Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

All things antweight

Moderators: BeligerAnt, petec, administrator

Post Reply
Rapidrory
Posts: 1160
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2013 9:54 pm

Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by Rapidrory »

Dammit :P
Rory Mangles - Team Nuts

Robots: Nuts 2 and many more...

NanoTwo Motor Controllers: https://nutsandbots.co.uk/product/nanotwodualesc
User avatar
Shakey
Posts: 1119
Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 8:38 pm
Location: Reading

Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by Shakey »

Rapidrory wrote:Dammit :P
Hurry up and fix your firmware then :P
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!
Rapidrory
Posts: 1160
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2013 9:54 pm

Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by Rapidrory »

I tried, it just didn't work first time so I gave up and did other things... Those things suck to program so code dev on them is painful :L
Rory Mangles - Team Nuts

Robots: Nuts 2 and many more...

NanoTwo Motor Controllers: https://nutsandbots.co.uk/product/nanotwodualesc
User avatar
peterwaller
Posts: 3213
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2002 12:00 am
Location: Aylesbury Bucks
Contact:

Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by peterwaller »

The horizontal spinner module for Variant proved to be a bit weak around the honeycomb on the interface plate so I have reprinted it in Nylon with carbon-fibre.
Image
Have now got the replacement servo so here is the new elastic powered flipper printed in Polycarbonate.
Image
Have also printed this chassis in the Nylon with Carbon-fibre and it has come out well.
Image
Last edited by peterwaller on Thu Jul 20, 2017 7:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
peterwaller
Posts: 3213
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2002 12:00 am
Location: Aylesbury Bucks
Contact:

Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by peterwaller »

I decided to check out anticyclone this morning and it was all working correctly again.
After much tugging and prodding I got the fault to appear again as it had at the AWS yesterday.
I finally narrowed it down to the battery pack and on removing the tape found that the terminal weld on one cell had failed so the robot only worked when they were in contact but at times with the spinner vibration the power just stopped.
Image
Last edited by peterwaller on Thu Jul 20, 2017 7:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
peterwaller
Posts: 3213
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2002 12:00 am
Location: Aylesbury Bucks
Contact:

Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by peterwaller »

Fixing Variant was not quite so simple.
The main problem was that the drum was too heavy and too far forward partly due to the modular design so there was little weight over the wheels and so little grip.
So I reduced the length, diam and wall thickness of the drum saving around 12 gms.
Scrapping the modular construction enabled me to shorten the distance between drum and wheels considerably giving further weight saving.
I have now been able to fit thicker tyres and upgrade to 3 cell and am still 12 gms under.
Image
Last edited by peterwaller on Tue Jul 04, 2017 9:51 am, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
peterwaller
Posts: 3213
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2002 12:00 am
Location: Aylesbury Bucks
Contact:

Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by peterwaller »

Although the new version of Variant performed much better at the Basingstoke Open it still had problems with tyres coming off batteries falling out and the glued on side armour/front supports coming off.
These are I hope now corrected with slightly harder tyres, batteries stuck in and side armour/front supports screwed and glued.
Also as it is not possible to vary the weapon I have changed its name to Combatant.
Image
Last edited by peterwaller on Tue Jul 04, 2017 9:53 am, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
peterwaller
Posts: 3213
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2002 12:00 am
Location: Aylesbury Bucks
Contact:

Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by peterwaller »

Finally some one has done some significant damage to my nylon armour and as expected it was Alex with Horizontal Spinner of Doom.
Flippant still managed to win the fight and it turned out they shouldn't have fought anyway but considering this is the 4th full combat event each with 4 nylon armoured robots I am more than pleased with the Alloy 910 nylon.
Image
One of the other gouges was from a previous fight I think against one of Rory machines.
Last edited by peterwaller on Tue Jul 04, 2017 9:55 am, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
peterwaller
Posts: 3213
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2002 12:00 am
Location: Aylesbury Bucks
Contact:

Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by peterwaller »

All better.
Image
Anticyclone was running well but seem to lack bite mainly I think because the blades are fairly well rounded so need a bit of work.
Image
Towards the end it was starting more slowly and catching the arena more so I stipped it down to find 3 of the 4 motor mounts had fractured.
Image
Last edited by peterwaller on Tue Jul 04, 2017 9:58 am, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
peterwaller
Posts: 3213
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2002 12:00 am
Location: Aylesbury Bucks
Contact:

Re: Peter Wallers Robot Ramblings

Post by peterwaller »

As I mentioned the blade on Anticyclone had been rather rouned even though it is type 5 Titanium.
I suppose as you can drill and hacksaw it can't be that hard so I thought I would try the spring steel I have on Combatants drum as it is almost impossible to drill.
Reading on the internet high carbon steels can be annealed (softened) by heating it to red hot and letting it cool slowly.
I received some spring steel this morning and gave it a quick test and sure enough the drill made the tiniest mark on it.
I then placed the strip in the vice to stop the heat passing along the material and just heated the very end and after it cooled I was able to drill it fairly easily.
My intention is to find a way to heat sink the two ends of the blade and just anneal the center where I need to drill it for mounting.
The ends I can cut with a dremmel without softening and grind to shape.
You can re-harden the steel by reheating it and then quenching it but I don't think I will need to do that.
Image
Last edited by peterwaller on Tue Jul 04, 2017 9:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
Post Reply