Tamiya 70103 Universal Gearbox Kit

Unlike the other gearboxes in Tamiya’s series, the universal gearbox has a thin metal frame, making it the smallest Tamiya gearbox. The final two gears are metal, making for a tough output. A worm gear allows for the high gear ratio options of 101:1, 269:1, and 719:1.

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Description

Tamiya 70103 Universal Gearbox Kit dimensions in mm

Tamiya 70103 universal gearbox has a thin, compact, metal frame, making it the smallest Tamiya gearbox. The final two gears are metal, making for a tough output. A worm gear allows for the high gear ratio options of 101:1, 269:1, and 719:1. The main output shaft can be oriented in four different directions, and a small, auxiliary output shaft turns perpendicularly to the main output shaft.

The output shafts are 3 mm hexagonal axles that are 10 cm (about four inches) from tip to tip. The axles work with any of the Tamiya wheels we carry, giving you many options for your robot speed. The low-voltage motors run on 3-6 volts and draw up to a few amps, making them perfect candidates for the DRV8833 motor driver carrier. Motor overheating can be caused by excessive stalling, even at very low voltages. We recommend that you use stall-detection sensors, or just watch your robot, to make sure that it doesn’t stall for more than a few seconds at a time. For motor specs, see the Mabuchi motor FA-130 (#18100) data sheet (58k pdf).

Note that you can replace this motor with a lower-current, higher-voltage version if you want to use this gearbox with controllers such as the qik 2s9v1 dual serial motor controller, TB6612FNG dual motor driver carrier, or Baby Orangutan B-328 robot controller.

To compare all Tamiya gear box kits, see the Tamiya Gearbox Gear Ratio Comparison.

Note: The universal gearbox kit is a kit; assembly is required. To use the kit in robotics projects, you need to connect the motors to your own robot controller.

Specifications

General specifications

Typical operating voltage:	3 V
Gear ratio options:	101, 269, 719 :1
Free-run motor shaft speed @ 3V:	12300 rpm¹
Free-run current @ 3V:	150 mA²
Stall current @ 3V:	2100 mA
Motor shaft stall torque @ 3V:	0.5 oz·in

Notes:

1: A theoretical speed of the gearbox output shaft can be computed by dividing this speed by the gear ratio.
2: This is the no-load current of the motor when disconnected from the gears in the gearbox; the no-load current of the entire gearbox with the motor connected will be slightly higher and will vary depending on the gear ratio.

Resources

Documentation and other information

Tamiya Gearbox Gear Ratio Comparison

Table comparing the gear ratios available in the many different Tamiya gearboxes we carry.

Tamiya “Toy” Motor Testing by Adam Borrell (a.k.a nexisnet) (Printable PDF)

Adam, who posts under the username nexisnet on the Pololu forums, has performed a detailed series of experiments to determine how operating voltage affects the lifetime of the Mabuchi FA-130 motor, which happens to be the motors used in the Tamiya 70168 Double Gearbox, 70167 Single Gearbox (4-Speed), 70097 Twin-Motor Gearbox, 70093 3-Speed Crank-Axle Gearbox, 70110 4-Speed Crank-Axle Gearbox, and 70103 Universal Gearbox.

File downloads

Mabuchi motor FA-130 datasheet (see model #18100) (58k pdf)

FAQs

Does this gearbox come with motors?: Yes, motors are included with the Tamiya gearbox kits.
How do I order the correct gear ratio for this gearbox?: The Tamiya gearbox kits come with all of the gears and parts necessary to build the gearbox in any of the possible gear ratio configurations.
Is this gearbox suitable for my robot or project?: This gearbox is an eduational kit that you have to put together yourself. It is designed for use in small, indoor projects. The gearbox comes with plastic gears and small, low-voltage motors; if you are looking to build anything meant to work outdoors or in a rugged setting, you should be ready to replace the gearbox often or consider using a more robust, pre-assembled gearbox.
What are the specifications for the motors included in this gearbox kit?: The Tamiya gearbox kits come with motors made by Mabuchi; please see the Mabuchi motor datasheet in the “Resources” section of this gearbox page for motor specs (be sure to look at the correct model number in the datasheet as indicated in the “Resources” link).
What kind of speed and torque will I get from this gearbox?: You can extrapolate a theoretical torque and RPM of the gearbox based on the gear ratio you build, the motor voltage, and the motor speed and torque. In general, this gearbox is a toy, so if you need very precise specifications, you might consider a more industrial gearbox.
How will operating voltage affect motor lifetime? How bad is it to run these Tamiya motors at voltages exceeding the suggested 3 V maximum?: In general, the higher your voltage, the sooner your motors will die. Because these are toy motors, the manufacturer does not provide any official cycle-life specifications, but a customer of ours has conducted his own series of experiments that shed light on the relationship between operating voltage and motor lifetime. You can view Adam’s results here.