Cycloidal Gearbox
Hardware
mechanical gearbox
SHOW HN2026
Legend
Cycloidal Gearbox
I'm a 15 Year Old Wannabe Engineer, This Is a Cycloidal Gearbox I Built
github.com#cycloidal gearbox#cycloidal drive#low backlash gearbox#fusion 360 python
How HN took it
24 positive, 11 neutral or asking, 3 mixed, 0 critical, out of 38 comments about the project. Thread score +0.59.
Execution: 2 for, 0 againstIdea: 1 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Impressive work for a 15-year-old; craftsmanship and documentation praised
From 3 comments
Impressive work for someone of any age! - any project that involves hardware or physical objects (especially ones you are manufacturing!) is impressive - the craftsmanship -…
sota_pop on HNDon’t listen to people telling you not to post your age on the internet. This is solid work and you did this instead of being stuck in one of the hundreds of +1 dopamine traps in…
Izmaki on HNV2 to V3 iteration was actually impressive regardless of age
elsaicequeen on HN
Encouragement to drop the wannabe label
From 3 comments
I think you can drop the wannabe label. Of course you have a long way to go and much to learn but I think you are already an engineer, just one at the very start of what might be…
ninalanyon on HNCongrats! You are not a wannabe engineer, you are an engineer. If you have the motivation to chase your passion to build these machines, you are already an engineer. Keep going!
yitchelle on HNYou are a very talented 15 year old engineer. Not a wannabe. Just getting a head start on the imposter syndrome! Welcome to the club
bluelightning2k on HN
Objections
Posting age on a public forum is a bad idea
From 3 comments
Don't post your age on the internet :) Project looks cool
morelikeborelax on HNit is pretty cool, but posting your age + an (likely) AI project on hacker news is probably a bad idea.
bunchy7s on HNThose saying it's fine come from a good place. I come from a world where we see young people groomed, pursued and manipulated. There is no serious reason to posting your age as a…
morelikeborelax on HN
Project likely AI-generated
From 1 comment
it is pretty cool, but posting your age + an (likely) AI project on hacker news is probably a bad idea.
bunchy7s on HN
Requests
Add a description of what the gearbox does to the README
From 1 comment
Might be worth adding that info to the README
WithinReason on HN
Measure backlash and efficiency under load
From 1 comment
cycloidal designs are a great thing to have actually built rather than just read about. the eccentric motion is easy to follow on paper and then surprisingly fiddly once real…
useiris on HN
Export SVG files for CNC cutting
From 1 comment
Nice! Can it output SVG files for cutting w/ a CNC?
WillAdams on HN
Questions
What is a cycloidal gearbox and how does it compare to toothed gears?
From 2 comments
What is it? Is this like a gear, where the output shaft turns at some fraction of the input shaft? Is better or worse than traditional toothed gears in some way?
two_handfuls on HNWhat is it?
bilsbie on HN