Technical information

Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006

Why (and why not) should I buy the high torque gear set?

Why (and why not) should I use helical gears?

In its simplest form, the term "gear ratio" in the context of AEG mechbox defines

the relationship between the pinion gear and the spur gear. It addresses the

concern of how many times the pinion gear has to turn in order to make the spur

gear turn once. Therefore, gear ratio equals the number of teeth on the spur

gear divided by the number of teeth on the pinion gear.

So the gearing in the mechbox actually reduces the speed transmitted to the

piston, not increases it. Such a speed reduction, however, is considered

necessary as it adds torque. A low gear ratio slows things down but produces

more torque, and vice versa. The higher the gear ratio, the hotter the batteries

(and the motor) get as they induce more current to supply the same amount of

torque. To illustrate, refer to the example illustration below:

The above shows a 3:1 gear ratio. The gear with 10 teeth (the right one) will

have rotated completely when the 30-tooth gear (the left one) has rotated a

third of its way. A gear ratio closer to 1:1 will allow both gears to turn at closer

speed rates, thus producing higher RPM but less torque. Less torque means

more stress imposed on the motor when there is a need to pull a

stronger spring.

The TM FAMAS, the ACX MP5/L85 and the Cybergun A15 R1 all share the same