HardWired - Upgrades and general build diary

[Flag Captured]

I can't comment on the level of bite there, but I can definitely agree that it looked from useless in the videos from the champs that I've seen! I'm guessing more 'bite' is better to a certain point? I haven't a clue about all the technicalities, my roboteering knowledge spans pretty much as far as what they used to mention on Robot Wars, back in't day.

Anyhow, I've been trying to get my head round what parts to buy for the build - I'm looking to keep things cheap, but have a high torque (preferably high speed) setup, a bit like 540's was, or Storm 2 - something along those lines. Obviously, not to that degree, but I want to be able to push things about with Hardwired, namely because I'd like it to be a more controlled lifter type bot, kind of like how Panic Attack used to be, if you catch my drift.

So, if anyone sees this and has any suggestions as to what I should look out for, that'd be much appreciated! The cheaper the better, really, and I'd like to avoid LiPo cells where I can because I haven't the foggiest about them, and knowing my tendency to accidentally set things on fire, I'm not sure it's in my, nor anyone's best interests if I'm running around with LiPos!

[Eventorizon]

Doesn't that mean it only gets 0.1mm of "bite" - surely that would be pretty useless? I must be missing something as the champs showed it was far from useless!

It is helped by its driving speed when it attacks, Giving it probably closer to 2mm at top speed, and with the energy involved even poor strikes were good. And we all know what happened when it really engaged! [Inertia & Satanix!]

So, if anyone sees this and has any suggestions as to what I should look out for, that'd be much appreciated! The cheaper the better, really, and I'd like to avoid LiPo cells where I can because I haven't the foggiest about them, and knowing my tendency to accidentally set things on fire, I'm not sure it's in my, nor anyone's best interests if I'm running around with LiPos!

Lipo's are perfectly safe when used correctly, just like any tech really. The expense comes in protecting them inside the machine and with the types of charger you need to recharge them; not just anything will do. The were used in Conker 1 along with a Turnigy Accucel 6 Charger which we now have 2 of, one for each machine. If you don't feel comfortable using them, that's fine.

Alternatives are, as you probably know, NiMH's, NiCAD's, A123 and LiFeSO4. But I think A123's have gone bust, and I think I might be wrong with the last one as its a chemical formula but its close enough.

[plargen]

2wd can push things around quite easily you just need a good scoop/wedge and some grippy ish wheels and if your intending to go 4wd then i would recommend going for lipos because there isn't much difference in price and the nimh packs just cant put out enough amps to run 4 drill motors properly
t made a huge difference when i swapped over to lipos in night fury but i kept scruffy on nimh as it was 2wd and if it got under other bots it had no problem shoving them around

[Flag Captured]

Lipo's are perfectly safe when used correctly, just like any tech really. The expense comes in protecting them inside the machine and with the types of charger you need to recharge them; not just anything will do. The were used in Conker 1 along with a Turnigy Accucel 6 Charger which we now have 2 of, one for each machine. If you don't feel comfortable using them, that's fine.

Alternatives are, as you probably know, NiMH's, NiCAD's, A123 and LiFeSO4. But I think A123's have gone bust, and I think I might be wrong with the last one as its a chemical formula but its close enough.

I shall have a look at those, thank you! I'll probably stick with some NiMH's just until I 'find my feet' so to speak - after I've figured out exactly how to electronics, I might go for a couple of LiPos... My 'workshop' is merely my bedroom floor and the kitchen side at the minute, so if something did go wrong I don't think things would end well! I have got a worktable type thing now for outside though. Thanks for the tips!

I'm already thinking of some kind of full body spinner for after I've upgraded HardWired so I'll definitely have to get clued up on my battery safety before I get that started!

2wd can push things around quite easily you just need a good scoop/wedge and some grippy ish wheels and if your intending to go 4wd then i would recommend going for lipos because there isn't much difference in price and the nimh packs just cant put out enough amps to run 4 drill motors properly
t made a huge difference when i swapped over to lipos in night fury but i kept scruffy on nimh as it was 2wd and if it got under other bots it had no problem shoving them around

Ah, thanks for the advice! I do need some better wheels... I think the traction on HardWired needs a major overhaul, so I think the screw on wooden wheels will be out ASAP. Yep, they are indeed screw on and screw off - nope, not a safety feature...
That's really helpful that though, having seen robots like Tornado I assumed that the only way to have a robot that can effectively push was to have it 4wd! Thanks for that though, I shall definitely build that scoop into the design - I don't suppose you have any advice for what sort of wheels to use either? I've seen the RoboChallenge blue wheels, heard that they're good but I'm not sure how grippy they are...

[plargen]

well i use the bearingboy blue wheels, not the grippiest but seem to do ok in my 2 but most screw on bike tread which seems to work quite well

[Eventorizon]

Some of the best wheels are Banebots wheels. They come in a massive range of sizes and widths with a choice of 3 durometers [Hardness to me and you] The 30 shore are to soft for combat really unless you want to change each fight, 40 shore is used my mots people. 50 Shore is hard and reliable but on the metal floor of the arena it tends to slide a little.

Unfortunately they are a little pricey but you get what you pay for and the are Imperial so at some point you will have to go from inches to mm.

[plargen]

you must admit mine did well shoving conker against the wall in the whiteboard lol have you fixed your armour mounts on the motors yet

these are the blue wheels
http://www.bearingboys.co.uk/BZMM100...r_Wheel-8698-p

[Eventorizon]

you must admit mine did well shoving conker against the wall in the whiteboard lol have you fixed your armour mounts on the motors yet[/URL]

No, not had time but that machine is going to be broken up anyway I think. Need the money for C3 and some of the parts are good to keep better, old machines running on the GR01's and S900's

[RogueTwoRobots]

While the blue BaneBots wheels are the hardest of the three, they still have a high wear-rate and you'll have to replace them more frequently than, say, Robo Challenge blue wheels. I don't think there are many robots running blue Banebots but I'd be surprised if they slide on the floor; they're softer to the touch than Robo Challenge blue wheels and those are some of the best FW wheels available with respect to grip and push.

[PJ-27]

@ Plargen, what did you do about getting a 3/8th UNF thread in those wheels?

[plargen]

i drill the bor to 13.5mm and hammered these in

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-He...item336eb5ab67

i then used a soldering iron and a 3/8 bolt to adjust the angle if they weren't straight

[Flag Captured]

Ah, fantastic - thanks for the help, everyone!
I still need to figure out what I'm getting on the electronics side of things, then I'll have a look at the budget (about £100) and see what I've got to work with for wheels - ideally, cheapest is best, but I do like the look of those banebots ones, especially if they're that grippy. I'm wanting something that has a lot of power motor wise, and then can actually lay that power down so obviously wheels are something I really want to get right! Also, in terms of the robot itself, I'm going to leave HardWired I be, and make a completely new HardWired II, similar design but I need better armour and just a general improvement over the old design to incorporate this lifter, so I might as well with how much I'm planning to change.

And finally, I'm looking at getting a fast brushless motor/esc setup on the cheap just for a slight experiment with the old HardWired, and potential weapon system on the new one, so that should be fun.

[Flag Captured]

You know when you think of something slightly too optimistic for your design?

Well, I'm thinking of having both a spinner and a lifter on HardWired II as interchangeable weaponry, along with a set of interchangeable wheels (and side panels) so that the spinner can be invertible, and the lifter can have smaller, grippier wheels or something. Still designing the thing, but it's a thought that just randomly popped into my head, and I'd like to try something a little bit different like that.

I know the current designs are how they are for a reason (i.e. they work) but I'd like to see what I could get away with doing with this one. I'm going to focus mainly on the spinner at first, and then the lifter as a side thing, mainly because I love spinners and now that I have a (admittedly vague) knowledge of brushless motors and a basic setup lined up, it's too good an opportunity to pass up. Sad thing is that it takes up nearly £70 of my £100 budget, so I'm going to have to get really creative from now on. May just re-use some of the motors from HardWired I for now, but those speed controllers will be a pain to get with that price remaining, and I think I'll have to manufacture a couple of wheels myself now for what it's worth!

EDIT: That was a bad idea. Going for the spinner only, because it's far too much messing about to get a lifter in there too. Nice idea, but very impractical I would guess. Something for the future though.

[Flag Captured]

Right, I think I've finally got things sorted out there abouts parts wise, I'm going entirely brushless (drive and weaponry) as it ended up costing less (and taking less effort) to go brushless than use drill motors and some hacked brushed ESCs, so that's a thing now.

What I am still planning though is armour thickness - does anyone have any experience with using sheet steel in robots, and if so how thick would I need it to be for it to be viable for use? I'm looking at around 5mm, but I don't know if that's overkill or not enough... I'm still very much a newbie to not only robotics, but any form of engineering as a whole! D:

[Liftoff]

Depends on the dimensions of your robot, 5mm steel all round will be quite heavy, maybe you could get your hands on some stronger material and reduce the thickness of the armour.