Project Squirrel

[Outlaw]

Well, fingers crossed on Friday that me and my friend can get our fingers out our noses (and the weather stays stable) as after many templating issues, I managed to make a template that looks like it'd work, and we'd just have to cut it out of hdpe, make drill holes for it to sit in the original bolt holes for the original mount, make sure it's stable, and make sure it runs smooth enough, before having to work on templating the armour and adding a spike to the weapon, else it'd just be a light plastic club haha.

Got a bit on my plate so to speak, but hopefully, if I take it bite by bite, then we should be ready for Manchester... Good bloody christ, where'd this year go to already?

[Ocracoke]

I know the feeling, I've been working on a few other robots and projects so much I need to find time to work on mine. :S Sure I can find a day or two.

[Outlaw]

So, progress so far...

Templated the right hand side of armour for Ratatoskr out of cardboard. Just need to cut it all into it's relative chunks, make it a little neater, then cut it all out of HDPE

Ordered another sheet of HDPE, same thickness and size as the last one. Just in case I don't have enough with what I have, haha.

Things to do;

Cut out weapon motor mount, place it in Ratatoskr and make sure it's stable.

Solder plug to motor, and place the pulley with HDPE piece onto said motor, along with making relief in longest piece.

Resolder lights for the third and final time. Got the new ones as said before, and they should work.

Cut out armour from the HDPE remaining over, use the templates to do both sides if applicable.

Create skidplate so it can run a lot smoother.

Add spike on axe and create locking mechanism so that I don't break rules, both made out of rolled steel.

And as an optional thing to do, paint it all with an reddish-orange colouration and give it an electric blue double stripe down the middle. Oh, and a couple of shirts as well, just for team ID sake haha.

Just need to take my time, make sure it's all done to a good enough standard, and hopefully, I can make it to Manchester in a month's time.

[Outlaw]

So, I took a look at the markings I made on the HDPE to make the armour, and in all honesty, I didn't like it. They looked so small, and I don't want to waste more money, so I bit the bullet and decided "Right, that needs a complete remeasuring before I start carving into it." So that's what I plan on doing. I'm going to make sure that each piece will fit where it needs to, and take my time.

Will I be able to make it to Manchester? Fingers crossed I do... If anything, I'd get the armour on, lights sorted, weapon on and just go in full hdpe, with the legal set ups too such as locking mechanisms and a raised table of sorts to keep it's wheels off the floor.

[Outlaw]

So after some re-templating, I've managed to get all of it onto both sheets of HDPE... now is a matter of time when the weather decides that it's had enough pouring rain down in Sheffield and let me have my way with cutting, drilling, and bolting it all together. And then add lights... and then make sure the plugs are accessible.

[Outlaw]

Is it just me or does the weather seem to want to hinder me from actually doing anything? Went to see if it'd be stable weather today, and turns out there may be thunderstorms... ah well, I guess there's always Thursday seeming as tomorrow'd be more of the same, haha.

[Outlaw]

So I managed to get the back panel and part of the top panel cut out and shaped... at the cost of my feet being in a lot of pain, so I'm taking today as a recovery day, and tomorrow a shopping day as I need more M6 bolts and dowel nuts too. And as soon as the weather clears up again, I'm gonna get straight back onto armour cutting and shaping, then soldering stuff.

And I signed up to the Manchester event, but I've also said that if I can't make it, I will contact John via Facebook.

[Outlaw]

One week left... and not a lot has been done... thanks weather.

Hopefully, tomorrow, the weather'll be a little clearer where I am, then me and my friend can get everything cut out, and then I can just grind out the angles needed to make things fit together.

It's not looking hopeful, but if I don't make it to Manchester, then I have to try and convince my mom to take me to one of the other events... outside South Yorkshire, haha.

[Ocracoke]

The next nearest one to Sheffield is Grantham, which is a Robots Live! event. That is the 23rd + 24th June.

[Maxamuslead]

One week left... and not a lot has been done... thanks weather.

You had a look at Sheffield Hackspace ? It might be a useful resource for you. Also ask R9000 (Rory) in case he know any places

[R9000]

Hackspace wasn't that great last time I went. They have very little in the way of decent machine tools, mostly it's a place for 3D printing and little electronics projects. Worth a look, but not really good enough for mechanically-focused projects like ours. As for nearby events, yeah the north is pretty shafted when it comes to live events. Robots Live Grantham is the next-closest as Ocracoke said, then there's the FW champs in Birmingham late this summer. I don't know if there's anything we can do to entice XR and RL to come up a bit further North, maybe we can pitch in together, buy an etek and dangle it on a string somewhere up near Newcastle.

[Ocracoke]

then there's the FW champs in Birmingham late this summer.

Has a date for that been announced yet?

[R9000]

Nothing's been announced, but the summer Insomnia this year (i64) is set for 23/08/18 - 27/08/18.

[Maxamuslead]

Hackspace wasn't that great last time I went. They have very little in the way of decent machine tools, mostly it's a place for 3D printing and little electronics projects. Worth a look, but not really good enough for mechanically-focused projects like ours.

huh from the photos off google maps it looks well enought equipped to be of some use, plus looking at the calander the CNC & Machine Building SIG each Friday look intresting

[Outlaw]

Well just my luck for the weather to be absolute pants today, haha. Not only that, but my friend texted in saying he couldn't come over either. Double whammy on a Friday the 13th... go away Jason Voorhees.