Haynes Manual Build a Robot

[AdamST180]

Hi All

I've always loved robot wars and robot building so finally want to start building things, bearing in mind i have zero engineering skills and not done any electronics since A level so im very rusty.

I brought the Haynes RW build a robot manual and build the first bug bot just to make sure i could still solder lol

Now i want to build the flip bot so so can get some basic skills and practice, I think i can get hold of most of the parts but to get the aluminium pieces needed for the frame im struggling to find a company to do it.

Using the .dxf files they provide I have got a quote for £80 + VAT to have the pieces supplied in 3mm aluminium as i don't have the facility to cut metal myself.

Can anyone recommend a person/company who could provide the pieces maybe cheaper or have I had a good quote already?

West Midlands based.

Thanks all

[Ocracoke]

Hey there, welcome to the forum!

£80 sounds OK to me though I've not used any metal cutting companies before, who quoted you that?

I seem to recall the folks behind Neophyte (another robot) following the Haynes guide as well... they might be able to direct you as to what works/what doesn't work.

[James Williams]

Hi Adam

As Michael mentioned our robot Neophyte is based on the Flip Bot build, but we can't help you this particular issue because we cut the metal ourselves with a jigsaw. However we're more than happy to help with anything else.

One important thing I ought to tell you now is that if you want to compete in live events with it you will have to make modifications as the guide doesn't fully comply with the FRA rules. You will need to add a power light into the circuitry as well as a locking bar to keep the weapon from moving when it's out of the arena. Also I suggest you beef up the chassis a little because 3mm aluminium will struggle to hold up against other robots.

Also I wouldn't recommend the Sabretooth speed controller they use as they are notoriously unreliable as we found out the hard way. Ours, despite being brand new, failed tech check because it wouldn't stop powering the motors when it lost signal, so we couldn't compete for most of the event. A lot of people have suggested to me the Feather Two Dual Channel speed controller which you can get at nutsandbots.co.uk.

Oh also the RoboChallenge guys posted a full list of the exact components they used on the Robot Wars reddit.

If you have other any issues or questions feel free to ask.

[AdamST180]

Thanks for the welcome

It was a metal fabricator in Birmingham, cant think of the name of the top of my head, sent out loads of quote requests but only they got back to me.

I'm hoping to use building the flip bot as a crash course as a lot of this is new to me, I know a little about electronics but anything mechanical is all new so if a can build the flip bot and get it working I would then plan to modify it like you suggest James to meet FRA standards but not sure if would be brave enough to fight with it, only time will tell lol!

Good tip on the speed controller as struggled which one to get for that, have got hold of a Dx6i on ebay so that's a good start, then need a receiver to match that, any tips?

Do you have any pics of Neophyte as can see it on your avatar but wont enlarge?

Thanks

[James Williams]

I use a Spektrum AR610 which works fine but as a newcomer myself I don't have much to go on. The consensus I got at the event is that Spektrum transmitters/receivers are ones to get if you don't mind splashing out a little extra. There are a bunch of threads on here that could give you more info.

Here's the avatar pic, can't take any new ones because I'm not with the bot atm. If you're interested there's footage of it in battle floating about online. Just search for Extreme Robots Manchester 2018 Featherweight battle 1 on Youtube

[AdamST180]

Looks good, that was a big hit you took from that spinner aswell! I was at Manchester for the 2nd show on the Sunday, amazing experience.

Will start getting the parts together and hopefully get building soon

[Maxamuslead]

Got a feeling that was pre event. As I was pitted next to them and the frame looks straight

[James Williams]

What was more surprising is that we were fully functional after the hit. We did get stuck on our back for a while though. There's a small spoiler on the top of the lifter that helps the robot self right but that got squashed on the landing & the robot struggles to self right without it (you might want to watch out for that). Glad you enjoyed the show.

[James Williams]

That's an understatement. It doesn't look that way now & probably never will again.

[Ocracoke]

Least Neophyte came out of the arena in one piece (mostly)!

Also I wouldn't recommend the Sabretooth speed controller they use as they are notoriously unreliable as we found out the hard way. Ours, despite being brand new, failed tech check because it wouldn't stop powering the motors when it lost signal, so we couldn't compete for most of the event.

I had that as well with my dual 2x5amp Sabretooth on my Beetleweight Shu!. I think I ended up changing one of the DIP switches that resolved it.

[AdamST180]

I did wonder about it getting stuck on its back, book says would self right so will have to keep an eye on it.

Yeah well built to survive a hit like that and keep going!

[Theo]

My Sabretooth ESC (thanks again Dave) is a good few years old now, and going as strong as ever.

It also helped that my robot was only 4.2kg, I never went full throttle because it would swerve violently, and the wheels had virtually no grip and no opportunity to draw those amps. But the thing worked and survived, and didn't need any padding either (barring velcro).



Your issue isn't with the ESC, it's with the receiver. The same thing happened a few days before Gloucester. Powered it up, turned the Tx off as a test. Kept moving. The failsafe feature doesn't seem to be on the 2x12, it may be on the 2x5 (the switch diagrams are different; I was using the 2x5 one for my 2x12). Regardless, I had to buy a whole new radio set for it to work, Hitec Optic 5: given me no problems so far.

[AdamST180]

My Sabretooth ESC (thanks again Dave) is a good few years old now, and going as strong as ever.

It also helped that my robot was only 4.2kg, I never went full throttle because it would swerve violently, and the wheels had virtually no grip and no opportunity to draw those amps. But the thing worked and survived, and didn't need any padding either (barring velcro).

Your issue isn't with the ESC, it's with the receiver. The same thing happened a few days before Gloucester. Powered it up, turned the Tx off as a test. Kept moving. The failsafe feature doesn't seem to be on the 2x12, it may be on the 2x5 (the switch diagrams are different; I was using the 2x5 one for my 2x12). Regardless, I had to buy a whole new radio set for it to work, Hitec Optic 5: given me no problems so far.

If I have a Dx6i transmitter what receiver would you suggest?

[Theo]

The Minima 6T has been great for me, though I'm not the best for radio advice (it came with the Tx and hasn't died yet).

[DoubleTrouble]

We've started using these from HobbyKing with the Dx6i and they seem to work well.

OrangeRx R615X DSM2/DSMX Compatible 6Ch 2.4GHz Receiver

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/orangerx...er-w-cppm.html