Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

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peterwaller
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Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by peterwaller »

The event went well and there was quite a bit of interest in the robots, I need to get some bigger batteries for my drive all day robots.
I had two batteries that got too low to charge on my charger but luckily I had some spares.
I have since lent on them with a power supply and they seem to be working OK again now.
I actually did a couple of demo's of the walking spinner against an old chassis and it performed better than expected so it may well be entered into the AWS.
One slight design flaw I noticed since is that the front support feet were slightly ahead of the lowest point of the blade so shallow flipper would go under without contacting the blade.
I have reduced the height of the feet and moved them further back which will hopefully improve things.
One more thing I had been worried about the strength of the super glue holding the feet on but judging by how hard the old ones were to remove they should be OK.
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Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by peterwaller »

Back on the 3D printer hot end design the larger fuses have finally arrived from China and they look quite useful.
Of course now Trevor has got my printer working at 265 C it is not really necessary but I think I will continue to dabble to see how I get on.
Here are the two bigger fuses against a couple of the old ones and as you can see on one I have been able to cut a grove in one using a diamond disc in my dremel so I can now use a mechanical method to hold the hot end on the tube without relying on glue or clamping.
Image
Last edited by peterwaller on Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
HugoIsOnFire
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Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by HugoIsOnFire »

Just a quick question, what servo are you using in flippant?
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Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by peterwaller »

I use this servo
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor ... duct=43516
Its a little dated now and won't stand 2 cells but its quite powerful if a little slow.
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Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by HugoIsOnFire »

Thanks, after a quick test my servo seems fast but a bit weak, seeing what other servos there are.
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Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by peterwaller »

I have for some time been thinking about trying interchangeable weapons again as used in Variant.
I had a halfhearted attempt for the games event last weekend but with the possibility of helping a local school looming I thought the idea might be adaptable for that.
What I thought I would suggest was that they start with a basic box like module that holds the main parts such as the receiver, controller, motors, wheels, tyres, switch and batteries and then make slide on modules to produce the different robots.
Here is the basic module I have come up with based on Rory's controller. :wink:
Image
Here is a lifter module based on flippant that just needs the servo plugging in and then sliding into the basic modules slot.
https://youtu.be/rSgCCodK44c
Eventually I am proposing to try this on a more competitive robot.
One thing while getting a bit carried away with the idea I thought I could have a spare basic module in case of breakdown or damage but then you are effectively changeing the whole robot.
Last edited by peterwaller on Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
bot_bandit
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Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by bot_bandit »

The idea of the drive module is fantastic. can see this working especially well in schools but don't see why it couldn't be competitive too! It brings to mind the question whether two robots would be allowed to share one of these modules given that everything else stayed the same? It would allow for making multiple robots on a budget which is an advantage for some people.
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Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by BeligerAnt »

bot_bandit wrote:It brings to mind the question whether two robots would be allowed to share one of these modules given that everything else stayed the same? It would allow for making multiple robots on a budget which is an advantage for some people.
This question (although sort of in reverse) was asked a few weeks ago. The question then was whether 2 robots could share interchangeable weapons. The conclusion was that whilst it wasn't strictly prohibited in the rules it really wasn't within the spirit of the rules and likely wouldn't be allowed by an event organiser. I think sharing a drive train takes things even further - one drivetrain really is one robot, you can't treat it as two!
Nothing to stop you coupling the same drivetrain to different weapon systems for different events - which is precisely what Peter did for the Oxford Games recently.
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Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by bot_bandit »

I recall that conversation which is why this question came to mind. Was wondering people's thoughts on the 'reverse' side of this situation!
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Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by peterwaller »

Here is the first attempt at a more competitive module.
Image
And here it is with a possible weapon module still in the design phase.
Image
Last edited by peterwaller on Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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