Good Websites for Newcomers

[Anttazz]

Thought i'd start a list of websites we all use and pretty much know off by heart for newcomers to the sport to use as a reference for where to find various components. I'll probably forget some, so add if you see fit. Apologies in advance if I miss anything out in the description of your website, i'm just putting the main things in and people can have a look for themselves


Roboteer Forums

FRA:
http://www.fightingrobots.co.uk/forum

UK Antweight Forum:
http://robotwars101.org/forum/

Australian RoboWars Forum:
http://robowars.org/forum/



Event Organisers

Robochallenge:
http://robochallenge.co.uk

Robots Live:
http://robotslive.co.uk/

Roaming Robots:
http://www.roamingrobots.co.uk/



Components

Gimson Robotics (motors, wheels, actuators)
http://www.gimsonrobotics.co.uk

Robochallenge (wheels, motors)
http://www.robochallenge.co.uk

Component Shop (batteries)
http://www.component-shop.co.uk/

Giant Cod (radio gear, servos, batteries, motors, most things we use actually...)
http://www.giantcod.co.uk/

Technobots (connectors, fixings, LEDs, cabling, speed controllers)
http://www.technobotsonline.com/

Robot Power (Scorpion XL, XXL and Sidewinder speed controllers)
http://www.robotpower.com/

Argos (cheap drill motors)
http://www.argos.co.uk

Vapextech ebay store (batteries)
http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/vapextech/?_t ... 4340.l2559

Dimension Engineering (Sabertooth speed controllers)
http://www.dimensionengineering.com/

Banebots (wheels, motors)
http://banebots.com/

Electronize (Electronize speed controllers)
http://www.electronize.co.uk/index.htm

RS Components (Electronic Components)
http://www.rswww.com

HPC Gears (gears, belts, chain, sprockets, pulleys, custom fabrications)
http://www.hpcgears.com

Botbitz (speed controllers)
http://www.botbitz.com/



Materials

Direct Plastics (Engineering Plastics)
http://www.directplasticsonline.co.uk

JL Steel (Hardox)
http://www.jlsteel.co.uk/



Material Cutting

Clydeview Engineering
http://www.clydeviewengineering.com/

Draftek
http://www.draftek.co.uk/



Calculators

LED Resistor Calculator;
http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz

Timing Pulley Calculator:
http://www.sdp-si.com/cd/default.htm

Spinning Weapon KE Calculator:
http://www.teamcosmos.com/ke/ke.shtml

Drive and Battery Calculator:
http://architeuthis-dux.org/torquecalc.asp

Magnetic Force Calculator:
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/calculator.asp

Motor Power Output Calculator:
http://www.magtrol.com/support/motorpower_calc.html

Robot Speed Calculator:
http://www.technobotsonline.com/robot-s ... lator.html

Torque Conversion Tables:
http://www.numberfactory.com/nf_torque. ... ervalue=90

Shape to Weight Calculator:
http://www.matweb.com/tools/weightcalculator.aspx



Guides

Drill Hacking Guide:
http://www.wa4dsy.net/robot/drillmaster/index.html

Electric Exe Guide:
http://www.robowars.org/wikka/ElectricAxeWeapons

Torque conversion app:
http://www.numberfactory.com/nf_torque.html



Pneumatics Help and Guides

Pneumatic Systems Information:
http://www.teamonslaught.fsnet.co.uk/co2_info.htm

Pneumatic System Build Tips:
http://www.teamdavinci.com/understanding_pneumatics.htm

Pneumatics Guide:
http://www.technobotsonline.com/design- ... obots.html

Pneumatic Guide:
http://howto.killerhurtz.co.uk/pneumatics.htm



Comparison Tables

Plastic Comparison Table:
http://www.machinist-materials.com/comp ... astics.htm

Metal Comparison Table:
http://www.simetric.co.uk/si_metals.htm

Steel Comparison Table:
http://www.westyorkssteel.com/products.html

Graupner Motor Comparison Table:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/edward.mat ... aupner.htm

[Leonardomayo]

Re: Good Websites for Newcomes - Possible Stickied Thread?

Nice thread! Have a few more links.

Dimension Engineering (Sabertooth speed controllers)
http://www.dimensionengineering.com/

Banebots (wheels, motors)
http://banebots.com/

Electronize (Electronize speed controllers)
http://www.electronize.co.uk/index.htm

[PJ-27]

Re: Good Websites for Newcomers

How come yours got made sticky and mine was relegated to the back alleys of the forum! Well, if you can't beat them join them!

LED Resistor Calculator;
http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz

Timing Pulley Calculator:
http://www.sdp-si.com/cd/default.htm

Drill Hacking Guide:
http://www.robowars.org/guides/guides-d ... cking.html

Pneumatic Systems Information:
http://www.teamonslaught.fsnet.co.uk/co2_info.htm

Pneumatic System Build Tips:
http://www.teamdavinci.com/understanding_pneumatics.htm

Spinning Weapon KE Calculator:
http://www.teamcosmos.com/ke/ke.shtml

Couple more pneumatic links:
http://www.technobotsonline.com/design- ... obots.html

http://howto.killerhurtz.co.uk/pneumatics.htm

Drive and battery calculator:
http://architeuthis-dux.org/torquecalc.asp

Torque conversion app:
http://www.numberfactory.com/nf_torque.html

[Anttazz]

Re: Good Websites for Newcomers

Because half of yours aint working PJ

[PJ-27]

Re: Good Websites for Newcomers

Quiet you!

Shape to Weight Calculator:
http://www.matweb.com/tools/weightcalculator.aspx

(Just saw this posted.)

[Mouldy]

Re: Good Websites for Newcomers

www.rswww.com - good for pretty much everything

www.hpcgears.com - gears, belts, chain, sprockets, pulleys, custom fabrications

www.draftek.co.uk - water jet company in Birmingham, roboteer friendly, do all my stuff and the chassis on satans mutt for the gadget show

[jonny]

Re: Good Websites for Newcomers

electric axe guide:

http://www.robowars.org/wikka/ElectricAxeWeapons

[PJ-27]

Re: Good Websites for Newcomers

Can anyone recommend another good source for Pulleys with custom machining?

HPC keep sending me other people's quotes (for what ever reason....)

And TechnoBots got all arsey when I asked them for a quote....

I wouldn't mind just buying the pulleys, but I lack the tools to properly fit a grub screw on the boss and a central bore, I'd rather pay a few more quid.

[Mouldy]

Re: Good Websites for Newcomers

PJ- you tried ringing HPC? there technical department are usualy really helpful... i believe they charge around £2.50 to bore a pulley out, i imagine it'd be about the same for a grubscrew.. but most of there stuff comes with a grubscrew fitting on the boss anyhow.

[PJ-27]

Re: Good Websites for Newcomers

That's interesting, I may try giving them a ring then.

Although from looking at their prices some things are much more expensive than Technobots.

Cheers.

[archie2000]

Re: Good Websites for Newcomers

to calculate inches per minute you times pi (3.141592) by the rpm of 1 motor and then by the diameter of the wheels in inches
just a sec
part 2 coming in a min

[archie2000]

Re: Good Websites for Newcomers

OK that's inches per minute
times by 2.54 to get cm a minute
example. so 3.141592 x2,750rpm motors x 3inch wheels
=
25,918.2 inches per minute or 24mph
but with 12inch wheels (30cm) it would do 98mph at top speed!

[archie2000]

Re: Good Websites for Newcomers

OK so that's inches per min
if I use
2x 2,750rpm motors
3 inch dia wheels
then we do pi times everything
2,750 (only 1 2750 having 2 motors does not mean you double it)
x 3 (for the wheels in inches)
x 3.141592
that's 25,918.2
or 24mph at top speed
with 13 inch wheels it will do 98MILES PER HOUR! at top speed
for a fw about 25mph is nice and fast

[daliad100]

Re: Good Websites for Newcomers

25mph but naff all torque, you generally need gearing for drive motors unless you have really tiny wheels.

Also, 25mph is probably way too fast unless you have near light speed reflexes. For reference 12v drill powered machines (550ish rpm at the wheel) go between 5 and 6.25mph on the different sized blue wheels and are plenty nippy enough.

[archie2000]

Re: Good Websites for Newcomers

I know this is kind of an old topic but I found this
http://www.machinist-materials.com/comp ... astics.htm
too much hdpe now and I think there are lots of alternatives