first robot questions :)

[typhoon_driver]

Re: first robot questions

Steel difficult to work with? Not at all. Some steel angle or box cut with a hacksaw and bolted together with armour bolted on is not difficult.

Electronize a pain to set up? Plug them in and off you go. Took me a half hour to set up a sabertooth and even then they aren't as robust as an electronize. I've gone through several speedos and still found the electronize to be the only reliable ones I've come across able to take the ratings continuously that they specify.

I have never heard of nor seen a ladder used in any way for a robot chassis and can't really imagine how it would.

To be brutally honest, your best bet for finding out whats what is not to write questions on here but get along to an event and ask questions there. You will learn far more in an hour or two at an event than several days on the forum. Believe me, I know!

[Ellis]

Re: first robot questions

I see, well, I'll be quiet then. I can agree on Electronize being super easy to install, though, took minutes.

Edit: I'm only going by what my father says on steel being hard to use, he says he has had many problems with steel, angle grinders just not doing anything, wrecking the discs and just making a mess, a metal saw as you say would probably be a better bet. I'll pick his brains in the morning.

[psycho_fling]

Re: first robot questions

steel isn't particularly hard to cut with an angle grinder if you use a correct disc but i doubt anyone would have the patience to cut a sheet of steel with a hacksaw

alex

[typhoon_driver]

Re: first robot questions

When working with an angle grinder i'd recommend using good quality discs. Not the ones you find in a pound store, buy some from screwfix or similar. Take the cut nice and slowly, use the weight of the grinder and don't force it down as you will wear down the discs in seconds. It also sounds silly to say but make sure you are using a metal cutting disc (around 3mm thick) and not a grinding disc (about 6mm thick).

I found that using a small 115mm grinder will take a long time with a few mm thick of steel. A 230mm grinder will however go through it like butter. I tend to use my big grinder for cutting and the small one for grinding and those small tricky cuts.

Most importantly, make sure you wear protection! Goggles, gloves and ear defenders are essential.

[Ellis]

Re: first robot questions

We use pretty average quality discs, but we have a large diamond edged disc and a small one (large and small grinders), would they be any good? They don't have a rough edge as such, but harder disc for harder metal?

I'll have a look around for some decent discs too, thanks.

[psycho_fling]

Re: first robot questions

just make sure you use metal discs on metal and not stone cutting discs

also if you get some quality 1mm discs will help as it is 'pushing' less disc through the metal

[lowes3]

Re: first robot questions

what about motor mounts? do people use the ones from robo challenge.

[RogueTwoRobots]

Re: first robot questions

Yeah I believe they're used quite extensively. The Robo Challenge mounts are a great low-cost and ready-made solution for fitting drill motors into a robot.
I've used motor mounts in the past but now I just sort out the mounting of them myself. This basically involves cutting the gearbox shape (which is like a pair of 'D's back to back) into whatever material I'm using for my chassis and securing it in place with a mounting plate that comes as part of a cordless drill (it screws in in between the chuck and the spring that controls the clutch action). It's not too complex a process but for a first-time build, I would just go for ready-made mounts. Keeps things simple.

[cliveb]

Re: first robot questions

Hi Adam we are based in Gateshead pm me your pnone number and I will give you a call

Clive