Skip to content
Ridgebotics

Flywheel shooter

Guide 5

Loads come from inertia: a hard push to spin up, and the wheel pushes back when the motor brakes.

Where the flywheel's energy goes

Example inputs; the calculator updates these with yours. Imperial first, metric in parentheses.

125 JstoredBrake: 1.3 ft·lb back18 lbf per hex corner (81 N)Spin-up: 0.93 s to 3,440 rpm(60 A, 36T:24T step-up)Like dropping 10 lbfrom 9.3 ft4% speed lost per shot(energy only; real loss higher)Belt: 8.8 lbf (39 N)
appliedcalculatedwatchfailure point

Example inputs from the calculator defaults. Losses ignored.

Open in calculator →

Flywheel inertia loads the belt on spin-up and the bore on braking

  • Inputs
  • Joint
  • Calc
  • Check
  • Motor type and quantity
  • Current limit

Motor

  • Motor torque at limit and stall
  • Free speed
  • Calc
  • Driver and driven teeth
  • Step up or down, belt width

Belt or gear stage

  • Belt tension at spin-up
  • Pass or fail
  • Check
  • Shaft length
  • Pulley material and bore type

Flywheel shaft

  • Bore torque on a hard brake
  • Pass or fail
  • Check
  • Flywheel mass
  • Diameter, solid or ring

Flywheel

  • Moment of inertia
  • Stored energy at speed
  • Calc
  • Target exit speed
  • Game piece mass

Shot

  • Spin-up time
  • Speed drop per shot
  • Calc

What it teaches

Stored energy can drive torque back through the chain in reverse.

Session hook

Coast versus brake mode. Compare stop time and compute bore torque for each.

Open in calculator →