← Design notebook

BUILT BY AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS · WORK IN PROGRESS

Slip rings for the turret's pan joint

Sourced research for the Gyropup foam-ball turret (cad/turret.py in the turret worktree): a slip ring on the pan axis so the turret can pan without limit. Every number below carries its source and the date it was read. Prices are single-unit, US dollars unless marked. "est" marks an estimate and gives its basis. Written 2026-10-27; the plan that uses this is docs/turret-plan.md.

1. Summary

2. The joint as built, and what the ring must do

From cad/turret.py (turret worktree, read 2026-10-27), T frame, z up from the TM mounting face:

Feature Value Where
Pan bearing 6810-2Z, 50 × 65 × 7, bottom at z = 40 BRG, Geo.brg_z
Turntable (pan ring) 63 T m1.25 gear, Ø40 open centre z 23..69, Ø50 journal z 28..47, circlip z 34..36 (Ø60.8 reach) pan_ring, circlip_z
Base housing tube ID Ø65 z 5..38, foot 5 mm with a Ø65 centre opening, cable window −y at z 5..23 (20 wide), the servo lead channel to the centre pan_base
Yoke bridge z 69..77, Ø30 cable hole tilt_yoke
TM interface 4 × M5 on 80 × 80, 2 × Ø5 dowels, Ø45 hole; head ring ID Ø60 TM_*, head_ring_tm
Pan drive STS3215 at (−52.6, 0), 21 T pinion, 3:1; stop post at r 68.5..74 (front), finger on the turntable, hard stop ±173.5°, software ±170° Geo, pan_base, pan_ring
Pan speed 90 deg/s at most (servo 45 rpm / 3), 100 deg/s cap near people cad/turret_motion.py, exports/turret/motion.json
Panning mass / inertia 1047 g, 0.0033 kg m² about the pan axis (full hopper) motion.json
Tilt axis on the pan axis, z = 136 Geo.tilt_t

So the axis is free from the mounting face up to the yoke bridge (69 mm), with Ø40 clear between z 23 and 69 and Ø65 below. The ring's revolutions are few: 600 per day at an average 30 deg/s for 2 h (calc), so 10⁷ rated revolutions is about 46 years. Speed is never above 15 rpm. What matters is contact noise under the flywheel current pulse, CAN integrity, and a mounting that does not load the ring's own bearings.

3. Form factors

Form What it is Sizes seen Fit here
Capsule Rotor shaft in a plastic or aluminium can; leads out of both ends; stator flange or none; its own miniature ball bearings Ø12.4-25 mm, 14-66 mm long: Moflon MC190/260/330 (Ø22, 26/33 mm), Senring M220 (Ø22, 19-54.5 mm), Servotecnica SVTS A 01-07 (Ø12-25), Orbex 312/322 (Ø12.4/22), Moog AC6023/6305/6310 (0.57-1.38 in long), Adafruit 775/1195 (Ø12), 736/1196 (Ø22) Yes: in the Ø40 bore with the flange in the foot
Through-bore (hollow shaft) Hollow rotor for a shaft, cable or optics; a stator with an anti-rotation tab Moflon MT012: 12.7 mm bore, Ø56, 25.8-155.6 mm long; Moflon MT (XMU's: 20 bore, 42 OD); Senring SNH012: 12.7 bore, Ø56; Rotary Systems SR013: through bore, 2.14-4.94 in long; Ingiant DHK012-12 Ø56 does not fit the Ø40 bore or the Ø45 TM hole; a 20/42 ring fits only in the Ø65 cavity below z 23 (23 mm tall: too short). Would allow a magnet encoder on the axis, at the cost of a deeper base
Pancake (flat / platter) Rings on a disc, axial brushes; thin, wide Moflon MP/MF series; Senring SNF flat series (a Mouser-hosted sheet exists); Adafruit 776 toroid 2.1 in OD × 0.5 in ID, 6 × 5 A (no longer stocked) Thin but wide; could sit under the turntable only by widening the base; no advantage here

Sources: Moflon MC260/MC330 sheets (mc260.pdf, mc330.html, read 2026-10-27); Moflon MT012 (read 2026-10-27); Senring M220 catalogue via SparkFun (read 2026-10-27); Servotecnica SVTS A series (read 2026-10-27); Rotary Systems SR013 (read 2026-10-27); Adafruit slip ring category (read 2026-10-27); Ingiant DHK012-12 via search (2026-10-27). The Senring SNH012 figures come from a reseller listing seen in search (bore 12.7, OD 56, 4 circuits at 5 A, 300 rpm) and are unverified.

4. Contacts and what the ratings mean

5. Vendors

Prices and stock read 2026-10-27 unless noted. "Quote" means the vendor publishes no price.

5.1 Moog (Blacksburg VA; Moog Components Group)

Model Rings Rating Size Noise Speed Leads Price / buy
AC6023 6, 12, 18, 24 2 A, 240 VAC 0.57-1.38 in long; Ø0.87 in (22 mm) per distributor listings 60 mΩ max 250 rpm 28 AWG silver-plated, PTFE, 12-48 in AC6023-12 about $192 on an Octopart listing (search snippet, 2026-10-27, not verified on the page); "quick shipment"; "Find a distributor"
AC6305 3 × 5 A + 6/9/12 × 2 A 240 VAC 1.38 in long 60 mΩ 250 rpm 20 AWG (5 A), 26 AWG (2 A) quote
AC6310 3 × 10 A + 3 or 6 × 2 A 120 VAC 1.38 in long 60 mΩ at 6 V / 50 mA / 5 rpm 250 rpm 16 AWG tin-plated (10 A), 26 AWG (2 A) quote; sealed and metal-housing options
SRA-73587 4 × 10 A + 24 × 2 A, 240 VAC search snippet only; product page 404 on 2026-10-27
AC7203 (ESE224 at DSTI) 2 × 2 A + 2 × 10 A + 1 Ethernet 100 Mbps 43 mm long $938 at store.dsti.com (search snippet; page returned 403)

Mounting advice (Moog AC6023 installation guide, via search 2026-10-27; the PDF itself returned 404): flange-mount the capsule with the barrel cantilevered; drive the rotor "through a flexible coupling such as rubber tubing, a helical coupling, or a bellows type to absorb eccentricity"; the ring "is not built to bear the weight of the attached equipment"; never hard-mount both ends.

Moog's data-sheet PDFs under moog.com/content/dam/... returned HTTP 404 to a plain fetch on 2026-10-27; the product pages above are the sources used.

5.2 Moflon (Shenzhen; ships DHL/UPS; "best selling standard models in stock")

Model Rings Size Grade Price / buy
MC260 12 × 2 A; mixed: MC260-P0304-S06 (3 × 4 A + 6 × 2 A), MC260-P0208-S02 (2 × 8 A + 3 × 4 A + 2 × 2 A per the sheet's table), MC260-P0308 (3 × 8 A) Ø22 × 26 mm MC260: 250 rpm, > 10 M revs, 10 mΩ at 10 rpm, engineering plastic; MC2609: 1000 rpm, > 20 M revs, 4 mΩ, plastic + aluminium, thicker gold, "imported bearings" quote (sales@moflon.com); a "Buy Online" link to a store
MC330 18 × 2 A; MC330-P0308-S06 (3 × 8 A + 6 × 2 A), MC330-P0604-S06 (6 × 4 A + 6 × 2 A), MC330-P0408-S02 (4 × 8 A + 2 × 2 A), MC330-P0215 (2 × 15 A) Ø22 × 33 mm same two grades (MC330 / MC3309) quote
MT012 through-bore 2-48 rings, 10 A or 2 A each, any mix 12.7 mm bore, Ø56, 54.8 mm long at 12 rings 1000 rpm, < 5 mΩ noise, < 2 mΩ contact, IP51, −40..80 °C, 22 AWG / 16 AWG leads quote
MUSB1221 / 1222 1 or 2 USB 2.0 channels + power (5 A rings listed) Ø22 250 rpm, 10 M revs quote (search 2026-10-27)
ME1222 Ethernet + 5 A power Ø22 quote (DirectIndustry listing, 2026-10-27; page returned 403)

Common MC data (sheets read 2026-10-27): 0-240 VAC/VDC, insulation ≥ 100 MΩ at 500 VDC, dielectric 500 VAC 60 s, 28 AWG PTFE leads 300 mm standard (longer on request), torque 0.05 N·m + 0.01 N·m per 6 rings, IP51, −30..80 °C, 0-85 % RH. The sheet notes "N channels 2A rings parallel can be used as 1 channel N × 2A current", i.e. paralleling is sanctioned. Flange options FL01-FL07 are drawn in the sheet (no dimensions in the text layer). Moflon's installation guide (read 2026-10-27): fix one side with screws to keep concentricity, "make sure it rotate fluently before tighten the screws", and "do not fix anti-rotating pin forcibly".

5.3 Senring (Shenzhen; sold in the US through SparkFun / Digi-Key / RobotShop for the 2 A models)

Catalogue (M220 series, read 2026-10-27), all Ø22 mm:

Part Rings Leads Length
M220-06 / -12 / -18 / -24 / -36 6-36 × 2 A 26 AWG PTFE silver-plated 19 / 26 / 33 / 40 / 54.5 mm
M220-0605 / -0805 / -1205 6 / 8 / 12 × 5 A 22 AWG 40 mm
M220-0210 / -0310 / -0410 2 / 3 / 4 × 10 A 17 AWG 26 / 33 / 40 mm
M220-0210-12S 2 × 10 A + 12 signal 17 AWG + 26 AWG 40 mm
M220-0310-06S 3 × 10 A + 6 signal 17 + 26 AWG 40 mm
M220-0410-04S 4 × 10 A + 4 signal 17 + 26 AWG 40 mm
M220-0205-12S / -0305-12S / -0605-06S 2/3 × 5 A + 12 signal, 6 × 5 A + 6 signal 22 + 26 AWG 40 mm
M220-0230 / -0330, M220-0320-04S 2/3 × 30 A, 3 × 20 A + 4 signal 12 / 14 AWG 40-47 mm

Specification (same catalogue): 150 rpm, −30..80 °C, gold-gold, plastic housing, torque 0.05 N·m + 0.01 per 6 circuits, IP51, 0-240 VAC/VDC, insulation ≥ 300 MΩ, dielectric 300 VAC, noise < 0.01 Ω, leads 150 mm standard. Flange type "A" (M220A) or none; the SNM022A-12 sheet says "speeds up to 250 rpm continuous", "compatible with data bus protocols", "Transfers analog and digital signals, Ethernet, USB, RS, Canbus".

US retail of the plain 2 A versions: SparkFun ROB-13065 (12 wires, 28 AWG, 250 mm leads, 2 A, 210 VDC / 240 VAC, 250 rpm, Ø22 × 26.5 mm, flange Ø44.5, IP51) $27.95, in stock; the same at Digi-Key $27.95, 21 in stock (search snapshot 2026-10-27; the page itself returned 403); RobotShop US $27.95. ROB-13064 (6 wires) $21.50. The mixed power models are not stocked by these resellers: quote from sales@senring.com.

5.4 JINPAT (Shenzhen; claims a North America office in the LPC-12 catalogue header)

5.5 Orbex Group (Austin TX)

5.6 Rotary Systems (Ramsey MN; made in USA)

5.7 Servotecnica (Nova Milanese, Italy; Servotecnica USA, Fair Oaks CA, +1 925-640-7042)

From the SVTS A series sheet (read 2026-10-27): capsules Ø12 (A 01), Ø15 (A 02), Ø22 (A 03), Ø25 (A 04); high-current A 05 (Ø22: 3 × 4/8/10/20 A), A 06 / A 07. Common data: 240 VDC/VAC, silver-plated PTFE colour-coded leads 250 mm (multiples of 250 on request), dielectric 500 VAC, insulation > 500 MΩ, dynamic contact resistance < 10 mΩ, up to 500 rpm, stainless miniature bearings, ABS or aluminium housing, gold-gold, −20..80 °C, IP51 (S) or IP65 (U), expected lifetime 10⁷ revolutions. Lead gauge by rating: 1 A continuous / 2 A peak 28 AWG; 2 A 26 AWG; 4 A 22 AWG; 6 A 20 AWG; 8 A 16 AWG.

SVTS A 03 (Ø22) standard models (L1 body length, L2 rotor stub, mm): 00/06 (19), 00/12 (28), 02/02 (2 × 6 A + 2 × 2 A, 28), 00/18 (33.4), 03/00 (3 × 8 A, 33.4), 00/24 (41.2), 04/06 (4 × 6 A + 6 × 2 A, 41.2), 00/36 (57). IP65 "U" versions are 27-66 mm. Ethernet option E1M (100BASE-T) adds 5 rings: e.g. A 03-S-A-00/06-E1M, 28 mm. The drawing text gives the A 03 flange as Ø44 with 3 × Ø5.5 holes (PCD read as Ø35), a Ø7.8 rotor stub, 2.4 mm flange. SVTS A 04 (Ø25): 04/18 (4 × 6 A + 18 × 2 A, 51.5 mm), 03/15 (3 × 8 A + 15 × 2 A). No prices; quote through the US office.

5.8 Adafruit and SparkFun (the cheap baseline, in stock in the US)

Part Rings Size Rating Price (2026-10-27)
Adafruit 736 6 × 2 A Ø22, 44 mm flange 240 V, 26 AWG $14.95
Adafruit 1196 12 × 2 A Ø22, 44 mm flange 240 V, 28 AWG 6 in leads, 300 rpm $19.95 (6 in stock)
Adafruit 775 / 1195 6 / 12 × 2 A Ø12 $17.50 / $24.95
Adafruit 776 toroid 6 × 5 A 2.1 in OD, 0.5 in ID no longer stocked
SparkFun ROB-13064 6 × 2 A Ø22 250 rpm $21.50
SparkFun ROB-13065 12 × 2 A Ø22 × 26.5, flange Ø44.5 210 VDC, 250 rpm, IP51 $27.95

The Adafruit ring is a Hangzhou Prosper SRC022A (drawing sheet, read 2026-10-27: 2 A per ring, 26 AWG silver-plated FEP, 250 mm leads, dielectric 500 VAC, insulation 1000 MΩ, noise < 0.01 Ω, 0-300 rpm, −20..80 °C, precious-metal contacts; the A1 flange drawing shows three Ø5 holes). SparkFun's is Senring's M220-12 (section 5.3). Both are the same Ø22 / Ø44 capsule class as the quality rings, so one printed carrier fits all of them with a per-model hole pattern.

5.9 Others seen

Ingiant (Jiujiang): DHK012-12 through-bore (12.7 mm, 12 circuits at 5 or 10 A, 380 VAC, 300 rpm, IP51; also sold as a "CAN bus slip ring"), DHM022 capsules, USB capsules "up to 20 amps" power (search 2026-10-27). RotaRX RX-HS012C-QS1-02010S (12.7 bore, 2 × 10 A + 10 × 5 A, 250 rpm, 20 M revs, IP51). Not pursued: no US path found, and the capsules above cover the need.

6. What RoboMaster teams actually use

RoboMaster infantry robots spin the chassis under a continuous-yaw gimbal; the chassis battery (24 V) and the CAN bus reach the gimbal through a slip ring. Sources read 2026-10-27:

What this teaches: 12-24 gold rings, 2 A class signals plus paralleled or dedicated power rings, CAN through the ring as a matter of course, USB kept off it, and the ring mounted on a stiff metal part concentric with the yaw bearing.

7. Hybrid rings: CAN, Ethernet, USB

8. The contactless alternative

Inductive power across the joint plus a wireless data link:

Verdict: not for this turret. A $30-300 gold capsule does the job; contactless costs more than the rest of the turret and still needs a radio for data.

9. Excluded: mercury-wetted rings

Mercotac's rotary connectors use "a pool of liquid metal" (Mercotac FAQ, read via search 2026-10-27); resellers describe the Mercotac 630 as using "mercury as a conductive medium". Mercury inside a toy that children handle and that can be dropped is not acceptable regardless of the (small, unpublished) quantity; excluded without further evaluation.

10. Mounting practice (from the vendors' guides)

  1. Fix the stator flange rigidly to the stationary part with flat washers under the screws (Orbex; Moog).
  2. Drive the rotor through a flexible coupling: rubber or silicone tubing over the rotor stub, heat-shrink, or a pin in a slot with clearance; the ring's own bearings carry the rotor; "do not fix the anti-rotation pin forcibly" (Moflon); at ≤ 5 rpm the leads alone may act as the coupling (Orbex). Never hard-mount both ends (Moog).
  3. Keep axial and radial loads off the ring's bearings (Orbex, Moog): the turret's pan bearing (6810) carries the turret; the ring only turns.
  4. Secure the leads so they touch nothing while turning and apply no side load (Orbex); strain-relieve within 30 mm of each connector (docs/mechanical-interfaces.md cable rules).
  5. Check it turns freely before tightening (Moflon).

11. The loads, from their data sheets (for the ring's channel list)

Load Where it rides Numbers Source (read 2026-10-27)
DJI Snail 2305 flywheel motor, ×2 cartridge (tilts) 875 rpm/V, 10.9 mN·m/A, phase R 181.5 mΩ, L 25.9 µH, 7 pole pairs, rotor 1.84 kg·mm², 27.8 g, 24 V rated; no-load 0.4 A at 21,000 rpm (catalog) RoboMaster Snail 2305; catalog/turret.json
DJI C615 ESC (the DJI option) cartridge 24 V rated, 26 V max, 15 A continuous phase, 20 A for 3 s, 3S-6S, 500 Hz PWM, 9.7 g RoboMaster C615 (search snippet); catalog
Repeat Robotics AM32 35 A ESC (the chosen ESC) cartridge 35 A, 3-6S; AM32 firmware EEPROM has limits.current, current_P/I/D, max_ramp (0.1-25 % per ms), startup_power, use_sine_start, stall_protection, brake_on_stop, low_voltage_cut_off, KISS telemetry, DShot and servo PWM input catalog/turret.json; AM32 eeprom.h; forum reports that the current limit became a closed PID loop in v2.19 RC1 (2025) and was unreliable before: verify on the bench
DJI M2006 P36 + C610 (feed dial) cartridge motor 90 g, 36:1, 500 rpm no load, 1 N·m continuous, 416 rpm at 1 N·m; C610 10 A max continuous, CAN, 17 g, 50 × 22 × 7.3 mm; $41 (committee) RoboMaster M2006
Feetech STS3215 12 V (tilt on the turret, pan in the base) both sides 6-12.6 V, stall 2.7 A, no-load 0.2 A, 45 rpm, 4096 counts, 1 Mbit/s half-duplex TTL; registers: min/max angle limit 9/11 (set 0 for multi-turn), max torque 16, protection current 28 (6.5 mA units, default 511 = 3.3 A), overload 35/36, mode 33 (0 position, 1 constant speed, 2 PWM, 3 step), torque limit 48, goal position 42 (−32767..32767 × 0.087° = ±7.9 turns), present current 69; "±7 circles" relative mode, turn count not kept over power-off Waveshare ST3215 wiki; STS memory table (third-party; verify against Feetech's sheet)
Picotronic DD520-1-24(12x40) laser cradle (tilts) 12-24 VDC, 5-20 mA (10 typ), 520 nm, 1 mW class 2, 1 kHz internal modulation Picotronic 70121025
Lights (WS2812 ring or similar) turret budget 0.5 A at 5 V = 0.15 A at 24 V (est: 12 LEDs at 40 mA) est
Turret MCU + sensors turret Adafruit Feather M4 CAN Express 4759: SAME51 120 MHz, built-in CAN transceiver with its own 5 V boost, 3.3 V logic, 21 GPIO, 16 PWM, 6 ADC, 50.8 × 22.8 × 7 mm, 5 g, $24.95, in stock; budget 0.2 A at 5 V Adafruit 4759
24 → 12 V regulators (Pololu) turret and base D24V150F12: 12 V ±4 %, 15 A typ, 4.5-40 V in, instantaneous limit ~32 A, thermal shutdown, 43 × 32 × 11 mm, $79.95, rationed (newer D42V110Fx family to 60 V, 6-16 A, $69.95 recommended by Pololu); D36V50F12: 12 V ±4 %, 4.5 A typ at 36 V in (2.3-6.5 A over the range), 13.3-50 V in, 25.4 × 25.4 × 9.5 mm, $39.95 Pololu 2885; Pololu 4095; category
Flywheel-rail switch for the safety line turret Pololu Big MOSFET Slide Switch HP 2815: 4.5-40 V, 16 A continuous (6 A before it is "noticeably warm"), 8.6 mΩ, ON pin > ~1 V turns it on, default off, reverse protected, $8.49; Pololu: "Do not use this switch as an emergency cutoff" (so it is one layer, not the only one) Pololu 2815
TE Deutsch DT04-12PA-L012 (the TM connector) base 12 positions, size 16 pins, 13 A max per contact, 250 VDC, IP68 / IP6K9K, panel mount, 45.9 × 55.1 × 35.6 mm; the page says "not currently available" (use a distributor); mates DT06-12SA with W12S wedge and 0462-201-16141 sockets (cad/build_turret.py) TE DT04-12PA-L012

12. The current through the ring: the spin-up pulse and what limits it

The physics agent's launch model (sim/turret_launch.py, exports/turret/launch/launch.json in the turret worktree, read 2026-10-27) fixes the flywheel design point: Ø36 mm wheels, 25 % crush, a 12 V regulated rail for the flywheel ESCs (the velocity ceiling: 10,437 rpm no load, the worst ball at 100 % throttle on a +5 % motor and a +4 % regulator leaves at 64.2 fps, 3.6 fps under the 70 fps cap), set speed 9,408 rpm (985 rad/s) for 55 fps, wheel inertia 3.92e-6 kg·m² each, ESC current limit 10 A, 7 % speed drop per shot. With those numbers (a current-limited spin-up on the Snail's 875 rpm/V, 0.363 Ω phase-to-phase, friction from the 0.4 A no-load current; both motors; the 24 V side through a 90 %-efficient regulator; calc, 2026-10-27):

Case ESC input peak per motor 24 V ring current peak, both motors Charge Time to 98 % speed RMS over 1 s
12 V rail, 10 A ESC limit, step command 10.0 A 11.1 A 0.37 C 39 ms 1.5 A
12 V rail, 4.5 A limit (one D36V50F12 per ESC) 4.5 A 5.0 A 0.31 C 79 ms 0.9 A
12 V rail, 10 A limit, 200 ms speed ramp 1.9 A 2.1 A 0.27 C 197 ms 0.5 A
12 V rail, 10 A limit, 350 ms ramp 1.1 A 1.2 A 0.24 C 344 ms 0.4 A
24 V rail (no regulator), 10 A limit 5.9 A 13.1 A 0.38 C 35 ms 1.7 A
24 V rail, 15 A limit 9.9 A 22.0 A 0.44 C 23 ms 2.4 A

Also: kinetic energy at set speed 1.9 J per wheel; steady friction current 0.18 A per motor; energy restored per shot 0.26 J per wheel, i.e. 5.2 W mechanical at 10 shots/s, about 0.3 A average at 24 V; the burst's re-acceleration pulses are shorter than the spin-up (recovering 7 % of speed at the 10 A limit takes about 6 ms, calc).

What this means for the ring:

Hence the channel list in docs/turret-plan.md: two power rings per rail at ≥ 8 A (or one at 10 A each way with the ramp as the primary limit), six to eight 2 A signal rings.

Two more numbers the plan rests on (calc, 2026-10-27, same motor constants):

13. Not verified, and what would settle it