Team Smoothie! Build Diary

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Ok that's brill! I'll get everything together and have a drive. I fancy building a hammer but then would need a way to roll it back over if it got flipped. I'm gradually ordering everything I need and it sounds like a good idea building it on a plank of wood and taking it from there.

[psychostorm]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0283970

As mad as it sounds, bend the metal edges of this & it should roll over. It'll need an underside support to stop it deforming.

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

I need to really rethink the shape of this, it doesn't have a hope in hell of damaging anything. I've been watching robot fights on youtube for an hour and a half and its getting a bit obsessive. The shape I sketched will get thrown about all over the place lol.

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Ok so we've had a major rethink and are going for a plate chassis and a shell that bolts on over the top. I've been getting on with getting things mounted to the base plate and getting it cut and filed to shape. Below you can see the string of pictures that show the motors and gearboxes, how they will sit, the shape of the base plate etc.









I need to say a HUGE thankyou to Gimsons who helped a lot. They even threw in some free bits when there was a delay with making the stuff which they didn't have to do. I'm really grateful to them for making this really painless.

[Ellis]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Looks like this is going to be a neat little machine! My only worry is the baseplate material you're showing in those pics. As the person who built a robot entirely out of (much thicker) chopping board I really must advise against the stuff. Search for NST vs Tormenta vs Inertia XL on YouTube, and you'll understand why.

If you don't intend to fight in spinner events then you may be okay but even a sharp landing from a flipper could crack your baseplate, or shatter it. Some chopping boards seem to work alright in robots (some Australian builders use them a lot) but in our experience they're to be avoided!

Most people get their plastic from www.directplastics.co.uk. HDPE and Nylon are common choices, the former for armour (and chassis in our case now) and the latter for chassis.

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Oh gosh yeah, the chopping board is just to prototype the shape and stuff and then I'm gonna get hold of some HDPE after Christmas

[plargen]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

if you have a jig saw you could go for a 4-5mm aluminium base nice and easy to cut

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Sounds like a plan. I know of direct plastics for HDPE etc, do you know of anywhere that I can get of of plate ally etc?

[plargen]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

i generally just use ebay or go down to the industrial estate near by cos we have a couple of fabrication places

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Been thinking lots about shape of robot, and it would be easier to build if it was square. But then the motors didn't fit, it was hard to squash in. Then I saw other robots such as Little Hitter with a diagonal motor pattern and was inspired lol. So I thought I would bung up latest pictures from the CAD department of our new shape. Enjoy.

[Anttazz]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Sure i've seen something similar somewhere....

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151180061476904

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

oh my god no way!

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

I've been concerned at the abundance of ground clearance, prompting the need for some sort of dozer blade on the front. This then led to the thought of arms at the sides like a bulldozer that lead forward to a bulldozer blade on the front aka Breaker Box from the states. This would be mostly unpowered and just ride along the ground, but then I thought well if I powered it I could use different implements such a hammer, lifting spike etc. I'll scribble down what I mean and see if people will give me feedback on what they think.

[Ellis]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

I know what you mean. It would be great to see a lifter with a bit of a difference in the UK (the Americans are certainly inventive in that respect). I say you build it!

It won't be without challenge, I'm guessing many of them similar to the ones we have faced for T2, but the result will be worth it.

Your main issues I am guessing will be reliable weapon power (and enough power to do the work), and the protection of the side arms for full combat events. They're meat for verticals, unless seriously sturdy or protected.

To give you an idea of power, our machine has a 14.4v 50mm dia. motor at 18v with about a 100:1 reduction after it, and with the sort of length arms a Breakerbox style weapon would need I would think that would be pushing it. A greater chain reduction than ours wouldn't be impossible, though, as ours couldn't be any bigger than 4:1 (with 6mm size chain).

I'll let others chime in, as for a first machine it would be ambitious, but the end result will be well worth it!

[PJ-27]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary



http://s1228.beta.photobucket.com/user/ ... /BitzaWood