I created a purely mechanical Turbo Levo speed limit increase

[McInner1]

I dont understand the difference between the sun gear being attached to the back plate or sitting "loose" on the end cap, can somebody explain?

As far as I understand PLANET3 advertising, there is only one way you can install:
The small sun gear is attached to the rotor and the outer gear stands still.
On the advertising picture you can see the white sun gear with 3 holes for the rotor and the grey gear in the background, which seems to be placed in front - as cover.

 

[ccrdave]

Ok so dun gear goes round with the wheel outer gear stays still on the end cap. Is that correct?

 

[McInner1]

Yeah, that's how I see it. But I am only a viewer. I have nothing to do with PLANET3. (And I do not need such a device...)

 

[TMS]

Ok so dun gear goes round with the wheel outer gear stays still on the end cap. Is that correct?

You nailed it.

I think this solution is not so service free because the gap is in the outern ring, not in the axle. More possible that dirt and stuff gets in. And speed messurement is more agile and precise with 1.5 ratio.

 

[Colin228]

Apologies if this might be a stupid question....Does it matter which way round the magnet is glued into the housing?

 

[jd_3d]

Apologies if this might be a stupid question....Does it matter which way round the magnet is glued into the housing?

Hi @Colin228, nope it does not matter which way the magnet is oriented.

 

[daju]

Just put the LSS on my '19 turbo levo. According to local speed trap, top speed has increased from 21mph to 27 mph--If I were a stronger rider, I'm sure both numbers would/could be higher.
Thank you JD! Great product easy install

 

[McInner1]

Why is the set not delivered with a magnet already glued in?

 

[jd_3d]

Why is the set not delivered with a magnet already glued in?

Hi @McInner1,

I use a 3d printing service (Shapeways) to print and ship my design directly to people who order. This is much better from a customs point of view as they have a place in both the USA and Europe where they can print it (I'm in the USA). But this is why there is no magnet. Let me know if you have any trouble finding a magnet .

 

[McInner1]

No, no, Amazon's your friend!
But I thought it would be much more customer friendly to deliver a ready-to-operate set.
But now I understand.

 

[Highflyer]

Hi jd_3d my LSS arrived today. All looks good apart from the tiny gear has no back to it ( see photo ) Do you think this is an error from Shapeways of have you evolved the design ? I can still try to glue the magnet in place but it will have far less of a hold. What are your thoughts ?

 

[Highflyer]

CORRECTION to my last post. I understand I have received V.2.0 which is thinner.

 

[jd_3d]

CORRECTION to my last post. I understand I have received V.2.0 which is thinner.

Yep, V2.0 is thinner to help with clearance. Just use some quality glue and it should be fine.

 

[BNX]

i have a turbo levo comp fsr 2019 ...

which one should i buy ?

a) LSS Planetary Gear Set by JD_3D on Shapeways
b) https://www.shapeways.com/product/3ZX42G3ZL/lss-version-2-0-planetary-gear-set

 

[jd_3d]

i have a turbo levo comp fsr 2019 ...

which one should i buy ?

a) LSS Planetary Gear Set by JD_3D on Shapeways
b) https://www.shapeways.com/product/3ZX42G3ZL/lss-version-2-0-planetary-gear-set

Hi @BNX, I'd recommend getting the 2.0 version as it's the latest design and has better clearance.

 

[BNX]

Hi @BNX, I'd recommend getting the 2.0 version as it's the latest design and has better clearance.

thx

 

[TPX]

So my LSS looks to be worn out.. only done about 400km, worked perfect until today and now looks like some of the teeth are worn low and so won't engage and so not rotating any more..

 

[jd_3d]

So my LSS looks to be worn out.. only done about 400km, worked perfect until today and now looks like some of the teeth are worn low and so won't engage and so not rotating any more.. View attachment 16615

Hi @TPX, thank you for your post. I remember you helped take measurements on the DT hubs way back in January (thank you for that). I think you are the first person to report a wear issue on the LSS. Looking closely at the photos I do see some wear on the planet gear (which is to be expected), however the gap between the sun and ring gears looks much larger than I would have expected and seems to be the main reason for the skipping, not the small amount of wear on the gear teeth. This could be attributed to 1 of 2 things:

1) The mounting of the gears are not concentric (for whatever reason) meaning the gap varies depending on where it is in the revolution. Could you test this by putting it in different spots and looking at the gap? If this is the issue you might be able to 'shim' it into a more central position.
2) The gears are undersized and the gap is similar all the way around. In this case I could create an 'oversized' planet gear that would fill the gap much better and provide much longer life to your setup.

You can buy a spare planet gear here ($12.50 or $10 for white):
LSS Planetary Gear v2 by JD_3D on Shapeways

But I want to make sure we address the gap issue on your setup otherwise a new spare may only last the same amount of time. I have 1050km on mine and so far ok.

 

[TPX]

Hi @TPX, thank you for your post. I remember you helped take measurements on the DT hubs way back in January (thank you for that). I think you are the first person to report a wear issue on the LSS. Looking closely at the photos I do see some wear on the planet gear (which is to be expected), however the gap between the sun and ring gears looks much larger than I would have expected and seems to be the main reason for the skipping, not the small amount of wear on the gear teeth. This could be attributed to 1 of 2 things:

1) The mounting of the gears are not concentric (for whatever reason) meaning the gap varies depending on where it is in the revolution. Could you test this by putting it in different spots and looking at the gap? If this is the issue you might be able to 'shim' it into a more central position.
2) The gears are undersized and the gap is similar all the way around. In this case I could create an 'oversized' planet gear that would fill the gap much better and provide much longer life to your setup.

You can buy a spare planet gear here ($12.50 or $10 for white):
LSS Planetary Gear v2 by JD_3D on Shapeways

But I want to make sure we address the gap issue on your setup otherwise a new spare may only last the same amount of time. I have 1050km on mine and so far ok.

Hi there, I kinda think the ring gear now moves and creates a gap, it also seems that the magnet is attracted to the rotor bolts and that is where it stops when I try nudge it.. thoughts?
Bit of video here might help; iCloud

 

[jd_3d]

Hi there, I kinda think the ring gear now moves and creates a gap, it also seems that the magnet is attracted to the rotor bolts and that is where it stops when I try nudge it.. thoughts?
Bit of video here might help; iCloud

Wow, that ring gear is super loose! That's the problem right there (it's moving causing the large gap and the planet gear to skip). I think the little planet gear has wear because it has been skipping and wearing the ends of the teeth. So I think you'll need a new retaining clip. Not sure how it got loose in the first place though, was it tight when you first installed it? It's possible the clip has cracked in the back where it grabs the rotor.

The retaining clip is here:
Clip Ring for LSS and LSS DT by JD_3D on Shapeways

 

[VeloMikey]

jd_3d did you ever come up with a solution to mount it to a Shimano Ice Tech Rotor? I purchased a LSS and never installed it and have switched my brakes over to four piston XT. I think a new retaining clip ring is all we need. Make it 5mm larger and bevel it down around the edges. PM your address and I will have a rotor sent to you to make the prototype.

 

[jd_3d]

jd_3d did you ever come up with a solution to mount it to a Shimano Ice Tech Rotor? I purchased a LSS and never installed it and have switched my brakes over to four piston XT. I think a new retaining clip ring is all we need. Make it 5mm larger and bevel it down around the edges. PM your address and I will have a rotor sent to you to make the prototype.

Hi @VeloMikey. No, I haven't yet made any versions to support specific rotors other than the universal rotor mount I made (which requires zip ties or wire to attach to a rotor). Ice Tech rotors do seem to be one of the more popular aftermarket rotors so I suppose that's a good place to start. Thanks for offering to send me one, I'll PM you.

 

[FlatSix]

After about 500km my LSS is also done.
Made some noise for the last few rides and when I opened it, it looked like that

 

[jd_3d]

After about 500km my LSS is also done.
Made some noise for the last few rides and when I opened it, it looked like that

View attachment 16714

Hi @FlatSix, thanks for the feedback and photo. In your case there does seem to be quite a bit of wear on the planet gear. Thankfully the other gears look ok (which makes sense since they have a lot more teeth). I'm always trying to improve the design and I've been thinking about the best way to extend the life of the planet gear. I was looking at alternative materials and was surprised to see than getting the planet gear printed in Aluminum was not significantly more expensive (only $6 USD more than Nylon). This may be a better option as it would wear much slower. I'm not sure if it would cause increased wear on the other parts however.

I've marked it as a 'beta' in the description below since its completely untested but if anyone is feeling adventurous they are welcome to try it out. My only concern is what the dimensional tolerances are on the print as I've never used their Aluminum option. I will order one and test it out. You can also just get the regular replacement planet gear in the normal Nylon material (look for the drop-down to choose which material):

LSS Planetary Gear v2 by JD_3D on Shapeways

Curious what people's thoughts are or if anyone has other ideas on extending the life.

 

[dogzilla]

Fantastic work mate. Very nice. I'd be interested in something like this potentially depending on how easy to fit and the longevity.

 

[bowser]

500km isn't long life. What are people getting from the Planet3 units?

 

[JoeJoe]

Concerning the Polyamid (Nylon) . Why not replacing the polymer with PEEK. It could be processed by FDM and SLM printers. I work with such polymers, that’s the reason to ask. PEEK hat certainly better mechanical properties than PA , so I guess it will be much more durable . Certainly PEEK is more expensive.
Another option might be using carbon.
I ‘m able to print PEEK parts... just contact you are willing to test it. Further I’m riding a levo 2019 and 2018.
Beside... no financial interest, I’m just a curious German engineer ;o)

 

[jd_3d]

Concerning the Polyamid (Nylon) . Why not replacing the polymer with PEEK. It could be processed by FDM and SLM printers. I work with such polymers, that’s the reason to ask. PEEK hat certainly better mechanical properties than PA , so I guess it will be much more durable . Certainly PEEK is more expensive.
Another option might be using carbon.
I ‘m able to print PEEK parts... just contact you are willing to test it. Further I’m riding a levo 2019 and 2018.
Beside... no financial interest, I’m just a curious German engineer ;o)

PEEK would be great but unfortunately Shapeways doesn't offer that material as far as I know. I've heard it is very expensive. Thank you for the offer on printing it. I have ordered the planet gear in aluminum (which should be even stronger than PEEK) so I'm hoping that works out as it is reasonably affordable from Shapeways. If it doesn't I will reach out to you

 

[Brendog78]

Why not include a couple of spares in the kit? One sacrificial part isnt a bad thing when it's the smallest cheapest part.

 

[silverstone]

I swapped my Carbon printed one also after around 500km...
I redesigned it by myself with "real" 0.5pitch gears, and it know works flawless.
Printed the last version in PETG, and I think this will live longer as it did with the carbon material.