Manufacturing: Restraint Pin

Hey guys,

Today we finished the last and final part of our restraint manufacturing and assembly: the pin. This pin allows the planetary gearbox to pull it out, releasing the restraint.

The first picture shows the original pin length, and the planetary motor assembly.

We bought a stock aluminum pin from a hardware store, then cut it down to less than an inch in length. This allowed it to be just long enough to fit through both the restraint and the restraint housing.

To allow the planetary assembly to retract the pin, we first attached a brass coupling off the end of the motor. We then attached Kevlar yarn through the pin and around the brass coupling. When the planetary motor spins, it winds the yarn up and retracts the pin, releasing the restraint.

We had some troubleshooting uses with the control box, as the motor would not always spin. We have fixed it (hopefully) and it works really well.

-Dan