Design challenge: rope-to-rope transfer in a small cylindrical coupling
Hi, working now on a small-scale linear actuator project and need a compact coupling between two coaxial cylinders. Both are 44 mm in diameter, with the upper one hollow (22 mm inner Ø). The idea is to transfer a pulling force (~80 N) from a Dyneema rope running outside the lower cylinder to a rope that runs inside the upper one. I’ve already built a clutch with a rotatable ring and radial sliders that lock an adapter in place at ±60° from neutral. That part works fine, but I’m struggling with the mechanism that should selectively connect the internal rope either to string A or string B, depending on the ring position. Ideally, the mechanism should tolerate any angular orientation when the adapter is inserted, and I’d like to keep it 3D-printable. Has anyone tackled a similar bidirectional rope-to-rope coupling problem in a compact form factor?