Pre-Build Check

[Guest]

Before I start to buy parts and build my feather id like some viewpoints on the design and any flaws. There is a picture on my profile of the design.
Spec-
chassis and side skirts from 2mm steel
front and rear wedge from 4mm steel
powered by 4 of 18v challenge drill motors
2 30amp electronize speedos

[ewan]

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Sounds all great. Only thing I can think of is changing the 2mm steel skirts to 4ish mm aluminium which might be just about the same weight but plenty tougher.

[Guest]

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not sure wether i can afford ali at the moment but ill try to get some

[andrewj]

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Sounds good! Other than the shape and motors its pretty much like what mine is gonna be like. Have you made any test builds yet? I found I could chop about 10cm off my wooden prototype.

Good luck with the build.

[Guest]

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Ok what do you reckon i should prototype with?

[andrewj]

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Ive used both cardox and woodox.

[ewan]

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Lol AJ. Mark, if you design every last bolt to the nearest mm (even the simplest 2D CAD programs such as visio are plenty sufficiant) then there shouldnt really be a need for a prototype, so you can possibly save both time & money.

[typhoon_driver]

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I will always stand by the crayon and napkin method

[geoff]

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Mark, theres no need to prototype...Just think it through, draw it out (yes, good old fashoned pencil and paper) and then build it!
Thats how our machines get built. (Sometime we dont even go through the pencil and paper stage! Straight from a sick twisted mind to reality in one hit!!)

[babeth]

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Unless youre overlooking some fairly important bit of physics during the welding of your frame and you need this little lovely and good-hearted woman to point out to you and your companion that the frame is twisted and under tension.
They did not believe me until they sawed through one of the beams. The resulting TWANG was music to my ears.

[Mouldy]

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Yer...Building A robot with free-lance engineering as I like to call it is probs a bad idea.. as Babeth said things often get cut in half...Check my profile pic for proof lol.

Made the chassi 70mm to narrow

[ewan]

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lol! better luck next time

[Guest]

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Lol i know about free lance engineering- just get a lump of metal and hope it works and if it doesnt melt it back into shape. When any of you are trying for sponsorship or to get free materials what do you find works best- email, letters, phone etc.

[typhoon_driver]

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I prefer email personnally.

Basically (not so much of a problem now) but if you do it by the phone or face to face then your age can be guessed and if you sound young, they are less likely to offer you help.

Never liked letters, takes too long to set them out properly etc.

[grant_ploughbot]

Pre-Build Check

LOL, Dave, your free lance engineering is more like tack it on, if it looks good keep it lol. They seem to work in the end tho, once theyve been cut off a few times and welded back on lol.

Erm, sponsorship.. It really depends on how big the company is, where the company is etc. If its a local model shop, then it will always be best to go down and talk to them. (Ed hoppit made a good report on how to get sponsorship) But i suggest that if it is a larger company, then an e-mail is always good. they get checked daily. Also it will give you time to think what you are saying through, and check things over and change them if appropriate.

Always be truthful when you are trying to get sponsors, dont promise things that may not happen!