Introducing ProtoBot!

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oxhey
Posts: 48
Joined: Tue Dec 29, 2015 8:31 pm

Introducing ProtoBot!

Post by oxhey »

Introducing ProtoBot! This is my first ant weight and was more of a learning exercise, than a competitive bot.

So here is ProtoBot. Compare the render to the final count come.

Image
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What I learnt from it:
- There's plenty of room! I made this one a bit too small and so the NanoTwo and battery barely fit.
- Poly carbonate is hard to cut. I used a blade (which didn't do much) and scissors and thats what I could manage. Its a bit wonky :D .

More Photos:
Image
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Iv already started work on #Bot2 using what I learnt to improve it. It will be bigger and there will be room for everything so it shouldn't be cramped.
It will again be a flipper. I plan to reuse the battery and NanoTwo.

Heres a render of what I have for that design (note, it still needs work on the hinge):
Image

It will be 3D printed again either Shapeways or Shakey (I will be in touch when its done) or I may end up getting a Fabrikator.

Questions

-I know that there has to be a fail safe like an on/off switch. As this is a flipper is this really required. I understand why its needed for spinners etc.

-Does anyone know of any good laser cutting services so I can get the poly carbonate cut accurately.
ProtoBot - http://robotwars101.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2471

SUSPENDED! - I dont have the time/money to fully commit and I may have killed a motor and my NanoTwo :o !

I may give this another go at some point, but for now its over.
Fenrir
Posts: 69
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2015 8:41 pm
Location: Birmingham

Re: Introducing ProtoBot!

Post by Fenrir »

Hi, I like the look of your robot, and to answer your questions, as far as I know, as long as the battery can easily be disconnected from the robot, without having to unscrew any panels, then that's all that's necessary, for Most robots. I bought a couple of these essentially http://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-1000mm-Se ... SwofxUdDyr, but much shorter, and made the female connector to the battery easily accessible. In answer to the second question, how thick is your polycarb? If it's 1-1.5mm Id suggest trying again with better scissors maybe. My robots are built entirely out of polycarb and whilst it can wear on your fingers with some awkward cutting angles, I can mostly cut it straight haha. Just trim it down on the bottom, or drill another hole to get it straight on the first robot.
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joey_picus
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Re: Introducing ProtoBot!

Post by joey_picus »

'fail safe' and 'on/off switch' are two different things - the failsafing should be taken care of by the reciever and speed controller. The on/off switch needs to be externally accessible, but it doesn't need to be a switch, leading to a lot of people (me included) just having some means of accessing the battery plug. The design looks good though, you're on the right track!
Joey McConnell-Farber - Team Picus Telerobotics - http://picus.org.uk/ - @joey_picus
"These dreams go on when I close my eyes...every second of the night, I live another life"
bot_bandit
Posts: 43
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2016 4:24 pm
Location: North Yorkshire

Re: Introducing ProtoBot!

Post by bot_bandit »

Seems like your version 2 bot could definitely be competitive. Fantastic design too. My bot also had a lot of polycarbonate panels (1.5mm) and as others have mentioned I recommend just getting good scissors for them. I managed to get the shapes I wanted just fine, just slightly achey hand as consquence! :wink:
Luke H - Team Bandit
oxhey
Posts: 48
Joined: Tue Dec 29, 2015 8:31 pm

Re: Introducing ProtoBot!

Post by oxhey »

Thanks for the comments/feedback.

The polycarbonate is 1.5mm, so it looks like I need better scissors.

Thanks for clearing up the fail safe stuff. :D Ill try and get a on off switch .
ProtoBot - http://robotwars101.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2471

SUSPENDED! - I dont have the time/money to fully commit and I may have killed a motor and my NanoTwo :o !

I may give this another go at some point, but for now its over.
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BeligerAnt
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Joined: Wed May 15, 2002 12:00 am
Location: Brighton
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Re: Introducing ProtoBot!

Post by BeligerAnt »

A decent pair of scissors is definitely the best bet, but you can also trim up any wonky edges with a file or sandpaper. A fine hacksaw might work on 1.5mm if it is clamped firmly, but a hacksaw is generally better for 2mm+
Gary, Team BeligerAnt
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UserFriendly
Posts: 119
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2015 3:52 pm

Re: Introducing ProtoBot!

Post by UserFriendly »

Looks good!
Andy B - Team UserFriendly
Reading Cybernetics Graduate 1996
Trying not to take Antweights too seriously. I think I'm failing.
First AWS was 46.
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Knappster
Posts: 23
Joined: Sun Oct 23, 2005 4:55 pm
Location: Worthing

Re: Introducing ProtoBot!

Post by Knappster »

Does anyone remember using steel scrapers at school to clean up the edges of acrylic cuts? I do a similar thing nowadays using fairly blunt stanley blades.
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