Very cool. I don't care if something has already been invented. That doesn't make your own thought process to develop it on your own any less impressive. Excellent work.

I am an intelligent man. You’ve made me feel like an idiot and I appreciate that. Don’t waste your talent and keep striving to change the world.

Be glad for your ingenuity. Not every concept is a moneymaker but the mental exercise is its own reward.

For your final drive look into the concept of sprags. Reduce wear and ratcheting noise. There is a very simple design consisting of an inner race with ramps a cylinder roller and flat metal formed into a zigzag spring to keep the roller pushed up the ramp. The outer race is smooth. Going the active direction the roller pushes against the spring and down the ramp. Try to reverse and spring pushes up the ramp and wedges against the ramp and outer race and stops the rotation. Very quiet, very smooth and silent.

As a 62 year old mechanical engineer, I've seen these types of variable speed drives (VSDs) over the years. One name for them is an impulse drive. They employ a series of crank-rocker mechanisms, each of which is at a certain fixed phase angle with the others. Each crank-rocker employs some sort of an overrunning clutch that drives the output shaft, e.g., a wrap-spring clutch, a friction ratchet w/ spring-loaded pawls or balls, etc. The ones I've seen have a hand crank that turns a power screw which varies the distance between the two ground revolute joints to vary the output shaft speed. Some issues with these types of VSDs are: 1) With a constant input shaft speed, the output shaft speed varies. This results in torque fluctuations. Depending on the load being driven, this can result in fatigue failures. 2) The overrunning clutches are frictional devices with inherent losses that decrease overall drive efficiency. 3) Each crank-rocker mechanism has a non constant mechanical advantage which further decreases the overall drive efficiency. 4) High cost. For applications where non constant output shaft speeds aren't a major concern and driven loads aren't large, e.g., conveyor belts, rock-cutting wire saws, etc., they work fine.

We need more people like you man. Never stop innovating.

This looks like an ideal app for a frontwheel drive car

I have done exhaustive research on CVT's at the USPO. This is a rather old and well known "patented" design. It is called a Zero-Max. It was invented well before 1994.There are many variations of the reciprocating concept. CVT's, PCVT's, IVT's, and or PIVT's have been the quest of many inventors for many years So elusive has the search been for one that fills the criteria that you accurately described, that it has been termed "The Holy Grail" of transmissions.

You'd better patent that. Eaton has his name on heavy truck transmissions. You could have your own name on the shifter. [Insert Name] Transmissions.

When i was 13 i thought i had invented a CVT as well, long story short, my father had automotive engineer acquaintances and i showed him my " no shift" transmission. I was crushed when my fathers friend informed me that it had been invented years prior, this being 1968. I was totally bummed, I didnt see a practical version until i was in my 40's and it brought back pleasent thoughts...

talking hands. truly amazing.

@5:30 reminds of why we still don't have quiet vacuums. Because consumers equate noise with suction power.

I feel like this thing needs a flywheel, it'll smooth out the output.

As a 50-year old Mechanical Engineer, I'd just like to say that you are an amazing young man and you should ignore all of your naysayers. It's easy to sit back from the safety of basically an anonymous position behind a keyboard on the Internet and criticize someone else's work. It's a whole other matter to pull something original out of thin air, make it work, record a video on it, and be brave enough to put it out there for all of the world to see. Those "armchair" engineers that have never developed anything original and/or published for the entire world to critique have no right to criticize or be a jerk. Best wishes to you and I believe you are on the right track to go far in life.

I had a similar experience when I was in high school and thought I had invented a downward locking milling machine vise only to find Kurt Workholding Corp. had done the same thing in in 1946, fourteen years before I was born. The drive you came up with has been built for many years by Zero-Max Corp. in Plymouth, Minnesota. I think they are still in business. The first one I ever saw was used to adjust speed on the power feed of a drum sander. I also saw one that was pretty much the same thing and used to feed the carriage on a 56" circular sawmill. The sawmill was built by Frick Co. of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania but the variable speed set up was an after market attachment with no name on it. It was pretty ancient however...the eccentrics and ratchets were all exposed. I would guess it was made before 1920. Like yours, the input in these transmissions could be in either direction but the output was fixed in one direction only. Very ingenious and don't feel bad someone beat you to it first. Throughout history there have been countless examples of things being invented simultaneously without one inventor having a knowledge of the other....calculus, telegraphy and the lightbulb to name only a few. If you didn't know about it, it doesn't make you any less clever than the first guy. Nice work and keep it up.

There is something about this design that is very familiar. On the second viewing, it came to me. Look up the Stephenson Link valve mechanism, used on steam locomotives since the mid 1800’s. Of course, it isn’t a transmission, but a means of controlling the steam flowing to the two double-acting cylinders that propel the engine. The Stephenson mechanism is relatively simple. Its successors, the Baker, Southern, and Welschaerts valve schemes were progressively more efficient, but more complex. A major drawback to the Stephenson mechanism is that major components were underneath the locomotive, between the driving wheels, making it more difficult to service. The Welschaerts design became the most common because all of the parts were easily accessible on the outside of the loco. There are several video animations of these mechanisms here on KZfaq.

What university do I have to enroll to be in your class professor?

you should replace the ratchets with one way sprags it will be much smoother and longer lasting and you know it will handle the power because they already use them in transmissions

I remember I saw something similar in an industrial sewing machine to adjust the length of the stitch - speed of fabric transport. It did not have the common transport plate but a transport wheel. There was only one cam so that the step by step movement was in sync with the needle.

I'm impressed! I definitely could see that in agriculture equipment as well as lawn . Thanks for the vid!

I've owned a Volvo 340(GL) with a Variomatic (CVT). Fun at the stoplight! And it drives awesome.

Holy hell, dude. Love your obsession , thanks for sharing

The clang on the catch teeth on the output shaft must be impressive.

The world needs more people like you

Cars with a gear lever that have... no gears? I'm in.

An extremely clever design! I was going to suggest that this machine isn't strictly a pure CVT because there's only a finite number of teeth the ratchet will travel through for a discreet range of crank displacements. But then you already knew that of course! Haha So cool.

Solitaire example was amazing

I don’t understand a single thing you say, but everything you make is awesome

I'll watch your time laps in slow motion and know all your secrets! :P That's one heck of a project - amazing work.

i don't understand anything that's being said, but i like the thing, so i don't care.

I have no idea why im watching this. Which is quite the compliment of your presentation skills.

Look like a mechanism that breaks down to pieces when put to work

Amazing,this guy should be working in NASA

Impressive stuff dude, keep it up

Good design for industrial use.

These will be great on small boats

That's a very fine bit of engineering. I'm especially impressed by that adjustment knob. To me, it seems almost like magic. To make this an automatic, you would maybe use a computer controller with a servo to do the adjustment knob action. P.S. I subscribed! thumbs up for you.

Wow amazing work. That adjustment mechanism is brilliant.

Very cool design. The ratcheting mechanism is definitely the biggest issue and wear point with this. The best CVT design that I have seen is the style used in new farm tractors. They use hydraulics and planetary gears. The power is split after the flywheel. it runs a hydraulic pump and spins a shaft attached to the sun gear or a planetary gear set. A hydraulic motor is then used to spin the ring gear at different speed. The planet carrier is what is ultimately run to the output. Different manufactures have a few different variations on this, but that's the basic idea. Its definitely something that is cool to check out if your into this kind of stuff.

Very clever. If you put a ratcheting clutch together with a flywheel on the output shaft, it will smooth out the pulse on the output. Just like a capacitor in an electrical circuit or an accumulator in a hydraulic circuit.

If you add more doohickeys the the thingamajig will it have more variables?

paint some lines on the output shaft so we can more easily see how fast its turning

You should look into replacing the ratchets with Sprag clutches! They function the same way as a ratchet but with much smoother operation, and are used in automatic transmissions, helicopters, and a variety of proven heavy duty applications!

So what I'm getting by this design is smoother acceleration and controller powerbands (no loss of power) but when it comes to the variable adjustment knob( for lack of a better word) if it were to fail, however it was designed to be controlled via belts or chain, it would either get stuck in one ratio which could possibly make way for engine failure if no disengagement mechanism was introduced.

Dude this is awesome, u should let my favorite Canadian engineer AvE get his hands on it to build a version for my farvoite go-cart builders Cars and Cameras to put it in practice. That would be an awesome collaboration.

as a nissan tech im glad you touched on programmed shift points in cvts

I have the same Makita and I love it...

Nature boy reference was priceless!

Was it an impostor because of the ratchets and their own inherent inefficiency or rather their output rotary motion not being smooth?

Well first you should print a cover for your outlets on that back wall. Gear up dude^^ awesome vid , subbed

Fendt has them in there tractors since the 90s. Awesome transmission

Great job buddy. I'm an inventor too and have lost faith in others for the same reasons. You can lead a horse to water but a lot of this planet won't drink it unless its in a pretty cup. Keep up the awesome work and protect your ideas.

Im guessing its not a full CVT because of two things: 1) It only transmits power in discrete chunks for each ratchet step. 2) Due to it's fixed lever design it will never achieve a 1:1 gear ratio. Another thing is that it does not really transforms torque that much, so for this transmission the lower output spin ratio does not necessarily mean​ a higher torque output, the torque in this thing is practically fixed.

This is freaking amazing.... You thought of it when you were 16!! You rock..... And wow! You started giving explanations too.... 1 million views... I told ya! I really really hope you get more views and success... Continue the good work!... More power to you! P. S. Could you please suggest some books for learning basics of gears and mechanisms...

Cool machine, and cool CVT talk in general. I was tuning up a serger a while ago. A serger is a specialized sewing machine that makes a seam and conceals the loose threads on the edges of fabric. You see "serged" seams on Tee shirts and stretchy clothes. Modern sergers have what is called "differential feed". The teeth that feed cloth through the machine can be adjusted to move together while feeding the cloth, or apart while feeding the cloth. The effect is stretched out, or scrunched up seams as the operator requires. The differential feed mechanism in sergers is similar to your prototype CVT. A stepless, shift on the fly, variable ratio for mechanical input/output. I also thought about a perfect CVT for years, and better internal combustion engines etc. As time moves on, and technology improves and changes, certain idea's become less important. One example is that Tesla electric cars do not have transmissions at all, because their powerful BLDC motors can move them from stopped to 100 MPH without shifting gears.

So, I'd say the finite number of teeth on the ratchet mechanism is why it isn't really continuously variable. Until the first tooth in engaged, no movement at all will occur up until that point. Suddenly with teeth engaging, the output will move by 3 teeth angles per input revolution, psuedo gear 1 after neutral, then all variations up until two teeth engage are the same, until the gear ratio suddenly doubles, psuedo gear 2, and so on until the most teeth passed possible per revolution of the ratchet. So realistically, your model probably only has 4 gear ratios plus a neutral. Smaller teeth could increase this number but make it fragile, replacing the ratchet with a one way bearing with little play could dramatically increase the "continuous-ness" of this mechanism.

KZfaq: Have you ever wanted to learn about a transmission? Me: No???? KZfaq: I hear ya bud

I also have two inventions in mind that I am sure are solid. But I am discouraged to try to get anything patented etc.

Great video... My only suggestions... For fun, film lego people in stop motion... chasing around the ball bearings with brooms or hockey sticks, Maybe come on scene in firetruck or wrecker or, or... Good job.

you could make it crank into a variable reverse too if you redesigned it slightely!

8:50 this is what we clicked on the video for

I'm curious what your elevator pitch would be for this thing

Damn. You are a genius! You wouldnt even need a clutch anymore! And you could move the mechanism backward if you modify the ratchet mechanism and make the cam turn at a wider angle, right?

FANTASTIC, GOOD WORK! More than 65 years ago I got my first introduction to a variable eccentric transmission. It was in my mom's old Maytag wash machine and varied the amount of agitation. When the worn-out machine was discarded behind the shed, I took the transmission apart to see how it worked. That idea has dominated much of my thinking ever since. As others have pointed out though, your model has some shortcomings. First, the ripple in the output makes it worthless as an automobile transmission. You could get rid of some of that by adding more cams and by replacing the output ratchets with over-running clutches. The other thing that limits its application in an automobile is the inability to backdrive. There are other uses for your idea though and I hope you are moving forward with your education and your understanding of how things work. A bright future is ahead of you.

I have an idea to add reverse and back driving capability to this thing, want to find out more? Subscribe, and I'll have a video out as soon as the prototype is done! EDIT: This project is on the back burner!

Long time ago I owned a Subaru Justy with their CVT. It was a wonderful idea, with a mediocre implementation. The bands ended up wearing "grooves" in the cones, which made the transmission tend to "stick" in certain commonly-used ratios. So when you were trying to change power levels, it would tend to "stick" at certain ratios before almost clunking out of the groove and introducing a herky-jerky motion.

That’s cool. Didn’t understand what was going on until I watched the output shaft. Very innovative thinking

The first video I have ever seen that addresses the lack of informed public and silliness of simulated shifting with “modern” CVT’s THANK YOU! Since it is just programming, I thought would be neat to have a mode for those of us who understand and appreciate a CVT.. with all that said.. AWSOME invention, thank you so much for sharing. Liked and subscribed.

That reminds me of the eccentrics of Stevenson valve gear on a steam engine

Thanks for this great video. The concept never dawned on me until I saw a demo of the original (I think). The implementation seemed a bit awkward, so I started thinking of ways it could be improved. So, I figured going from reciprocating to rotational then back to reciprocating motions is a bit wasteful, so why not cut out the middleman? The crankshaft gets relegated to timing and accessories, while the power comes directly from the reciprocating pistons. A proportioning linkage enables variable output stroke, and the ratchets (I think they called it an over-running clutch) do the rest. Hmmm... I might have to work on a model.

Dear Sir, Regardless of the fact that you might have been beaten to it regarding variable transmission, your ingenious device deserves some recognition & surely could potentially be applied in some field(s). You clearly have studied various means & been burning the midnight oil to come up with this which by all accounts is highly original not to mention highly effective. Very well done. Kind regards.

Outdated ratcheting pawls are replaced by peanut shaped cams. In either case they overun, accomplishing 1/2 of your objective.

Super cool project. Even if it never sees a practical application it is an incredible mental exercise. Keep designing and being creative. Don’t listen to the shit heads without anything useful to contribute.

Very clever. Unfortunately would generate a great deal of wear on contacting faces and thus material & maintenance costs would be high as well as lubricity issues.

Try adding some counterweight to balance the center of mass when you change the gears.

Awesome. Attach it to a similar device that controls cruise control. That way you only have a throttle pedal. Really awesome.

10:34 Is he secretly CrazyRussianHacker?

Great, let's adapt it on a go-cart or a Power Wheels.

Good CVT idea

We need more genuinely imaginative people like you.

....and we shall never talk about the vibration.

The second argument is scary. I believe that is why we need sound systems in electric cars that plays an ICE noise. Pretty lame... Cool video, btw!

It's kind of funny you made it green because, this design is actually used in John Deere seeding equipment to provide variable speeds for the metering roller drives.

Nice! It's a bit how a steam locomotive 'changed gear'. It had only one ratchet (well one on each side) on the outside together with the arms that where connected to the wheels / steam pressure. The closer to the pivot point, the ''higher' the gear. I don't know how common that method was among the steam locomotives, but I'm sure it would have been used all the time.

I used to think trains used a CVT because I could hear the engine revving hard at a single pitch as the train accelerated. Turns out the engine on a train is a diesel generator that runs electric motors on the wheels! So I guess there is the answer: convert to electricity! Now what to do about the gear ratios of the electric motors.

What 3D printer are you using to print teeth and threaded parts?

1994? George Constantinesco invented one in ~1920. His used pendulums to automatically vary the torque to the point where he could have a string attached to the throttle of a car and gently pull it along behind him at walking pace! It is really cool and worth a look.

I have many ideas that I never actually try to find a way for me to make. This is cause a lot of the time, I coincidentally (sometimes completely randomly) learn that a very similar idea has been done already before

Why it isn't possible to model output shaft as a crankshaft and get rid of ratcheting?

The world's first mechanically propelled vehicle used a form of ratchet drive back in 1770.

I had a 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander with a CVT. It was magical to accelerate and see the RPM remain the same. It had an alternate mode that simulated a six speed manual shifter, but that always felt inferior to the full auto infinite GR. Also, it had a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty that remained in effect as long as the maintenance schedule was followed. I loved that thing. I got better than 30MPG, partly because I drove conservatively, but it also had surprising power when called for. 0-60 in about 6.5 seconds was the best I was able to do on dry, level pavement. I think it had a 168hp 2.4l V4.

Beautiful.

I think that 3 is the correct number of phases, is like electricity, with 3 phases you theoretically have constant power, nice choise, the phases are 120° from each other right?

Do you have a video that just explains how planetary gears work?

Great skills with F360 and amazing design.

Very nice model. I'm old... so the 1st time I rode in a car with CVT, I thought something was terribly wrong, as in, "something's wrong with your transmission, it won't shift" as we went from a dead stop to 35 on the way to a store. Strange minute or so with my son.

Man this design vibrates to much. isn't it.

Everybody talking smack… Even if this goes nowhere you are an awesome thinker and will do big things.

Man, that really works!

Since you are into gears: I used to always want to build a lightweight Dual clutch bicycle transmission using sprags and clutches. Negate the horrible chain gear changing experience. I came up with a design where each clutch had 3 positions engaged A, decopuled, engaged B. Kind of forgot about it until now. I suppose now that I have a 3D printer, I could actually prototype it. Base gear (riding on a sprag) is always engaged, but superceeded by subsequent gears. Im sure you get the idea.