First Ever Robot Build: Invertible Featherweight Vertical Disc Spinner

[TheNeonMatt]

I think the drill motor must have been 550 size, unfortunately the website I found them on has changed and I can't find the specs so will probably go with the 30A speed controller.
Still yet to finish the CAD as I'm still playing around with ideas in my head that could allow for as bigger disc as I can but in the end it depends on the dimensions of the bot which I can only find out from the CAD (bit of a vicious circle). All I can do is try and get the CAD finished and drive system up and running on a chopping board. Then see how things go from there.

If a switch can't be used as a removable link what can be/ an example of one? Is it safe to use a 6 channel receiver with a 5 channel transmitter or is it a bad idea?

[mrsam]

A deans connector with a loop of wire is what most people use, and yes you can use that tx with that rx with no problems

[maddox10]

A Deans. I would opt for the EC5, at least for a high power spinner....

[TheNeonMatt]

If I'm using 12V drill motors are 124mm Banebot's wheels too big (I think I read that they were somewhere)? Then is there a set that screw onto drill motors as in Hex or Key mounts? Lastly, do I go with soft, medium, or hard tyres?

[Flag Captured]

I don't know, Hannibalito 4/Defector ran on wheels bigger than that and a set of GR01s which are essentially the same... Might put a lot of stress on the gearboxes but it's possible I guess. And soft tires will give you more grip, with also a lot more wear, harder ones will have less grip but won't wear as much. Most people go for the harder compounds and it works well enough for them, so I'd probably suggest those!

It's a trade off though, as ever. Depends what's better for your design and your preferences, but I'm not sure if lots of grip on those size wheels and those gearboxes are a particularly good idea, might put a lot of stress on the components...

[TheNeonMatt]

My first instinct was to go with the medium and get the best of both but if most people use the harder compound and it wears less/means I can get bigger wheels I guess I will go with the harder one. Also it says you can pick by mount(key, hex, bushing, unfinished) does one of these screw better onto drill motors?

[Eventorizon]

When it comes to the Banebots wheels dont bother with the green ones, you will be burning a set every fight. Orange is ok but be prepared with spares as you will need them. I would stick with blue TBH. They are more than grippy enough and will last you an entire event. I did testing with Conker 3 on concrete for a good hour and ran the whole 2014 champs on the same set of wheels with no issues.

As for the size... the drills at full speed on 124mm wheels will be very quick, possibly too quick and with an unsupported shaft probably wont last that long either due to a bent shaft or trashing the internal gears.

Go with EC5's for your connectors as you are building a spinner. The current spikes and general high ampages will burn out Deans and TX60's. And even if they don't its better to be safe than sorry.

[Revsmin]

Drills with 124mm wheels would be OK, but more susceptible to gearbox damage/wear. Any larger and your drive is totally underpowered. For example, Defector runs GR01s, which are essentially drills, with 170mm wheels and it can barely push another robot.

[TheNeonMatt]

I assume you mean the plastic gears, are these easy to replace with metal/better ones? Also how easy is it to support the shaft? It's just if I can do these it will mean I'm able to get a bigger disc in by just scaling up the design not thinking of a new one.

[mrsam]

The metal gears will be a direct replacement for the plastic ones so they will just go straight onto the existing pins.Depending on your design you could have a bearing block supporting the shaft in between your wheel and the gearbox.

[overkill]

The other problem with drill gearboxes and large wheels is that the steel gear carrier pins can shear off - there are usually only three pins per stage and they are not good quality. Once a pin breaks, the gearbox self-destructs.

[TheNeonMatt]

RobotVersion2.png After thinking about what I could do with the disc in the design I already had. The solution I came up with was to replace the disc with a drum or bar(like that on Trouble Starter) I was wondering how difficult it is to build a drum and also how many motors will I need to run it off and where they should be placed to stop balance problems.

I have posted a basic design idea, the wheels will be at the back allowing for it to be invertible.

[TheNeonMatt]

DSCF5295.2.jpg Here is a sketch of what I thought the new robot design might be. I had a feeling it might be a bit too similar to TS3, what do people think? The plan is to have it come to a wedge at the back and then for it to be small but will a lot of heavy armour (only thing is I can't weld at the moment so will be held together by screws/nuts/bolts/whatever seems to work)

[overkill]

TS3 is an excellent design. I wouldn't worry about your design looking too much like TS3, all bots have similarities. The main improvement to that design is to enclose the weapon less and have it project as far out the front as possible. Having the top and bottom panels come out to the front is a bad idea as they can easily be bent and catch in the beater or 'high side' the bot and stop it moving. Making the beater diameter as large as possible and having it stick out as far as possible helps your bot attack other vertical spinners before they can contact your bot.

As well as TS3, have a look at Conker 3 and my own vertical spinners here: http://www.robowars.org/forum/viewto...=74&start=5955 - not quite your design but there will be ideas you can adapt.

[TheNeonMatt]

I am planning to use two 12V drill motors and the 30A ESCs (linked near the beginning) for drive. How do I work out what battery pack I need to use?
I tried this calculator: http://architeuthis-dux.org/torquecalc.asp
but couldn't get it to work.