Team Coolspeedbot: first feather weight robot

[Coolspeedbot]

CSB2 looks nuts! The blue lighting really sets it off almost too nice to fight...

Thanks for the extra info for the belt drive stuff too, helped me out massively.

Thanks, going to be the best-looking robot in the rumble, but let's hope it'll do the business when it comes to fighting. You're welcome about the belts.

[Coolspeedbot]

Well, I guess this will be my 'fight report' for Extreme Robots Maidstone, not that there is much to really talk about. The day started off great got a spot in the pits got to see the other robots as they arrived then the first show started and it took a while to find out what teams the featherweights were split into. Only the call was for the featherweight teams pick their teams. BIG ####ING MISTAKE! The spinners Neon and Shrapnel ended up in the same team because they didn't tell each other what team they picked. So going into the fight I had to watch out for both spinners knowing they'd not attack each other. Arming up I was given a cause for frustration despite being 6wd CSB 2 struggled to drive smoothly in the bullpen and arena. And once again I can't see the arena easily, we only had like 9 robots and still, the drive area is full of people. The fight started and apart from some difficulty with visibility and the floor I was doing fine, I was wedging under bots but I couldn't get the chance to use the weapon. Then the first hit from Neon hit the wedge quickly following with the wedgelet getting 'unbolted' and a 3rd hit launched CSB 2 upside down. I was able to drive upside down but when I tried to push another bot, Neon got a 4th hit on the back of the left drive pod hitting the side panels and basically peeled the drive pod off the robot, shearing bolts, broke the motor bent the drive pod panels and turned the spur gear into a square.

CSB 2 was able to crap walk away to the edge of the arena to avoid more damage. After having CSB 2 returned to me with the wedgelet I could take a better look at the damage. Many people were hopeful and helpful with trying to get CSB 2 running again. However the spur gear was still missing, it was later found and was basically the clear indication that CSB 2 wasn't going to be fighting for the rest of the weekend. After having to wait until the end of the second show, I packed up and headed home.

The plan is to replace the broken parts and get it working again for events next year, however, I'm currently unsure if I'd return to Extreme robots next year, I'm not willing to fight in a big rumble with spinners unless it's the featherweight championships as having my robot smashed up in a sideshow to heavyweights is not worth it.

[Coolspeedbot]

Video of the fight:

[TechAUmNu]

Well that was a blood bath.

[Coolspeedbot]

Well that was a blood bath.

That's an understatement.

[TeamKnightshade]

As someone who's bot got smashed too, I can agree with you on this. Weapon of choice was never intended to put up with such punishment, but we had to fight whatever went in the arena or we couldn't fight at all. It does seem unfair, as the heavyweights can choose to not fight spinners.

Best of luck with your repairs, I still think this is one of the best non-spinner feathers on the scene right now.

[Ocracoke]

It does seem unfair, as the heavyweights can choose to not fight spinners.

When I was last at Maidstone in 2017, there were two FW melees per show, not one and so the choice to not fight a spinner was there. I suspect that to include Middleweights, this might be why it was dropped to one per show.

I know the HW and MW spinners are limited to 125mph. I can't say what speed Shrapnel and Neon are running at but perhaps it is time to have that discussion with EXR for FW spinners as well.

[TechAUmNu]

Generally accepted tip speed on FW is 250mph, but that really doesn't help. If your blade has very high MOI it doesn't really matter what the tip speed is. I think the limit should be left alone because reducing it would disadvantage small diameter spinners too much as they need the extra speed to get any energy. Would it have been less of a problem if you had known that neon/shrapnel would have been in the fight? Having two rumbles and maybe capping weapon energy in at least one of them would be a better solution.

From the video I saw Neon hit the same bot quite a lot, even after they were pretty dead already. I think maybe just a reminder that its not a knockout competition and just a bit of fun might help. Although it is a full combat event, so if you go in expecting to not take any damage... I donno, its a hard one. A poll of what people want on FB might be a good idea.

Its also very hard to see anything in that arena, especially if you are behind a crowd of people. Maybe something for people in the back row to stand on would help with that. The edges are very dark compared to the centre of the arena, so more even and brighter lighting would also be helpful.

[Ocracoke]

Having two rumbles and maybe capping weapon energy in at least one of them would be a better solution.

I don't disagree with that proposition but there are only so many slots you can have in a show. Accommodating 3 weight classes is the issue here. I know EXR were running Featherweight fun time warm up bouts before the start of the show which are non-spinner but I do get it, you would ideally want to run in the main show.

I guess you'd either want to extend the show runtime or rejig how HWs and MWs compete in a show to create the space for a second FW melee.

Its also very hard to see anything in that arena, especially if you are behind a crowd of people. Maybe something for people in the back row to stand on would help with that.

For Maidstone certainly, that just wouldn't be practical. Space was so tight, the camera used to record the after-show interviews was being moved forwards and backwards. I also have qualms about the pit space there but that is a different discussion.

[Roboteernat]

I dont think they had the pre show FW battles at this event, perhaps timing was tight before the show to get everything ready.
CSB its a shame about your bot, I saw you before the show, and i still think it is a great robot. Its a shame that neon and shrapnel are so good, that they can get the full damage they dished out. I guess its what the FW entrants expect from the FW rumble. do they expect robodojo slevel of competition or is it just a practice session with knockabouts?
I expected it to be damage bound, but not to that extent. Its great for the paying audience to see that level of destruction, which is therefore great for the Extreme Robot guys who get the money/profits from the event, its a shame that their profit gain is from our pain with no return, except of course the opportunity to drive and fight in an arena, socialise and watch the show.
I do think Neon went a bit OTT, but then again, experienced driver, in an arena, hyped to get combat. Just a little OTT considering those also in attendance.

I was lucky and that the damage i got from Shrapnel was nothing electronic and can be easily replaced. Im sorry to the extent some got dished upon them. Slightly happy Shrapnel had a bit of a fire but still sorry for the costs to refix.

Additional, i noticed in Team Ironclads video of the 1st rumble, neon went flying off my wedge after driving into me when i was stationary after shrapnel (disconnected rc leads), so im glad he didn't make contact with something that could bite and rip the front wedge plates off completly. I was dead, please leave me alone

I did just wonder, because of the fatalities in that show, could ER have ended the battle early?

[team death]

I have to agree with Nat 100%, Jonno's events are for a paying audience and they love

destruction and there would be calls for money back if Robots were just shoving each

other around.

I first attended jonno's events 15 years ago when he was just starting out and the Arena

was barely 12 ft x 12 ft for heavies so you might say I know the score.

Every time I have attended Roaming Robots now EXR my Robot has been wrecked

to the point I ask myself what's the point? !.

Well now we have choices which were not always available-there is EXR or Robots Live

or Robodojo and others so you can take your choice.

It does not matter if you spend months building a Robot and thousands of pounds or

knock it together in a couple of week and spend pennies-it hurts when it gets wrecked.

So in conclusion it's wise to select your event carefully .

It's genuinely sad to see CSB 2 badly damaged and I can't see how you could have tapped out in

all that Mayhem.

[suvv]

neon runs at the heavyweight tip speed the weapon is just a monster for getting good engagement the only one of the 3 nasty verts in the uk running anyware near 250 is blunt force trauma at 214 and its not even running at the moment

mele battles can be a bloodbath but this is the price of competeing few years ago at Manchester all three verts were in and people were using other robots as shields so be happy their was only 2 in thier

the only way you find out what is good and what isnt with your robot is to get the crap kicked out of it

[Eidg]

Hope you can repair your beautfiul bot.
I wouldn`t want to fight in a rumble too.
For sure there are good events in england too,witch are 1 :1 with fair drivers like the DRG event at facts.

[mrsam]

As sympathetic as I am to the damage, nobody forces anyone else to go into these melees. I think if you’re testing your new robot then an ER melee is the worst place you can do this. With regards to tip speed limits, Shrekt ran at half speed (~100mph) at Bolton and still caused a fair amount of damage, so that’s not really a solution either. At the end of the day it’s combat robots, so if you’re worried about damage don’t intentionally go into spinner melees, and if you do don’t then blame the spinner guys for doing damage. I agree with leaving dead robots alone, however I don’t think Ellis is fully to blame there as Neon is very fast, ricochets off at weird angles and the visibility is not the best.

I hope you can get get it fixed, but maybe Sportsman at robodojo is better for initial tests

[Ocracoke]

With regards to tip speed limits, Shrekt ran at half speed (~100mph) at Bolton and still caused a fair amount of damage, so that’s not really a solution either.

This I can attest to. Azriel took damage from Get Shrekt when it was hit front on, taking out a 6mm polycarbonate wedge (and I seem to recall Azriel was turned over by Get Shrekt as well from either this or a second impact). With regards to the tip speed, I simply put it out there as a point of discussion. I don't claim to be au fait with the physics of spinners.

I do have to agree, spinner melees are tough and I think Neon ultimately exposed a design flaw in that it was able to catch the back end of Coolspeedbot 2 and apply full pressure on it to peel it the way it did. Perhaps a fully welded back end section may have helped though looking at the design again, perhaps more anchorage points instead to allow the side armour to come off?