New and would like some help with my 1st flipperbot

[Pee1989pete]

hello there

i am new to robot combat and have just signed up to the 101 community
i have been a big fan of robot wars for years.i would like to get in to
making antweights i have watched alot of vids on them and i have read alot
about them on this forum and others.

i have been looking around for parts to get started ( spent alot of time and paper wrighting parts lists)

i want to start simple

i have gone with servo's for my drive ( 2x Towerpro SG90 9G Micro Servo ) that i will mod for 360".

i have all so picked up ( 2x Towerpro MG90 14g 2.5kg Torque Ball Raced Micro Servo)
that i thought i could use as a wep or as drive if the sg90 is no good ?.

for my wep i want to start with a flipper for my ant useing 1x Towerpro MG90 14g 2.5kg Torque Ball Raced Micro Servo.

Tx/Rx i am still looking. but i like the look of the Spektrum DX5e 2.4GHz radio with AR600 6-Channel Full Range Sport
Receiver. best one for price i can find, i dont mind going for cheap parts as its my 1st ant but thought i sould
spend good money on the tx/rx

batterys. i have all ready got 2x Lithium Polymer 7.4V 200mAh 20C 2s JST connector.

now this is where i am new to things. from reading other posts and looking around i cant seem to work out how to
hook every thing up. as i have been reading i think i will need a voltage regulator maybe a,7805 5V 1A Voltage Regulator
??
my plan
2x Towerpro SG90 9G Micro Servo drive
1x Towerpro MG90 14g 2.5kg Torque Ball Raced Micro Servo, flipper wep
tx/rx 95% sure Spektrum DX5e 2.4GHz radio and rx

armour: Polycarbonate

now setting every thing up

the two sg90s and the mg90 plug in to the rx

but can i plug a Lithium Polymer 7.4V 200mAh 20C 2s battery in to the rx or will i need a Voltage Regulator ?
and will it power all the servos fine.

if i need a Voltage Regulator i have no clue how i would wire it up.

ty for reading i hope this is not to long a post
if maybe some one could give me a step by step plan on wireing a Voltage Regulator
in to this setup if i need one ??.

[Roboteernat]

Just a quick reply, you will need a voltage regulator to change voltage down to 5v otherwise the RX could burn out.

Take a look t http://appliedplatonics.com/breaduino/steps.html for a breadboard/wiring layut for a 5v reg, which can be made on a veroboard,

Once you have the 5v reg, power servos using the 5v output.

I will google towerpro sg90 servo voltage limits, but take a look at that first.

Nat
Update:
Ok google has various forums and sites that show voltage ranges from 3-6, 3-7.2 and amazon says 3.5-8v... so i would guess they can handle 7.2v

The MG90 seems to only take max 6v, according to hobbyking

[BeligerAnt]

Hi and welcome!

It looks like you've made a good start, all the parts you have look fine.

The DX5e is a very suitable transmitter, the DX4e is also OK and maybe a little cheaper. The DX6i is better, but certainly not necessary and quite a bit more expensive.
You don't *have* to use Spektrum receivers though, and this is where you can save some money without compromising performance. The Spektrum transmitter use a protocol called DSM2, and there are a variety of DSM2-compatible receivers available.
Robotbirds sell a range of suitable receivers from £6 up to about £30. Some of the more expensive ones are *very* small

You will need a voltage regulator to reduce the battery voltage to a suitable level for the receiver. They have 3 terminals; input, ground and output. Connect your battery to input (+) and ground (-), then connect your receiver to output (+) and ground (-).
The servos will be powered via the receiver.
The only slight downside is that a single 7805 regulator might not provide enough current for 3 servos if they are all working hard, although it should be OK for testing and driving practice.

Someone else may be able to comment on whether the TowerPro servos can take the battery voltage directly, otherwise you could use two regulators, but you need to take care not to connect their outputs together. [Edit: Nat beat me to it!]

BTW, you will also need an on/off switch or accessible link/connector to power off the robot whan not in use. You can just use the battery plug/socket as long as it is accessible.

[Rhys]

Regulating down to 5v isn't strictly necessary, but you will kill a fair few servos if you don't. If you can afford a few quid for lots of spare servos, then go for it. if you're on a strict budget, then build the regulator. Or if you're not confident building your own regulator, you can just buy one of these: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor ... 3A_5v.html

I've found some cheap servos can handle 7.4v pretty well though. I've been using four HK1418 servos (£2 each) in several different robots, all unregulated, and never had a failure. But I guess this is more to do with luck, and the fact I rarely practice between events. Still, I reckon you'll be hard pushed to find a better performing drive servo for the money. The small blue type servos are ok, but I find they go pop a bit more often than bigger servos.

As for the TX, Spektrum is what the vast majority of people use in Antweights, but I can't really recommend them. I know I'm probably in the minority, but I've found the build quality to be a bit poor. My DX5e has hardly been used, but the main power switch has failed. And both the trims on the rights stick of my DX6i have broken. But like I say, I'm sure I'm in the minority. I fancy giving this a go next:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor ... de_2_.html

It has all the features of a DX6i, but at the cost of a DX5e. And if it's as good as the Orange RXs they make, then I'm sure it will be pretty decent. Looks absolutely hideous though.

Good luck with the build, if you have any questions, keep them coming!

[Andrew_Hibberd]

Some very good advice from the guys above. Take a quick look at the Q&A section there is a sticky with some sketches on how to wire everything up, with and without a regulator.

[Pee1989pete]

hi guys

wow being new here i have to say im very happy with the feed back. you guys have gave me lots of usefull tips and
things to think about.

ok im going to try and keep this post sorter than the last lol. i am going to go with a voltage reg 5v the hobbyking
one duff linked me to looks like the way im going to go. as looking at the breadboard/wiring seems abit out of my skills for now.

im going to go with the spektrun dx5e tx/rx and would like to keep parts i get from hobby king down to a low if i can because most
of the stuff would have to come from the U.S and reading about there parts has not left me feeling 100% about there parts im sure
there fine. but im going to try and keep the parts list as much from uk as i can saves abit of cash to.

i am going to use the 5v 3a bec that duff linked me. i dont want to start off running servos at there max or more till i know
abit more about what im doing.

just had a read of some of the Q&A section posts on how to wire everything up and found a very usefull post with lots of pics
the more pics the better i say lol. i find it very help full with a good pic to look over.

i have been reading the topic by Andrew_Hibberd and have found it to be a very usefull guide. im going to go with (b16)
all 5v servos on lipo battery.
thx BeligerAnt for your feed back to. and about putting in a on/off switch

right heres my plan

have all the servos running off of the rx so all servos at 5v. the battery gos to the 5v 3a reg http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor ... 3A_5v.html
then the volt reg to the rx sorted

looking at the pic of how it all wire's up looks simple todo apart from the on/off switch i all ready have a Futaba Charging switch harness
http://www.componentshop.co.uk/jst-bec-7757.html laying around could i use that with my plan? and for hooking up its just 1. battery to switch
2.switch to 5vreg 3. 5v volt reg to the rx ?? sounds to easy

i have found it easyer designing the body work and weapon than wiring up this 5v voltreg. off some reason its taking more planning than i thought lol

will this set up be ok and if i can use this switch i can all so then be Charging the battery with out any problems

[BeligerAnt]

That all sounds fine. The 3A regulator will be capable of driving the receiver and 3 servos with no problem.
The switch fits just as you describe, and the "spare" connection will allow you to charge the battery in-situ, although with Lithium Polymer (a.k.a. LiPo) batteries this really isn't a good idea.
A charger fault may result in your entire robot going up in flames! See here.

Depending on the connectors your battery has, it may be easier to fit the switch between the 5V regulator and the receiver, although then you couldn't charge the battery in situ (not recommended anyway, see above).

If you do need to change any connectors, change the ones on the switch or regulator rather than trying to change the connectors on the battery pack. Changing battery pack connectors is not very easy. Too much heat back down the wires can damage the battery and there is a real danger of shorting the battery whilst changing the connector which is a sure way to kill the battery, sometimes with smoke and flames!

[Pee1989pete]

Hi ty for the reply

It's all coming together nicely can't wait to get the tx/rx so I can start building

I'm typeing this in my fone so sorry for spelling I can't see the words they so small lol :p
Ok so u would say that this set up is better ?
1. Battery to 5v reg
2. 5v reg to the switch
3. Switch to the Rx

Sounds good to me Ill leave the charging out of it from the switch and do things the safe way.
My first setup with the battery to switch to 5v reg was from the post and pic's from Andrew_hibberd how to wire an ant
Dose the place ment of the switch from battery or from the 5vreg matter a lot ?? Or do both work fine, without useing charging with the spear wire.

Oh i have just read your post again and u did answer what I just asked lol :p
Sorry not got my laptop on me.
Thank you for your help.
Ill keep you guys up todate on how the build go's
I will be taking lots of pic's of build and of thefinished ant. And will share some as it all come's together if any one
Would like to see how I did or how my first ant turned out

[razerdave]

It would be better to go battery - switch - regulator - RX so that you're not putting power into the reg whilst the robot isn't on (the reg will take the battery power and distribute it as heat energy through the FEt, slowly discharging your battery.

EDIT: My theory may be wrong on that but it still makes more sense to be to have the switch first.

[peterwaller]

Definitely put the switch between the battery and regulator.
As David said the regulator will draw power even if the receiver and servos are disconnected and gradually discharge the battery.