloidal generator. It had a gear ratio of 1:9.
This design was a micro cycloidal gearbox with a ratio of 1:9, meant to only take up the same footprint as a NEMA 17. Due to the tight tolerances needed for a small cycloidal drive and the lack of precision offered by 3D printing, this design did not work.
This gearbox was the first working version to run on a NEMA 17. It has a larger footprint compared to Version 2 allowing greater tolerances and a fully functional design.
This python script was based on the SolidWorks article Building a Cycloidal Drive with SOLIDWORKS . The two main parametric equations I used were:
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