From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

[Anttazz]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

I haven't used a 6 wheeler so i'm not really sure on that front. Tiny Toon, according to its roaming robots profie, used 24v Gold motors, personally I don't know what they are, but I have heard them talked about on here. I think Gary (typhoon_driver) was talking about them as (I think) he used to use them in Hornet, but I could be wrong on that front.

You could build a fort out of them? Wear them as a hat? Or push them about when you get the robot finished? Could maybe stick them all together and use them as a robot?

[RogueTwoRobots]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

You could build a fort out of them?

Never underestimate the fun and awesomeness that can be had from acting like a 7-year-old and building a fort in your living room when you're actually in your twenties and at uni studying to become a respected member of society

Gold motors were a popular choice for featherweight drive motors many moons ago. They were (not surprisingly) gold-coloured, rated at 150W and available in 12V and 24V versions. They used to be sold by Technobots but it's been a while since they were stocked. I think the Toon machines and DB5 are the main remaining users of gold motors at the moment, although I've probably forgotten several others.

I never used gold motors so I can't truly compare, but I'd be inclined to say that Speed 900s are superior motors.

[Roland]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

Well darn you k_c_r I was just falling for the drill propaganda and now you've turned me back to speed 900s again!

If I could find an info chart on speed 900s I do a comparison on the advantages/disadvantages to drill motors myself, but I don't have one. So what I'm assuming is one set of two speed 900s + gears and a timing pulley and belt (I know what a belt is but what's a timing pulley? same thing different words?) Would produce less torque and speed compared to 6 drill motors! Less batteries though. I think if I where to use 2 speed 900s I would have to go back to the drawing board again and design a four wheeled rammer with larger wheels and the pulley as you suggested, which would reduce the amount of axles I'd have to worry about, and weight and cost! But that would incorporate me going back to my original plans of designing my own wheels, which seems almost more complicated!

I hate you all and you're complicated ways!

Thanks again for your help guys, you've given me loads of ideas!

[Anttazz]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

I think the only idea that you can take away from this is that building a fort where ever it is you do your robot building is definitely the way to go

[RogueTwoRobots]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

Please, call me Jamie, although I really ought to have picked a better username when I signed up on here.

Speed 900 info chart:

Specification
Nominal voltage 12 V
Operating voltage range 6 ... 40 V
No-load rpm 6500 min-1
No-load current drain 1,1 A
Current drain at max. efficiency 8 A
Current drain when stalled 54 A
Max. efficiency without gearbox 71 %
Length of case, excl. shaft 85 mm
Diameter 51,5 mm
Free shaft length 15 mm
Shaft diameter 6 mm
Weight 645 g

The thing with drill motors is, the specifications of them are often undefined and can vary from brand to brand (particularly in the cheaper brands) so you may find it tricky to accurately compare the two.

Think of a timing belt and pulley system as a chain and sprocket system. The timing pulleys are like sprockets but tend to be thicker and have less pointed teeth. Actually, a picture speaks volumes: http://www.technobotsonline.com/synchro ... 33901.html (as an example)

[Roland]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

I think the only idea that you can take away from this is that building a fort where ever it is you do your robot building is definitely the way to go

Not too shabby either! I could use the spare drill bits as ammunition of any one ever dared enter my workshop again. I doubt I'd ever run out of them either

As a side note, since I have a welder in my workshop, which has windows that open up to the garden; where can I purchase some of that red covering for the windows to stop the flare from damaging anyone's eyes? Is it anything specific or is it literally, transparent red plastic sheeting.

Ah, that's the same date sheet I had from Red Bank but it doesn't mention torque anywhere? is that the same as operating current and stall current? I need to learn some formulas!
Sorry about that Jamie, I had no idea, calling people by there first name always seems to informal, and I don't want to offend anyone!

[Roland]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

Out of interest do edits bump a thread? I'm manually bumping because my edit was essentially a separate post, just so I know for next time! Sorry.

[RogueTwoRobots]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

Sorry about that Jamie, I had no idea, calling people by there first name always seems to informal, and I don't want to offend anyone!

Not a problem Roland, that's what my first name is for
I can't help you too much with the sheeting to reduce welding flare, but maybe have a look around the likes of Machine Mart or welding specialist stores, or even a quick Google search might throw up something. Failing that, you could just eat several strawberry creams from a tin of Quality Street, save all the plastic wrappers and weave them into a patchwork covering :P

And no, edits don't bump a thread or show up as a new post, so if you've added some information that you feel is relevant but might have been missed since it was edited in, a manual bump is an option, either by posting again or by hitting the 'Bump topic' button that should be near the top of the page (only works for the thread creator I think)

[Roland]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

Sorry about that Jamie, I had no idea, calling people by there first name always seems to informal, and I don't want to offend anyone!

Not a problem Roland, that's what my first name is for
I can't help you too much with the sheeting to reduce welding flare, but maybe have a look around the likes of Machine Mart or welding specialist stores, or even a quick Google search might throw up something. Failing that, you could just eat several strawberry creams from a tin of Quality Street, save all the plastic wrappers and weave them into a patchwork covering :P

And no, edits don't bump a thread or show up as a new post, so if you've added some information that you feel is relevant but might have been missed since it was edited in, a manual bump is an option, either by posting again or by hitting the 'Bump topic' button that should be near the top of the page (only works for the thread creator I think)

But I think the real question on everyone's lips is, how many wrappers would a rapper wrap if a rapper could wrap wrappers?

Thanks for the help, and everyone else who has contributed to this thread thus far, you've all been very welcoming over these past few months.
I'm going to buy 2 speed 900s tomorrow to seal the deal, after that I'll look into buying the rest of the components, I think it'd make sense to look at wheels and armour last to be honest.
I have a thousand more questions to ask the forum but I'm going to let it lie for tonight since I'm sure you're all bored of my puny mechanical intelligence.
Thanks again!

[Anttazz]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

But I think the real question on everyone's lips is, how many wrappers would a rapper wrap if a rapper could wrap wrappers?

Now now, thats just silly

[mattsdragons]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

The trouble with speed 900's for ne is how do you keep them cool and get a gear box in? Chain drive or timing belt pull systems?

[typhoon_driver]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

I never bother working out how to keep motors cool. Let them get hot during the 3 minutes of combat and then cool after. Gearboxes, mario has some nice single units that he made a while back I believe from some steel plate. It's a more complex process making your own gearbox combo than just using a drill motor.

I learned this the hard way back with hornet 1. Decided to be smart and not use drill motors and use golds instead. Made some nice little wheel box units but those weighed more than a drill motor and i didn't notice a great deal of difference in the performance to be honest. Although I may crack them out at some point again.

[Roland]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

Just another quick off topic, but where can I find somewhere were I can see pictures of the bots you guys have built? Build Diaries is useful and interesting but it's always cool to see static shots of ideas people have thought of and built.

And back on topic:
What batteries do people tend to use on graupners anyway? I'm assuming two of these: http://www.technobotsonline.com/ansm...0mah-nimh.html
per motor would do, or would I need something with a larger current? Do you generally have spare batteries for after combat if you do manage to get through without wrecking your bot and you have to enter again? Or do you just run the battery dry and then recharge the ones you just used?

[typhoon_driver]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c367/ ... ps%202010/

Jamie has been good at taking and uploading pics for various events. Check out some of his sub albums for various pics.

[Roland]

Re: From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

Thanks! That was exactly the sort of thing I was looking for.