FREE GEARBOX OFFER!

Build your own unique ornithopter design, using either gearbox from this page. Document your project with pictures, construction diagrams, and a video of a successful flight. Upon receipt of this information, we will publish your design in the Ornithopter Zone newsletter and send you a refund for the item price, plus a one-year subscription to Flapping Wings!

Gearbox with Motor and Spars

This compact unit includes gearbox, flapping mechanism, and 300 size motor. It is 2-1/4 inches high and weighs 3.1 ounces (1.4 without motor). The gear ratio is 37.5 to 1, suitable for flapping small wings at a high rate. All hinge points have ball bearings, so more power gets through to the wings! The unit easily bolts onto your own fuselage made of 1/16 inch thick plywood.

The motor is intended for 7.4 volt operation, which corresponds to a 2-cell lithium-polymer battery. Other motors or other batteries could be used as long as you don't apply more power than the unit was designed to handle. This is the Cybird replacement gearbox, and it accepts Cybird spare parts.

We are selling this unit with a pair of 3 mm fiberglass spars, which are ideal for making your own wings! You need to remove the steel wing post (intended for mounting tubular spars) and insert the fiberglass spar into the socket. (Do not use carbon spars, because they will place too much load on the motor.)

 
Tamiya Motor/Gearbox

For larger ornithopters, this gear unit from Tamiya features a 380 motor and 75:1 gear reduction with all metal gears. The unit weighs 180 grams and is rated for 7.2 volts. It has a 6 mm diameter output shaft with a flat side for set-screw mounting of your cam or crank.

Technical Data