Build Diary: Prototype Robot

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SnazzyMadazzy
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:13 am

Build Diary: Prototype Robot

Post by SnazzyMadazzy »

Hi,
I've spent my first-night robot building and I have come up with a prototype, I only have the motors in as the DasMikro has not arrived yet. We still have to develop the flipper and it is just sellotaped together. Anyone recommend a way of bonding/ glueing the polycarbonate together, It's going to be a bit of a squeeze to get all the electronics in. Here are some images
https://imgur.com/a/VcEN0
Image
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GeorgeR
Posts: 280
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 9:53 pm
Location: Bath, Somerset

Re: Build Diary: Prototype Robot

Post by GeorgeR »

That's looking good so far. Polycarbonate can be a bit of a pain to glue, but there are a few options.

1) Hot glue, it can work for internal components but lacks strength for anything that might take a beating.
2) Epoxy (Araldite), done properly (rough surfaces, keep it still while drying) this can give good strength, and it will work with other materials too.
3) Solvent welding, this is the strongest way of bonding PC, the downside being the solvent required (methylene chloride) is very toxic/carcinogenic, so should only be used if you have appropriate ventilation, gloves etc..

Another option is making extra "tabs" on the parts to allow them to be bolted together, which is how i did it with my axebot.

Whichever method you use it is best to minimize joins by bending the polycarb into shape, looking at your design it could be done in 3 parts, the flipper, the top, and the base.
Team Zero - AWS 58 Champion!
Zero - rambot - - Axiom - axebot - - Valkyrie - drum spinner
Blueprint - rambot - - Vampire - horizontal spinner - - Particle - ???
RBMK - quad spinner gyro walker - - Duality - dual spinner gyro walker
SnazzyMadazzy
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:13 am

Re: Build Diary: Prototype Robot

Post by SnazzyMadazzy »

Thanks for the reply,
I’ll try Araldite to glue it together. Would it be possible to bend it and have a sharp angle as I didn’t want to bend it and it look cuvered. If so how would I bend it?
Derek Dudge
Posts: 135
Joined: Thu Dec 07, 2017 9:32 pm

Re: Build Diary: Prototype Robot

Post by Derek Dudge »

I think folding will always round the plastic slightly right at the bend. People more practiced than me get some very neat and defined folds, but there's probably always gonna be a bit of curve to the bend.

I did all my bending with the edge of a wooden board and a clamp. It was a bit fiddly, a proper table vice or something would be way better but it's possible without.
My robots:

Third Law (antweight) - push/ram bot
Manticore (antweight) - hammer bot
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GeorgeR
Posts: 280
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 9:53 pm
Location: Bath, Somerset

Re: Build Diary: Prototype Robot

Post by GeorgeR »

You can get a decently sharp bend on polycarbonate, although the thickness makes a big difference, 1mm is easy, 1.5mm will be a bit more rounded. The best pic of bent PC I've got is my axebot,

Image

Its primarily made of 3 bits, the 1.5mm base plate, and the two 1mm side armour panels, the base is bent up at the front and each side panel is bolted on with the 5 screws you can see, and while it's not clear on this pic the back of the side panel is bent under the base and similarly attached.
For bending I either clamp it on the edge of a table, or use a mini vice.
Team Zero - AWS 58 Champion!
Zero - rambot - - Axiom - axebot - - Valkyrie - drum spinner
Blueprint - rambot - - Vampire - horizontal spinner - - Particle - ???
RBMK - quad spinner gyro walker - - Duality - dual spinner gyro walker
SnazzyMadazzy
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:13 am

Re: Build Diary: Prototype Robot

Post by SnazzyMadazzy »

We have spent a day soldering the electronics and after some trouble soldering, we have finally got all the electronics connected. However, one motor is not spinning properly, it will intermittently spin so it's getting power but It won't spin properly like the other motor. Has anyone got a solution to this problem? We have also successfully bent some polycarbonate with a vice and a plank of wood. We're just attempting to glue it together and Araldite isn't working. Any other suggestions of glue?
Here are some pictures of the electronics:
https://imgur.com/a/iFNfF
Paulmchurd
Posts: 227
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2017 4:39 pm

Re: Build Diary: Prototype Robot

Post by Paulmchurd »

Your white and red wire soldering looks like it could be touching. Which will interfere with the servo signal. Make sure there is no connecting solder or wire. I had this problem with the dasmikro when I first soldered it.
SnazzyMadazzy
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:13 am

Re: Build Diary: Prototype Robot

Post by SnazzyMadazzy »

Yeah, I'll check those wires, However, I would have thought that both motors wouldn't work if they were touching.
Thanks and I'll tell you if that's fixed it when I get time to check it.
SnazzyMadazzy
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:13 am

Re: Build Diary: Prototype Robot

Post by SnazzyMadazzy »

After some soldering we managed to fix the motor issue, it turned out Paul was right and after resoldering the wire we now have a driveable mess of wires.
https://imgur.com/a/EImU6
SnazzyMadazzy
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:13 am

Re: Build Diary: Prototype Robot

Post by SnazzyMadazzy »

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