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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Sequential gearboxes family

Today is the third anniversary of this website!!

And for celebrate it I will show you many information about all my sequential gearboxes until today.

With my latest cars (Caterham Seven and Shelby GT500), I have introduced a new sequential gearbox type, and to avoid problems with how to call this new one, I decide add a new way to call all of them.



Since now the new versions of the sequential gearboxes will be called with ordinal numbers. In this ordinal numbers don't enter other gearboxes types like: dual clutch, planetary or CVT, just normal sequential gearboxes.


Here you can see, from left to right: 1st Gen gearbox(Veyron) and 2 discarded dual-clutch gearboxes

Create a gearbox is very hard and it needs a lot of work, here some failed gearboxes before get a functional one, all them built between February and May 2009:




This is a preliminary version of the 1st Gen gearbox with only 5+R speeds.



A fast resume of all generations, type and versions

1st Generation

This was my first sequential gearbox(I think this was the fisrt Lego sequential gearbox with more than 3 speeds, but I am not sure), I designed it in 2009 to be used in my Bugatti Veyron.


The version used in my Veyron is a 7+R speeds. with a little modifitacions you can get a 4 speeds or a 5+R speeds versions.

The main feature that distinguishes this generation is that it has a speed selector in linear motion, and the distance between speeds are 2 studs.

Correct speeds change ratio: ~70%

To can learn more about it here.

In Octuber 2010 I designed a second version with auto-clutch. It worked fine, but I decide not publish it beceause it was too big to be used in any car.

2nd Generation

Before to finish the Veyron, I started to develope a new car(the Porsche), and even before I know what car I will build, I wanted to use again a sequential gearbox, but the Veyron's gearbox wasn't an option because it was too big. In the search of a new smaller gearbox I developed many differents prototypes. And this was one of them.



Finally I decided to use a dual-clutch gearbox to be more accurate to the real Porsche.

The main feature that distinguishes this generation is that it has a speed selector in linear motion, and the distance between speeds is only 1 stud.

I have used this gearbox in 3 of my big MOCs until today, all of them with differents speeds configurations and add-ons.

Type 1 - 2 switches(4 speeeds), without auto-stop, without clutch (Mini Cooper)

Correct speeds change ratio: ~90%

Here the Mini's gearbox. It was the first


You can download the step by step instructions for this gearbox here.

Type 2 - 3 switches(5+R speeds), with auto-stop, with auto-clutch (Land-Rover Defender 110)

Correct speeds change ratio: ~80-85%

Here the Lad-Rover drivetrain.


This drivetrain also includes a range gearbox and a 2WD/4WD selector, but the sequential gearbox is a normal 2nd Gen gearbox.

Type 3 - 5 switches(9+R speeds), with auto-stop, with auto-clutch (Peterbilt 379)

Correct speeds change ratio: ~80-85%

Here you can see the whole Peterbilt drivetrain. You can se the main gearbox, the drive motors, the range gearbox and the pneumatic module(compresor, compresor control and brakes control). In total 5 PF XL motors and 3 M.



3rd Generation

The history of this gearbox is very strange. Like the 2nd Gen, this gearbox was initialy developed as a alternative gearbox for the Porsche, but in this case I couldn't make a good system to generetare the auto-stop mechanism, so I leave it in a box of a while...

The main feature that distinguishes this generation is that it has a speed selector in circular motion.

To reduce the size of the few speeds versions I created two types: one for 2 swtiches and another for 3 and 4 switches.

Type 1 - 2 switches only

This type change one speed for each 90º of the selector switch movement.

Correct speeds change ratio: >95%


I will publish some information about it comming soon.

Type 2 - 3 & 4 switches

This type change one speed for each 45º of the selector switch movement.

This gearbox is specialy recomended for 4 switches, because with only 3 switches the saved space compared to the 2nd Gen is not significant, maybe around 5-10%. But with 4 switches the saved space is more than 20%

Version 1 (V1) - Caterham Seven (with auto-stop, with clutch)

Correct speeds change ratio: ~85-90%

This new gearbox is more reliavable than the 2nd generation, but it still have a little problem, and I need to fix it before publish nothing more about it: it can't support high torque. I could avoid this problem in the Caterham adding an external torque converter, but this is not the ideal way to do it.

Here you can see the Caterham Seven drivetrain.


Version 2 (V2) - Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (with auto-stop, with clutch)

Correct speeds change ratio: ~90-95%

This is a little bit smaller and more reliavable version of the 3rd gen. And with the torque problem fixed.

Here the Mustang GT500 drivetrain.



Future generations

For the future I have some ideas for new gearboxes generations, but they are only ideas... nothing more, and I don't know when I will can have a working prototype.

I hope this long explanation can help you to understand my gearboxes family and the high quantity of models developed along the years.

29 comments:

Blastem said...

Simply, Master of Technic.

It's great to have such a compilation of your GB here, so as we can compare design and creative evolution.

I miss the planetary one, but i suppose you don't include in list because of not used in any of your MOCS.

Keep exploring and amazing us with such Gearboxes!

Anonymous said...

Hola sheepo una pregunta si no te molesta... Por que no has introducido ninguna informacion sobre la caja de marchas del porsche? Tiene ya sus añitos pero sigue siendo un misterio como funciona. Eres un maquinaa. Sigue asi

Anonymous said...

Hi Sheepo,
Is there any possibility that you will start selling these gearboxes separately? Because I think there would be some people that would like to pay only for the gearbox and not for a whole car.
Please keep making more gearboxes,
Frank

Unknown said...

well sheepo nice gearboxes for some reason i cant get the land rover one to work good job anyway suprised they are still all intact

Sheepo said...

Tal y como he dicho muchas veces, no creo que jamas desvele como funciona esa caja.

I don't have plans to sell the gearboxes separately.

Anonymous said...

Hi Sheepo,
This post was really interesting. Is it possible to do the same for your suspensions [like, the DeDion axle for your Catherham] in the future ?
Hope you keep making cars like that in the future.

Unknown said...

intruction?!

Anonymous said...

how far are you with your new car?

Anonymous said...

Can i get a few more photos of the mustang gearbox from different angles? I am really interested in it.

Sheepo said...

1st Anonymous: I have shown my new car this weekend at first time this in Madrid, I will publish all info about it in some days.
2nd Anonymous: If you want a detalied pictures you should buy the instructions...

Anonymous said...

Do you have a Pagani Huayra or Zonda in your to do list? Bryan.

Sheepo said...

I don't answer questions about my future cars, sorry.

Anonymous said...

so it's a suprise or you dont no whats comming

Anonymous said...

whenwill you post all info about the Camion 8X8 chasis and Trail Truck 4X4?

Anonymous said...

How hard is it to make shifting-system work? And can you put a link like the best way to build a sequential-gearbox? Please it will be great if you do that!

Anonymous said...

Can you make story and instructions how you build sequential gearbox which using motor !

Anonymous said...

do you have plans to make free instructions for the sequential gearbox in your Ford Mustang Shelby GT500?

Unknown said...

Hin sheepo, i'm making my own gearboxes now (it's harder then i thought :D) but do you place you clutch before or after your gearbox ? Greets from belgium :D

Sheepo said...

Hi, I always place the clutch before the gearbox, just like a real car ;)

Anonymous said...

Hi sheepo, I am having trouble with my own gearbox, will make instructions for just your gearbox or should I buy the instructions for the whole Mustang Shelby GT500?

Anonymous said...

when you publish more info about Version 1 (V1) - Caterham Seven gearbox ! are you solved torque problem !

Anonymous said...

can you publish 3rd Gen V1 gearbox more pictures !

minion said...

can you release better pics/ info about Caterham Seven gearbox?

Unknown said...

Will there be any elaboration on the advancement mechanism of the 3rd gen gearbox?

snooby said...

will you release more information 3rd gen gearbox soon !

Anonymous said...

Which one is the most reliable one? The mustang's one?

Sheepo said...

Probably the 300SL gearbox, it is 4th GEN.

Unknown said...

Are you going to be updating this article to include the 300SL's gearbox as well then?

Anonymous said...

Will you be releasing more information about your 3rd generation gearboxes or adding the BMW or 300SL gearboxes to this article?

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