Team Kaizen Build Diary

[Ocracoke]

Been quiet here, huh? I needed time off from robots but slowly getting back. I am still planning on going to EXR Colchester for the Saturday only.

Jibril
So as I've mentioned, I'll be running Jibril 1.2 at EXR Colchester but, space permitting, I might bring the frame of 2.0 as well. I've taken the old axe bearings out and have made up a new deadshaft axe mount. It needs some brackets but once that is done, a bit more strengthing work is needed on the axe gearbox before it goes all back together. I plan to work on this over the week so hope to have something to show on Friday.

Azriel
Started getting the wheels ready to refit onto the robot which won't take very long. Because of the limited amount of time to go until EXR Colchester, I'll probably stick with the HDPE axe shaft for now. Again, should be done fairly soon, just a case of reassembly.

BotFest arena + Ants
The BotFest arena has been dry fitted and mercifully, the one piece floor fits without issue. Tested filming with an action camera yesterday in a few mock battles (since I was on my own, I was driving both robots with each hand) and it looks good. The floor definitely wants painting and detailing but I can do that the week before the event. The Ants are as ready as they'll ever be.

[James Williams]

Great to hear about the arena, I'm going to every event over the next month & legit looking forward to Botfest the most. Hoping Jibril does well at Colchester too (good luck with the drive there & back).

[Ocracoke]

Aww, thanks! I am looking forwards to the event as well, it'll be good to see everyone again.

[Ocracoke]

Azriel
I wired up the robot, flashed the second ESC and tried to get it mobile. It worked for a brief, glorious moment before one of the gear pinions came loose in the gearbox. I don't think, based on what I have seen, it is going to be any quicker than the old 775 motors but there is definitely some improvement in the software to the speed controllers, it is still stuttering off the line. I'll also need some HDPE panel to sit the thinner motor on cause I can see it wobbling in there.

I also definitely need new Gimson hubs again :S

Jibril
Tomorrow, whilst at a D&D session, I'll be working to get the Scythe working properly again. All the parts are available now, just need time to sit down and actually mend it now. Batteries need charging and that drive grub screw needs replacing and threadlocking.

However, after EXR Colchester, all will be changing. This version of Jibril will become the new Kaizen (just to confuse everyone some more :P). Likely not to be an axebot but I've not really decided on the weapon yet. That means the CIM motors will be staying in this robot. I might pickup some more for Jibril 2.0, depends on the money really. Got a lot planned for 2020.

[McMullet]

Tomorrow, whilst at a D&D session, I'll be working to get the Scythe working properly again.

May you roll many 20s for your scythe wrangling!

[Ocracoke]

Jibril
So I didn't get a chance to work on the Scythe on Sunday but over the last few evenings, finally the Scythe is back together!
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The new mount feels way more solid than the original one. The gears themselves are marginally less meshed than the last go around so in theory, it should swing easier. Definitely felt like it will. Annoyingly, the 1st stage output gear is still slipping on the shaft so I need to get the screws out, drill the shaft with indents for the grubs to sit in and then put it all back together. Ideally, I should drill all thy way through the shaft or key it but as this version is being "retired" as an axebot, I only need it to last EXR Colchester.The slipping drive grub screw has been replaced with a new one and threadlocked so it shouldn't fail again.Tomorrow is battery charging, reassembly and testing hopefully before being transported for a 5 hour drive to Colchester one way.

[Ocracoke]

Jibril
The robot is back together and on the trolley, the drive looks fine and will run on Saturday. The Scythe is another matter. It runs but the 1st stage output gear is slipping badly. Now what I think is happening is that the flats on the gearbox shafts aren't flat enough and/or are in the wrong place so the locking grub screws are just sliding on the round shaft. I know this technique works because the 2nd stage pinion has this and that does work - it hasn't moved.

I can't work on the robot on Friday, I desperately need sleep so I can get up very early AM on Saturday to be on the road to get to Colchester before the show starts. So yeah, that is going to be fun getting the gearbox dismantled, worked on and then all back together before the show starts (I jest, this is likely to take about 40 minutes to do). I need to get some long reach Allen keys and it should be fairly obvious where to make the flats.

[Ocracoke]

Jibril - EXR Colchester
Another one of those long drives again. Took 5 hours getting here and as near as makes no difference 10 hours getting home. I got diverted from the A14 onto the M25/M1, then an accident on the M1 blocked everyone up and then the M6 between junction 14-15 was shut too. Like Portsmouth and Burgess Hill, this is one of those "all weekend or nothing" events for me.

Got to Colchester and setup on a table. In terms of MWs, we were only having whiteboards this time so in with You Little Ripper, Backlip and Gaston. Anyway, got ready by threadlocking the output gear on the 1st stage and fiddling with the TX controls to limit the end points. The hope was that it would resolve the control issues I have been having with this robot.

The first fight proved the basic idea of the end points worked. It wasn't wheelspinnng as much, a little too much, turning felt too slow but the forwards/backwards motion was OK. What wasn't was the Scythe. I did a test beforehand, Sycthe moves. In the arena, nothing. Got lined with Gaston, nothing. Then I got flipped and you know how this goes by now. Ended up being flipped OOTA by You Little Ripper.

The damage was as follows:

• The Scythe gear shaft was bent in two places. Ended up having to cut the shaft to get the gear off. The new mount held up though.
• The grub screw I replaced on the drive fell out so lost drive on one side.
• My hopes and dreams. :S

After a bit of time to cool off, found a replacement threaded shaft, cut the old one up and rushed to get the new shaft mounted. Managed to get it on just before the show started along with the drive again. I readjusted the end points again but alas, the Scythe still wasn't firing. I spotted that the gears were not meshing and despite repeated efforts, it wouldn't mesh.

The second fight went better. With no weapon, I rammed Gaston several times, taking a few blows from the spinning disc. Backflip then flipped me onto my back and tried to right me. In the end, this worked but then one of the battery leads fell out. Now, if this was a single battery to the weapon or drive, this would be "better" because it wouldn't affect the other circuit. However, these batteries are in series driving both the weapon and drive so when the lead came out, it killed both.

Still, Jibril wasn't as badly hurt as the first fight. The Scythe came out relatively intact and once the lead was reinserted, the drive was fine.

I'll be bringing this robot to BotFest 3 along with the frame for Jibril 2.0. The only change I might make is to increase the bore on the mount to drop the output gear down a little so it meshes properly. After BotFest 3, the internals of this 1.3 version is being moved to 2.0.

[team death]

All that driving Lucy-shows dedication, don't you just hate it when you get diverted at night especially
and you can't find your bearings and the Sat Nav just wants to take you back to the start of the diversion.
Hope to see you at Robodojo again.

[Ocracoke]

Thanks Colin. The last major drive is to EXR Maidstone but that is not for a while yet. Got Marlow for the BW Championship the weekend before as well but thankfully not going solo to that. I'll have to see if I can get the time to go to Dojo again, might even be able to compete next time :P

After BotFest 3, it is the big move to get everything into the new shell. I've also decided to completely rebuild and redesign the axe mechanism and Scythe after what happened at Bolton and Colchester. Taking the gears to MOD 2 and when I looked at it, the ratio I can get to is something in the region of 20/24:1. That with the A28-150 motor, which is 3HP at peak should translate into a more "effective in theory" mechanism.

The Scythe will have a new shaft which will move the pivot point a little further up the shaft to permit a counterweight and reduce a little bit of stress in lifting the 3.5kg axe head.

[McMullet]

• My hopes and dreams. :S

That is some dedication to do all that driving for a couple of fights!

Always a pleasure to read your event reports, Lucy. Sorry it didn't work out especially well (especially the trip home - I think I'd be far angrier about that), but sounds like you've got the bugs figured out!

[Ocracoke]

I've got the driving sorted but the Scythe... nah. Now that BotFest 3 is out of the way and people have gawked at the... brokenness of it... the robot is going to be gutted down to the shell. The new build will solve a lot of the issues this one has been seeing but first, I really do need to get Shu! sorted first. That is half sorted, just needs a front panel and wiring sorted.

Oh, I also need to replace a motor in The Honey Badger 4.0 despite it never having been in a fight. Looks like I had a bad batch of MFA motors come through or I damaged them in a 4WD beetle test ages ago (probably the latter).

[Ocracoke]

Shu!
I've finally got some time to work on this one. It is being completely rebuilt since the last one met it's fate at the last BW championship. Featuring 6mm HDPE and 4mm polycarbonate with 30:1 MFA motors, it should hopefully prove more durable than the last version (PVC does not make good armour). The drive is now operational and I should have a video of it moving around for proof of mobility by tomorrow.

The weapon remains the same, a nice bit lifting arm but although the mechanism is fine, the wiring isn't. Got it wired and and put the removable link in. Next thing I know, smoke and heat. Couldn't get the link out so I yanked the battery out. Got a nice blister and a couple of scorch marks on my fingers for that. So that is a new weapon wiring loom in need now.

JPEG_20190921_152602.jpgJPEG_20190921_161049.jpg

[Ocracoke]

Shu!
Spent a bit of time fixing the weapon arm onto the body and then filming for the proof of mobility. Obviously not finished yet but it is getting there. I also misspoke in the video, not the UWE but the BW championship.

[Ocracoke]

The Honey Badger
Oh yes, it is back but perhaps not as you remember it. It has technically been ready since March-ish time when there was an event planned in Shrewsbury but I've only just replaced a damaged gearbox on the drive, so here it is. I may still fit a self righting servo onto this one, need to weigh it accurately to see what is left.