I'm Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

[kevin]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

Was is the difference between stored pressure and working pressure in a pneumatic system? Would you put a servo on the regulator?I forget, would you need a servo for the speed controller? I joined the Robot Club at school.

[woody]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

Q1- http://www.teamdavinci.com/understanding_pneumatics.htmhttp://www.teamdavinci.com/understanding_pneumatics.htm
Q2- No

Q3- Most speed controllers use a direct interface to the receiver.. so in general ..NO SERVO.
http://www.4qd.co.uk/robot/start.htmlhttp://www.4qd.co.uk/robot/start.html



(Message edited by woody on September 13, 2005)

[kevin]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

Thanks, but that link just confuses me even more. How would you fire the flipper?

[philip_taylor]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

Kevin, I use an Electronize switch pluged into my RC receiver to activate a solenoid valve in my robot. It really is simple once you have done it once.

I like Pauls guidance notes on pneumatics http://www.technobots.co.uk/http://www.technobots.co.uk/ Home Support / Find Us

Reread any information you dont understand. Good luck.

[jamesb]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

quote James Cooper
We had the old version ones then james. I use the latest version.

Having spoken to my manufacturer they have said they are confident you cant blow one up. if you try to pull too much power through them the speedo will shut down rather than smoke up. if one does gets blown up somehow they will be replaced free of charge.

quote grant cooper
JB-The speedcontrollers used in the earlier kits were the origional version. RoboChallenge now have the new version with a garantee! if somehow they do blow up, you get another one free so even if it did blow up its not too bad.
Ian- Just try getting paper in them

Thanks guys, nice to know I can get 2 replies confirming the same thing when I ask questions. Thats what I call service (theres another e-mail in your inbox by the way JC)

Yes, I know all about the products from mtronics, and I know all about the new ones, of which I recently had one blow up. Its nice to see that you have a gurantee that when one blows up you will replace it free, im sure any roboteer that buys them from you will be very happy to have that in writing. By the way, if they dont blow up, why would that gurantee be made? They made the same gurantee to us with the old speedos and they refused to replace those because of our unique use of them in robots. I know how bitter I felt with wads of cash sitting in a box smelling of smoke, when wed had the same promise of unblowable

Just trying to clarify to the roboteering public here that the warrenty you offer must be made in writing and is a robochallenge warrenty, just in case mtronics dont replace the product (again)

Did I mention by the way that it was the 12v 25A continuous controllers that blew up running a 7.2v motor with a 1A stall current???

[james...venom]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

James you sound very bitter,

Ive already put it in writting on the forum, and il say again. anybody who buys our speedos and smokes one will have it replaced free of charge.

My surggestion is that you call Mtroniks, speak to the tech department about your case and im sure they would be happy to help. Sounds like you had a faulty one. If not i would be happy to have a word with them for you if you like?

Lets try and keep topics productive

[RogueTwoRobots]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

Just needing some simple advice or assurance regarding speedos:

Im finally gonna be getting round to getting some speedos (and getting rid of those damn microswitches ) Im most likely gonna go for the Electronize 30A with ex relays - should these be okay for using with both W/W motors and drill motors? I reckon they should be but thought I ought to check anyway.

Cheers
Lenny

[stu]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

Yep they should be more than fine Jamie. Go For it mate.

Mr Stu

[RogueTwoRobots]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

Thanks, have to wait a week or so until my student loan comes through (thats where Im getting the money from - instead of buying books for uni ) but will be good to get them

[stu]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

LOL!!!!!!!!!

Stupid thing to do, student loan is for Uni Mr. God some people.

Mr Stu
(Know the feeling, my Student loan is paying for my new Laptop LOL!)

[kevin]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

I would want a low 150psi pneumatic system.

[jamesb]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

Not bitter at all James, just making sure our friends like Mr McHarg dont spend all their student loan on motor controllers sold as unblowable, which are quite easily blowable. In fact, since my last post Pete from the Bloody L team has been to see me with another blown MTronics controller.

Thanks for the offer of talking to MTroniks for me, but I managed to do that myself, and they did indeed offer to replace the speedos if they are manufacturing faults, but be advised anyone purchasing these, if they blow through overvolting, or back emf generated by motors bigger than those used in RC cars, you are unlikely to get your money back as they are not designed for robots. In fact, MTronics only have 1 controller designed with robots in mind, and they are for motors that dont work in the robots that have tried them.

As I said, Mtroniks do excellent controllers, I personally own over 40 of them at the moment, but they may not be suitable for featherweights, and to be honest Id think twice about using them in a decent 6kg robot. They simply cannot take the spike loads we would give them in combat, in machines heavier than RC Cars.

Good luck with your robot building Lenny, but make sure you do as much research as possible before buying anything, as it is very easy to buy something that someone has reccommended, and find it is not what you need.

I would pesonally always reccommend the electronize range of controllers to any first time builder, and to us older blokes to. They are by far the most flexable and reliable controller for under £50, in my experience anyway.

[RogueTwoRobots]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

Thanks for the advice James. Ive been looking into all the options for a while now and Electronize (from what Ive seen and heard) seem to be a decent choice. There are of course the slighty fancier options like the IBC but its a bit out of my price range atm and does a helluva lot more than I need speedos to do. Still got a bit of research to do into it but Im 99% sure just now that Electronize is what Ill go for

Regards
Lenny

[james...venom]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

Ive found no problems with our range of speed controllers and they have handled running drill motors in robots that ran for 10 hours a day none stop.

Hence the guarrentee that if you were to blow one it would be replaced free of charge, so you cant loose out. If a motor too powerfull were to be run on one the speed controller it would simply shut down.

Electronize are great speedos and have been used for a long time in combat robots. the only down side is that thy weight 3 times more and they are twice the size of the Mtroniks which are a world wide distributor.

[Mouldy]

Im Thinking Of Building A Feather, And Need Some Advice

Also Ive got to say there perfomance is as good as the electronise if not better, As its all solid state electronics, no relays involved. The robots ive driven with Mtroniks installed have imediate reaction times and drive very nicely.