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Post by BoxGods on Feb 20, 2023 21:51:42 GMT
The kitchen will use a very similar power shuttle. I'm not sure why the slide out utility tray would need power though. I can include provisions for it in the Utility Tray and offer the power shuttle as an optional item for the very small number of people who would want it. My reasoning is that if only 5 out of every 100 users want power the other 95 that don't shouldn't have to bear the extra $25 - $50 in cost for something they will never use. I also couldn't find a single manufacture that would cover their drawer slides under warranty when mounted at a 45 degree angle like that as they are designed for vertical loading not lateral loading. I am currently testing a different type of slide rail mechanism. I will post more info if it works to plan.
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Post by phatman113 on Feb 22, 2023 20:30:31 GMT
Oh yeah, i mean, that build is purely DIY with the 45* angle of the slides. I guess I was more thinking that it would be useful to have the wiring harness in the tray in the event that you're charging stuff while driving or camping, etc and using the slide... I totally agree that it would be a pretty small use-case, but if it's something you could add (and re-use for k[=0==0=]k) then I'd probably be interested in adding it to mine... Thanks for entertaining the idea!
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Post by BoxGods on Feb 23, 2023 2:03:11 GMT
Oh yeah, i mean, that build is purely DIY with the 45* angle of the slides. I guess I was more thinking that it would be useful to have the wiring harness in the tray in the event that you're charging stuff while driving or camping, etc and using the slide... I totally agree that it would be a pretty small use-case, but if it's something you could add (and re-use for k[=0==0=]k) then I'd probably be interested in adding it to mine... Thanks for entertaining the idea! Hm...I had not considered charging items. One of the use cases driving both the utility Tray and the Camp Kitchen is a common rail that allows for a very simplified, fast and relatively speaking, easy swap between the two. If possible it would be tool free and as close to plug-and-play as possible. During the week you use the utility tray for daily "stuff" like hauling groceries etc. and then on Friday you spend 15-20 minutes sliding the Utility Tray out and the Camp Kitchen in. After a long weekend camping it would be the same 15 minutes swapping back to the Utility Tray.
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Post by popowycz on Mar 14, 2023 3:43:47 GMT
Recently joined and I am really intrigued by the possibilities here.
One thought regarding the slide out utility tray is to split it 1/3 and 2/3 to allow for simultaneous unloading from both sides, but also allow the two pieces to be coupled as a single unit via a latch.
I understand that obviously adds to complexity as you'd need supports on each of the split pieces in the middle where perhaps there is only one set of rollers or whatever the slide mechanism underpins this. Also appreciate that this might be a very niche scenario, but perhaps not.
I also noticed you mentioning from an earlier post that you were concerned that adding a handle might encourage people to overextend the slide, but as you've probably already considered, having a slide stop 2/3 of the extension would prevent that.
Finally, the renders don't clearly show the contour/angle of the sides of the bin to match the gear tunnel's canted sides. I'm guessing that's more a perspective of the render than of the design but I'm just considering space maximization.
Regardless of the above - I think you're spot on with a complete solution, but with room for tinkering for those so inclined.
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Post by BoxGods on Mar 14, 2023 19:48:01 GMT
Recently joined and I am really intrigued by the possibilities here. One thought regarding the slide out utility tray is to split it 1/3 and 2/3 to allow for simultaneous unloading from both sides, but also allow the two pieces to be coupled as a single unit via a latch. I understand that obviously adds to complexity as you'd need supports on each of the split pieces in the middle where perhaps there is only one set of rollers or whatever the slide mechanism underpins this. Also appreciate that this might be a very niche scenario, but perhaps not. I also noticed you mentioning from an earlier post that you were concerned that adding a handle might encourage people to overextend the slide, but as you've probably already considered, having a slide stop 2/3 of the extension would prevent that. Finally, the renders don't clearly show the contour/angle of the sides of the bin to match the gear tunnel's canted sides. I'm guessing that's more a perspective of the render than of the design but I'm just considering space maximization. Regardless of the above - I think you're spot on with a complete solution, but with room for tinkering for those so inclined. The Utility Tray can slide out either side and is also full extension from either side so I'm not sure there is any real reason to have it split? By that I mean you can access the full tray length from either side already so there is nothing to gain by having it split...other than maybe having it slide out of both sides at the same time? The tray doesn't conform exactly to the irregular shape of the gear tunnel no. I did it that way because if you can't really have anything moving upward vertically anyway what is the point? Said another way, extending the tray over into an unusable cranny isn't the best use of the space. Limiting it to the usable space allows for lots of off the shelf bins, organizers, and other stock containers also which will allow people to customize their set up a hundred different ways. I know it can be hard to visualize what I am describing but it should be easier to understand when I post renders of the updated design. I am working on that now so 2 or 3 days "ish".
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Post by popowycz on Mar 15, 2023 0:11:10 GMT
Ha - hadn't expected such a quick and thorough response. Yes, the split was solely to allow for simultaneous use on both sides. Understand that is likely quite niche and the cost/complexity probably not worth the incremental benefit (in the eye of the beholder). Agree that simplicity is the better path for durability and reliability.
As for contour to the odd shape of the gear tunnel - that was motivated to maximize space utilization for differing loads such as duffel bags or other soft goods. Completely understand that for rigid items (e.g. boxes) you are limited to the vertical dimensions.
Anyway - keep up the good work. I'm intrigued to see what updates you'll be sharing shortly.
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Post by BoxGods on Mar 15, 2023 5:16:15 GMT
Ha - hadn't expected such a quick and thorough response. Yes, the split was solely to allow for simultaneous use on both sides. Understand that is likely quite niche and the cost/complexity probably not worth the incremental benefit (in the eye of the beholder). Agree that simplicity is the better path for durability and reliability. As for contour to the odd shape of the gear tunnel - that was motivated to maximize space utilization for differing loads such as duffel bags or other soft goods. Completely understand that for rigid items (e.g. boxes) you are limited to the vertical dimensions. Anyway - keep up the good work. I'm intrigued to see what updates you'll be sharing shortly. I wasn't very clear about space utilization. I see the three broad use cases for the Gear Tunnel as: 1. Daily use. This is where you would use the Slide Out Utility Tray for every day things like grocery bags or seedlings from Home Depot etc. You might also use it if you work from your truck. This is the current version of the slide out tray I am working on. I haven't put the movable dividers in yet. The tray now has an upper and lower section, each is about 3" tall. The top section is 12" wide so it can accept off the shelf organizers, bins, etc. that sit on the flange between the upper and lower sections. I will have more images in the next few days. 2. Weekend use. This would be for activities like fishing, boating, hiking, biking, photography, bird watching or the beach etc. Activities where you might want to have gear prepacked and stored on a shelf in your garage so if Saturday morning you are going to the lake/beach and you want to take some nature pictures, you grab your beach tote that has beach towels, sun block, etc. and your photography tote that has your tripod, lighting gear, etc. and pop them into the gear tunnel and go. Next weekend you're going to do some boating so you load the tote with life jackets and other boating "stuff", and your fishing tackle tote. You get the idea. I'll save somebody having to ask. Yes I am looking at a matching ice chest version as well. These are an earlier version but still demonstrate the concept. They would store in your garage and serve double duty as storage for your hobby / activity "stuff" as mentioned. They are functional and look cool stacked on a shelf as they take design cues from the R1T. They use the slide rail already installed in the truck but NOT the Utility tray. They are oddly shaped to use as much of the space as possible--often with "soft goods" as you mentioned. They will have aluminum lids--possible color matched to the R1T--with rubber seals, stainless hinges, and magnetic closures. 3. Special Event Use. This would be an item like the Slide Out Camp Kitchen that you may not use every weekend but that is very useful when you do need it. It might also be another item like a 30 gallon water tank or a portable battery bank. Things we haven't thought of yet. Of course for all of these use cases to work the slide tray needs to slide out either direction, have positive stops, be unlockable from either side--without having to traverse the truck, and most importantly, allow for fast and easy swaps between items. The Utility Tray is a 5 minute swap. So are the Totes. My goal with the Camp Kitchen is 15 minutes or less.
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Post by phatman113 on Mar 15, 2023 14:53:43 GMT
Oh man, This is way better than I expected. The totes alone are forking brilliant! Something that just fills half of the tunnel, but uses all available space... I could buy 2 or 3 and have them set for different gear loadouts. Snowboard gear, hiking gear, and empty one for something I haven't thought of yet...
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Post by psklenar on Mar 15, 2023 22:16:36 GMT
I wasn't very clear about space utilization. I see the three broad use cases for the Gear Tunnel as ... Awesome!!!!!
pat----
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Post by BoxGods on Mar 15, 2023 23:07:13 GMT
Oh man, This is way better than I expected. The totes alone are forking brilliant! Something that just fills half of the tunnel, but uses all available space... I could buy 2 or 3 and have them set for different gear loadouts. Snowboard gear, hiking gear, and empty one for something I haven't thought of yet... Thanks for the kind words =) The tote idea was suggested by several forum members. AFAIK this was the first one: rivian-aftermarket.proboards.com/post/263I am also pretty excited about these as I like to be able to pack and go ASAP and I like the idea of having everything stored by activity.
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Post by BoxGods on Mar 15, 2023 23:08:06 GMT
I wasn't very clear about space utilization. I see the three broad use cases for the Gear Tunnel as ... Awesome!!!!!
pat----Thanks!
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Post by BoxGods on Mar 19, 2023 12:13:10 GMT
***UPDATE***I'm starting to work out the slide functionality "nuts & bolts". As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of the major design goals is to have a modular system for the slide tray that allows you to easily--typically one person--and quickly--typically 10 minutes or less-- swap between the different Gear Tunnel products or "modules". The slide out Utility Tray, the Camp Kitchen, the Utility Totes, and others. All of the above means that how well these products perform while installed in the truck is only part of the larger use case. It's just as important how well they work being loaded into and out of the Gear Tunnel, and how well they can be stored in your garage while you're using a different module. Once you have the slide tray installed there should always be a module loaded and being used for something fun and/or truly useful. One of the challenges I'm working on is how to have the slide tray--and whatever module you have installed on it at any given time--be able to slide out either side without having to first go to the other side of the truck and unlock the tray. You also need to be able to stop the tray from sliding while you're driving, (obviously) and keep it from accidentally being over extended--IOW pulled out so far it drops onto the ground. The locks also need to auto-engage because sooner or later everyone forgets. Then there needs to be a way to easily and quickly "safe" the locking pins for the transport and storage portion because if they are poking out the bottom while the module is being moved around and stored something will eventually get damaged. The two images above show the spring loaded locking pin in the down or "locked" position. There is a striker plate (not shown) integrated into the slide tray mount. These work just like the locks on a filing cabinet--to slide the drawer out you lift up on the latch knob and pull the drawer out. When you close the drawer the spring loaded pin lifts up and over the strike plate until it engages. Pretty standard stuff. The image above shows the locking pin in the "stowed" position. This is how you raise the pin out of the way and keep it there for loading the module in/out of the truck, and stored in your garage. These three show the procedure for stowing the locks. Pull the retaining pin out of the latch knob--it is held in place with a strong magnet for simple tool free storage until you need it. Then raise the latch knob to the top unlocked position. Then insert the retaining pin into the lower keeper hole and release the knob. The locking pin is now stored in the full upright and out of the way position. Three images a little closer to see everything a bit more easily. The latch knob in the first image is shown lifted to the upright position. There is an identical setup on the other end of the tray, and the Camp Kitchen will work essentially the exact same way. The Utility Totes are self locking. If any of this is not explained clearly enough please let me know. More details soon.
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Post by phatman113 on Mar 20, 2023 16:33:48 GMT
...be able to slide out either side without having to first go to the other side of the truck and unlock the tray.... That sounds awesome, but also fairly complicated, as you'll need some connection between left and right sides... Unless you have the pins set to prevent sliding in one direction, and a slope that lets the pin slide "into" the tunnel without needing to be unlatched. Kinda like a door latch? It'll close without the handle, but won't open without using the handle... That's really the only way I can think of it working, but maybe you have some better ideas. Still, awesome to see/hear the progress!
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Post by BoxGods on Mar 21, 2023 5:19:13 GMT
...be able to slide out either side without having to first go to the other side of the truck and unlock the tray.... That sounds awesome, but also fairly complicated, as you'll need some connection between left and right sides... Unless you have the pins set to prevent sliding in one direction, and a slope that lets the pin slide "into" the tunnel without needing to be unlatched. Kinda like a door latch? It'll close without the handle, but won't open without using the handle... That's really the only way I can think of it working, but maybe you have some better ideas. Still, awesome to see/hear the progress! I started with the idea of a connecting linkage--likely a cable--between the two sides where releasing one side triggers the other side but it doesn't take long for that type of system to gain a lot of complexity and failure points. It is also surprisingly hard to make a system like that default to a locked state on fail--as in if any part anywhere in the system breaks the tray is locked in both directions. The design shown below does use one way UHMW slopes that serve two purposes--locking the tray from sliding out when you want it locked, and to dampen or absorb force from sliding the tray home. it uses 4 very basic parts--5 with the spring which is actually a redundant backup in the unlikely event gravity itself fails. It is also very easily serviced or repaired by the end user without any special tools. I'm still tinkering with it and I think I can get the parts count down to two per side and eliminate the spring--if I can sort out the extension stops.
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Post by BoxGods on Mar 22, 2023 14:48:45 GMT
This post is more for the engineers / designers in the group as little details like this will be pretty boring for everyone else.
I have, (I think) boiled the latch and extension stop down to pretty much their purest form. There are only two parts per side--keep in mind the slide tray slides out either/both sides of the truck--and moved everything onto the slide tray and slide tray mount for an almost 3X parts reduction. The latch mechanism--shown below--is CNC machined UHMW. For those not familiar with Ultra High Molecular Weight polyethylene, it is basically the Steve Austin of engineering grade plastics. High strength, high impact resistance, high abrasion resistance, and very low friction.
This is not the final form as I will need to test different thicknesses for the long arms to "dial in" how hard you need to push down on the button end to release the slide, but it is close enough to get the idea. As I mentioned in a previous post, if ever needed, these are designed to be easily replaced by the customer without any special tools and without having to remove the slide tray from the truck. The stops--not shown--are basic CNC machined aluminum slot pucks. One per side. Latches are offset left of center on each end to avoid interference. I will put together some images that show how everything is installed when I have some time.
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