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Genesis P101 and Feedback HRA933
The P101 model was introduced by Powertran Cybernetics in 1981 and remained available until the early nineties. It was sold initially without any positional feedback (see left), but with the launch of the P102 version in 1982, positional feedback coils were fitted to selected rams of both models.
The P102 saw radical wrist configuration changes in 1983 as Powertran joined the Feedback group. The P101 retained its original wrist format, although the fulcrum plates where lengthened and moved rearwards an inch (see below). It was now also available as the Feedback HRA933.
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Detail changes in early years
The gripper on the early model consisted of two simple flat aluminium plates with rubber pads attached, as shown above. The picture on the right shows the more versatile design fitted from 1982 onwards. It used angled steel plates bolted to what appear to be stubs of the original alloy gripper plates.
Also visible are dark sleeved inductive sensor coils on a number of cylinders which were used to detect the location of the ram pistons and thus provide positional feedback to the controller box.
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This range shot from a Powertran ad in Acorn User, August 1984, clearly demonstrates the difference in upper arm configuration between the P101/HRA933 and P102/HRA934 models. Note also the unused attachment holes on the P101's upper arm and arm tip which were present for mounting repositioned ram and pivot brackets when the build required a P102 spec arm.
It seems the P101 must have received criticism for its excessively long final limb, which certainly limited the arm's dexterity when trying to work close to the base. A lot of time and effort obviously went into designing the shorter layout for the later P102 and HRA934. There were trade-offs though, as the newly compact P102 then lost some of the P101's enormous reach - hinted at visually above - which could stretch to as much as 1.14m from waist centre to gripper and up to 1.44m above the work surface with the arm vertical. And all this while retaining a lift capability of 2kg.
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