A301 Issue tracking

[robogreg]

Hey All,
We are happy to have A301's in the hands of teams with more going out soon. As we have been building these Alpha units we have discovered (and will continue to discover issues). This is all normal stuff as we ramp towards a final product, we want to make you aware of things you may see or happen. As fixes come out or additional issues come up I will post in this thread.

• A301 Zero Reference Not Defined

  • Motors require the absolute encoder zero position to be set in software before use.
  • Consistent factory indexing/locating methods are currently being tested.

• Gearbox Cartridges Are Not Loctite Safe

  • Current gearbox cartridges are manufactured from an ABS+PC blend.
  • Exposure to Loctite can damage the material.
  • Alternative materials are currently being developed and tested.

• Faulty Gearbox Behavior

  • If a faulty gearbox is detected, the A301 will stop moving after 5 seconds.

• Rotor Spline Failure

  • Failures of the rotor spline (motor-to-gearbox interface) have been observed after extended use.
  • Root cause has been traced to a manufacturing deviation.
  • Corrective actions are currently being developed and tested.

• Motor Behavior When Rotor Does Not Engage With Gearbox

  • A stripped rotor spline can cause erratic motor behavior.
  • When operating in position or velocity PID modes, the motor may rapidly oscillate back and forth due to loss of mechanical coupling.

• Rotor Magnet Failure

  • Adhesive failure of rotor magnets has been observed after motor overheating.
  • This failure causes the motor to no longer operate properly.
  • Design and manufacturing fixes are currently being developed and tested.