McMaster-Carr Constant-Force Retractor

[FTC6022]

Hello fellow teams,

While designing our robot for this season, our team came across this part from McMaster-Carr: http://www.mcmaster.com/#61115a6/=uolntp

We believe that it is acceptable under the game rules because it is both from a standard distributor and it is a COTS assembly with only a single degree of freedom. However, we thought it would be a good idea to hear other feedback before making this investment.

Thank you,
FTC Team 6022

[orangemoore]

I am not sure it satisfies the COTS with A single degree of freedom. Before you buy check this through the Q/A

[FTC8646]

maybe you should try a tape measure first...much cheaper
I saw a tape measure used on a bot at our last event.

[JohnMcDonnell]

I'll second orangemoore's recommendation on checking with Q&A. I would say it's not a single DOF part because you would need at least two degrees of freedom to describe its position: how far the cable is extended, and the cable's angle with respect to the output hole.

[maths222]

I would suggest you take a look at www.mcmaster.com/#constant-force-springs/