Team Smoothie! Build Diary

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

I've been worried about the lack of a decent weapon for the roasting dish and that it only weighed 4kg. Whilst wandering about I've come across these 2x 5mm steel plates (4kg each) and they have pre-cut edges on and everything. So I've decided to somehow turn them into an articulated bull dozer blade for the front with a corresponding box section framework I'm gonna build into the rest of the robot. I have a picture of the plates I found, and if I can dream up a way of turning them into a dozer blade I'll bung up a sketch.

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

We have serious designs on the go but I keep getting this massive urge to have a policy of building combat robots only from already existing household objects. And also to buy a pair of Jaws of Life.

[Bodge Job]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Making them out of house hold objects would be cooler, make it more interesting to watch, as adds more diversity to the robots, I made my first bot out of a grass collected off an old lawn mower, and I plan to eventually re use to body and make a new robot out if it as I think it would be cool. So I like the idea of house hold stuff! Could use 4 small woks and make a mini stinger out of it...

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

That's such a good idea! I started with my Dad last summer on the road to building robots. Since then he's had a heart attack and not really all that interested in taking part anymore. So after loads of delays I joined up myself and started with the Roasting Dish cause it was easy to build. But it's been so much fun recycling loads of stuff to bolt on to it I'm thinking of having like a team ethos whereby I'll only build robots out of old items or premade things I've found from skip diving lol. I suppose building a heavyweight this way is my ultimate challenge lol.

[Merkabah_PT]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

I don't know your age, but you can build cool and competitive robot using basic tools and material, such as HDPE.
The roasting dish is a good way to learn, but i think that if you take it to an event, it might get into pieces even against a speedy wedge.
You already have some good components, such as your motors and speed controllers, building an electric lifter is simple and easy, why not go that way?
I think people here in the forum would help you in what they could.

Don't take my words in the wrong way, i personally love homemade/rudimentary/low-tech robots.

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

I'm 29 and a Server and Graphics studio engineer. My Dad (main fabricator) has given this up and rc racing after heart problems. So now am left with not a lot and trying to make it up as I go along n its falling apart at the seams. We spent a load of cash on components and its not really achieved anything. Might take a break from it and come back in a bit when my ideas and skills are together.

[Merkabah_PT]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

Sorry to hear about your father, hope he gets better.
You can still consulte him about building technics ways to do some things etc.
Take some time to be with your family, they are the important thing in the world.

The roasting disk is very good to learn how to drive for example. Then you could start thinking about a more serious robot, do some cad, then cardboard model to make sure every thing really fits and to have a real view of the project. Next step would be making the robot out of wood and tweak the design, etc. And them the final product made out of steel/HDPE/whatever you choose.

Beeing an graphics engineer you should come up with some cool designs.

Best of luck for you and your family!

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

I woke up @ 3 this morning and dreamt of this so sketched it down lol. For some reason in my trippy dream it was called Geoff.

[typhoon_driver]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

BUILD IT!

[daveimi]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

I've been skip diving this morning and found a nice bit of steel about the right size for Geoff's back/body etc. Am about to set-too with the angle grinder.

[Gabe01]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

You know you have it bad when you dream design robots . build Geoff

[archie2000]

Re: Team Smoothie! Build Diary

I agree to building with household materials
at the local Morrisons there are solid steel woks for £10
tough and cheap could be the new chopping boards
except a solid steel wok is tough and heavy.
chopping board isn't!