How scary are ant spinners?

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daveimi
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How scary are ant spinners?

Post by daveimi »

Hi. I've been at the featherweight lark a year or two so have a bit of a feel for the momentum sat in the big spinners. I've been watching every AWS vid I can find on youtube and am half way through AWS44. I was wondering about building something with exposed wheels, and wondered if the ant spinners have enough power to rip wheels off? I know in a feather exposed wheels makes for a sitting duck, is it the same with the Ants? Any help or advice appreciated. Dangerous Dave.
EpicentrE
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Re: How scary are ant spinners?

Post by EpicentrE »

Hi Dave,

To answer your question, yes, antweight spinners definitely have the ability to remove wheels, although it very much depends on how well the wheel is connected and what it's made of. If you're using a foam wheel, for example, it will just get shredded but keep working. It's also worth considering that if a spinner gets a direct hit on a solid part of a wheel and the wheel doesn't come off, that force is going to be transferred into the motor and gearbox, possibly causing damage to those components.

That said, having exposed wheels do give you advantages; they increase your mobility as there are fewer situations or positions in which you robot can be where you have no contact with the ground. Having the edges of your wheels touching the gruoud while you're on your side may help you self right from positions where you wouldn't have been able to otherwise.

It's up to you to decide based on the overall design of your robot and your driving skill (if you can drive well enough to stop them hitting the exposed wheels then you're good ;)) which of the above considerations is more important.

Silly Scott
Scott Fyfe-Jamieson, Captain of Epic Robotics. Champion of AWS38/41/42.
http://www.epicrobotics.co.uk
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Shakey
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Re: How scary are ant spinners?

Post by Shakey »

Oh for sure they could take a wheel off or cut a tyre. But often they will just take a nick or two out of it. I always have exposed wheels for the mobility advantages as Scott said. Side armour is a good idea, but also remember it isn't hard to stop spinners getting to the rear and rear sides of the robot. Majority of mine only enter with a small amount of plating at the front with little to no side armour and I just don't do back armour :P . So front plating and maybe a bit of side should be fine for a newer driver!

It's a lot to do with how the robot is put together for example inset wheels like this:
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These wheels are much harder for a spinner to get too by being inset into the bot. It gives you plenty of time to counter-manoeuvre any spinner trying to position themselves to hit them. However I still have good mobility even if my robot is tipped back (the robot has to be pushed right over before the wheels lose touch with the ground).

Thing with fighting spinners is that unless you are much faster or much more controlled (enough to attack them on their non disc side) or can get under them so as not to be drawn into the blade you are probably going to be hit. You can't do much to change that part but you can carefully choose where to take the hit, don't try and avoid it and leave your side/back vulnerable as you try to go around for them to attack, instead aim to take hits on thick well mounted armour that will hold. Once you take a hit get back on the offensive as soon as possible, don't let them spin up. Hopefully after a hit the spinner will be thrown too, that's when you need to position carefully, ram their disc into a side wall, or put them over the edge, or just jam your bot in the blade if it hasn't spun up yet. Verticals take some more care as their hits are more damaging and can throw your bot, but thin bladed vertical spinners have a limited part of the bot that's actually disc, even an attack from just to the side can avoid it.

brain thoughts from Shakey :P
Nuts And Bots - For all your components and ready built antweights!

Alex Shakespeare - Team Shakey / Nuts And Bots / Team Nuts:
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haz
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Re: How scary are ant spinners?

Post by haz »

Ran exposed wheels on a feather every single champs and I've never had a wheel come off from a spinner or break a gearbox on impact :P

But yeah ants are vicious some of them, they can take wheels off. However exposed wheels aren't that bad an idea. If they are foam they handle the impacts better and put less shock back through the gearbox, you do pass up some traction advantage then.
daveimi
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Re: How scary are ant spinners?

Post by daveimi »

That's awesome thanks for the replies! Was going to build a miniature Rag N Bone 2 but then looked at the kit that's on the way in fine depth and realised I have a servo in there! Decided I wanted to build something like the lifter in this fight (Revenge of Dr Super Brain??)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc9OjNBGiSc

So life would be easier to build with open wheels and a servo plonked on top with an arm on. Erm, if I ran the arm straight from the servo will it wreck the servo if a spinner catches that or are they pretty robust?
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Shakey
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Re: How scary are ant spinners?

Post by Shakey »

If the servo is metal geared it should be alright. Plastic geared ones I wouldn't trust with a direct linkage.
Nuts And Bots - For all your components and ready built antweights!

Alex Shakespeare - Team Shakey / Nuts And Bots / Team Nuts:
AWS 44, 45, 49, 51 & 55 Winner - Far too many robots!
daveimi
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Re: How scary are ant spinners?

Post by daveimi »

Ok no worries. Will see how it goes and play it by ear.
Remote-Controlled Dave
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Re: How scary are ant spinners?

Post by Remote-Controlled Dave »

I still think the best advice is build it, fight it, and see how it goes! Every first timer worries about making their robot spinner proof. Eventually you realise that anything can happen and you may as well just build what you want.
Die Gracefully Robotics
Winner - AWS 39
daveimi
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Re: How scary are ant spinners?

Post by daveimi »

Yeah, fancied building something a bit different to the stuff I normally build. I suppose really I should attend an event before building like I did with the feathers to get an idea of it all but can't be bothered lol. For how cheap they are it'll be fun rebuilding if it comes home in a bin bag.
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Rhys
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Re: How scary are ant spinners?

Post by Rhys »

Don't worry about getting to an event before you build. You'll be able to spot lots of your own weaknesses at home. You will learn loads from your first event though.

As for spinners, they can be scary, but they're a dying breed these days. Most of the ones that remain in competition have light discs so won't do so much damage. There's a couple of exceptions, but chances of meeting something that can total your robot are slim.

Oh, and shakey, any pics of picaxe after the tag team bout with Randar & Spyro? :P
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