// the find
XRobots/CycloidalDrive
A collection of cycloidal and strain wave drive mechanical designs by James Bruton (XRobots), shared as STEP files for 3D printing or CNC machining. This is hardware, not software — it's for robotics hobbyists and engineers who need high-reduction gearboxes for robot joints or actuators.
The STEP format is universally importable into any CAD tool (Fusion 360, SolidWorks, FreeCAD), so you can modify and adapt without being locked into a specific software. Multiple iterations (V1–V4) show real design evolution rather than a single upload-and-abandon. Cycloidal drives are genuinely useful for robotics — high reduction ratios, zero backlash, and they can be 3D printed at reasonable quality.
There is essentially no documentation — no build notes, no bill of materials, no print settings, no assembly instructions. The README is a title and nothing else. No tolerance information, so you're guessing clearances for your printer. With 54 forks and zero written context, most people are forking blind and probably failing. The 'StrainWave' folder sitting alongside 'Cycloidal' versions with no explanation of what changed or why suggests the author uses this as personal file storage rather than a shared project.