first robot

[elobire]

i am trying to make my first small rc robot, but i dont know where to start.
i have read some threads on the forum and seen that chordless drills seem to be popular here, so il think il use some motors from those, but what else do i need an what will it cost?

my dads an electrician so i think il have most the tools i need and he should be able to help me with anything with electrics.

[zoll]

Re: first robot

Hi there, first let me say I am new myself and am only just ordering parts for my first robot. But I have recently used this forum for exactly your purpose (see http://www.fightingrobots.co.uk/foru...p?f=164&t=3000)

However I am now fairly confident in giving you this parts list.

Transmitter and reciever
Motors
Batteries
Speed Controller
Building material

On the cost front it seems as you can spend as little or as much as you like, you will probably be looking at £250 upwards. However note the more you spend the better it will be.

[elobire]

Re: first robot

thanks im going to search around and find some parts.
i might not have £250 but i guess i can buy it bit by bit, but xmas is coming up so i should get some money the

[dgr]

Re: first robot

£250 is probably a little extreme. The transmitter and reciever will be the priciest purchase, but once you have that you can use it on any robot prokect you decide to take on. For a simple featherweight drive set up, you're probably talking about £100 without the transmitter. It's a good idea to get it in bits though, you can always start building even if you don't have the parts yet.
Good luck.

[elobire]

Re: first robot

i allready have a transmitter so i wont need to spend any money on that, il start buying my parts after Christmas.

[joey_picus]

Re: first robot

...might be a bit of a silly question to ask but what frequency transmitter is it? If it's 2.4ghz or 40mhz you're fine, but if it's a model aircraft leftover and on 35mhz or a 27mhz set from R/C cars I wouldn't reccommend using them, since the former frequency is banned for all non-flying vehicles and the latter is quite prone to interference.

[elobire]

Re: first robot

not sure what frequency it is and it doest seem to be written on it anywhere.
all i know about the transmitter is that its from a rc car my dad had. do you think it will be any good?

[daliad100]

Re: first robot

Does it have a crystal? If so check it and that will tell you the frequency.

[elobire]

Re: first robot

oh its the crystal :P
i think its 255, thats whats written on it.

[daliad100]

Re: first robot

Unfortunately I have no idea what that means exactly, someone else will have to help you there.

[psycho_fling]

Re: first robot

well if it has a crystal then its definatly not a 2.4ghz

[RogueTwoRobots]

Re: first robot

Sounds like a crystal for a 27MHz unit, which is probably what it will be if it was used for an RC car. To be honest, that will most likely give you very glitchy control over a robot in the arena and you'd be better off buying a new transmitter. They're not as expensive as they used to be; when I started in this hobby I paid £120 for a 40MHz radio system, but now you can get a 2.4GHz transmitter and receiver for £36:

http://www.sussex-model-centre.co.uk/sh ... p?id=29064

The 2.4GHz frequency means that you'll not suffer interference in the arena, leading to good control. You also don't need to fit a protruding aerial in your robot either, which is beneficial if you plan to make a robot that can run both ways up

[dgr]

Re: first robot

I agree with Jamie, couldn't recommend going to 2.4ghz more highly. Best decision I ever made.

[elobire]

Re: first robot

thanks for the replys, i have been looking at those planet 5 transmitters for a while il have a look around and see whats the cheapest i can get one, that website you gave me seems to be out of stock atm.

[elobire]

Re: first robot

their is also one thing im not sure about, how do i know how to connect what component to what? im sure it will all make sence when i get the parts but what do most people do?
i may take a look at my dads rc car maybe that will stop me from being confused