Team Smoothie! Build Diary

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

I hadn't thought about verticles! Something else to think about. To start with I was going to let the dozer blade be unpowered, and if it seems ok add power later on. I'm with you on it being a challenge to get a big enough reduction it and about it being ambitious for a first build.

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Having a major rethink, just see holes everywhere in the design and think I can come up with something better than this. The standards are too high and I need a better shape, lower to the ground, can pick up and push, turn back over, an active weapon etc. I've discovered linear actuators, just another esc and a wire to the battery! Wahoo. Lol.

Would rather go through 3 months of building cardboard and lego technic robots to realise its a completely useless shape and I should move on, than start building and realise then. Planning on ordering plastic after Christmas, going to order wheels this week.

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Latest shape alteration below, adding floor riding plate and thick steel at the back end that you wouldn't really see in a sketch.





And latest progress after wheels arrived this morning, thank you Robo Challenge. As an aside, the reason for not using Gimson wheels with Gimson motors is that they only went to a 78mm wheel and I was looking for 100mm.

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Got fed up with a box so started building a set of powered jaws this afternoon. Its looking convincing. Planning on a small box with a wheel poking out each side with a big set of jaws at the front. Saw a robot from the states Dissector??? Awesome...

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

I have started making a mock up of some Jaws of Life. This is just out of plastic for now, and am thinking about the drive train being in a pod each side of the jaws. Almost like mobilising a weapon rather than building a robot and making a weapon for it.

[Ellis]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Interesting. Something along those lines is one of the design ideas we had for our third robot.

Look forward to seeing what you come up with (and what problems you come up against!).

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Hydraulics is a bit beyond me at this point, planning on using a big electric actuator at the minute. I know it won't have the push behind it to cut but it will still clamp and grab, lift etc. I've gotten loads of pictures of jaws of life from the web and have dissected how the mechanism works and am in the process of making a chopping board sourced jaws of life lol. It's been hard finding the angles and rod lengths that give you the range of motion you need.

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Quick update, we've decided to expand into the two machines. A small square pushy bot that's mostly pictured in this thread, and another with a set of jaws to clamp and grab. I'll post details of the second robot soon when I can get things together, as we're trying our best to get the smaller pushy one finished for the spring to see if we can get to some events.

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Ok so another update. At the minute we have 3 robots on the go. There is the original Smoothie. Then there is a mechanical claw lay in the garage without a robot attached to it. And after becoming fascinated with the strength of a 2mm steel roasting dish we now have The Roasting Dish of Doom. It sounds mental and it is. I'm going to concentrate on finishing one over the Christmas holiday as I have 3 weeks off with the other half at work and the 3yr old at Nursery lol. The mechanical claw looks really good even though it's made of plastic at the minute. I've spent hours obsessing over building robots and it's becoming all consuming. This is what happens when you let a nutter loose with a pile of stock and some power tools in a double garage.

Dangerous Dave.

[PJ-27]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Roasting Tin!

Team Bitza Approves!

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Thanks!!

It's a bit weird but you can hammer it, stand on it, heat it, drill it, throw it round the garage and its not even scratched. Roasting Tins rule. lol

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

In all seriousness I'm just looking to get to some events next year. I'm closest to finishing Smoothie, but the armour is really thin so was worried about it getting wrecked, not just dented and clouted. I'll finish cutting the angle for it and get it together and then after Christmas is out of the way look at some radio gear and a speedo. It's completely scratch built from plastic sheeting and angle ally so I'm quite proud of it. I'd like to have a season of attending bits of events whilst building something better over the summer to compete with seriously in 2014.

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

I have some more pictures so wanted to stick them up to show everyone the beginnings of the three robots mentioned above.

Below is the original Smoothie. This was the first shape that was sketched and it's gradually reaching completion. It has bulk heads and angle ally that holds it all together.





This is The Roasting Dish of Doom. I've started cutting this to mount GR01's etc. Would come up with something for a lid, probably baking tray to keep with the theme lol.





And finally the half finished prototype for a feather weight jaws of life. This has mostly been to see if the linkage lengths etc worked and gave the travel I wanted.

[swanaldo]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

And a test track to drive it on.

[adz600]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

leave the handles on for effect amd easy transport, love it great job