Team Ions build diary

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minionhunter
Posts: 186
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 5:36 pm

Team Ions build diary

Post by minionhunter »

It is ions not Lons.

I figured I would start a thread for my bots. I am starting it now to keep me on track.

I just got my 4 KST ds215mg servos in the mail. The only thing cheaper is the states than from China. I'm worried I didn't order one or two extra for spares.


Now I'm waiting a month for the rest of the stuff looking at these neat servos...
minionhunter
Posts: 186
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 5:36 pm

Re: Team Ions build diary

Post by minionhunter »

First up on names - I just want to point out that you can't spell minionhunter without ion...

I'm stuck with the Chinese parts orders waiting months for my robot building parts to arrive. I've designed my bot and my kids have designed theirs, but it's all on paper. The only parts I have are 4 servos. I've got pinewood derby cars to finish (boy scouts gravity racing) so when they are done I think I'll have the kids build their mock ups in foamacore (or take a page from team oink and use laminated cardstock).

I've been staring at these KST DS215MG servos for a week now and I have nothing to put them in or way to test them to make sure they work. I'm wondering if there is some gadget or bench top powersupply that I should get while I still have a return possible through ebay. Do these things need testing or do they mostly arrive in working condition?

Today however, one transmitter showed up. I got my Jumper T16 pro Hall and a pair of gimbals (for a mod for a flysky FS i6 to better gimbals to compare). Again I have no way to test it. Maybe I should buy a cheap drone to test it out? The transmitter seems nice, but no physical manual or even warranty card.

Is it normal the ends of the sticks that screw on are plastic? I don't think there is any way they are aluminum, maybe but I don't think so. I also think the stand is plastic made to look like metal. It seems nice despite my nit picking, but I would not really know since I've never held a different one. The weight seems light but sturdy, it feels really nicely padded and grippy where you hold it. The switches seem nice.

They even supply a screen protector.

Now I'm waiting on everything else.

So my other tasks are:
Sourcing the polycarbonate for the arena (still hoping for a donation)
Finding an article on bending polycarbonate
Finding a battery charger (go with cheap or go with one that tells me internal resistance), it appeals to me to track and write that down every time for my batteries to see how they degrade over time.
Finding batteries
Finding wire and connectors
Working out some 4 bar linkages
Working out some mechanisms for my unique bot idea (this one is tough because there is nothing really like what I need to do as an example, but at least for me, that's half the fun, I want my own unique thing instead of to strictly copy).
Writing up what I want in an ideal (but realistic) esc to post to Mark's and Lionel's thread.
Finding some metal stick ends that are nice.


Long story on my handle if you are curious

My handle has nothing to do with the minion movie which came over a decade later and I've never seen. As a kid I was very into D&D and role playing games and I have a collection that is immense. As I got older it became difficult to both find groups to play with and the time needed to play RPGs, and at the same time the evolution of board games became both better and less time consuming to play without the need to invest more than one session to enjoy them. I switched my obsession from RPGs to board games. I now have a collection of over 1500. Yes, that kind of thing does present significant and real logistical problems. Think trying to hide robot purchases from your wife is bad, Ha! Try hiding a serious board game habit....

Anyway, Minionhunter https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/679/minion-hunter is the name of the the second ever horror co-op game (and outstanding, especially for the time, it was virtually cloned in Riner Knizia's LOTR game) based in the Dark Conspiracy rpg world. I've used the name forever and I kind of find it funny now that everyone thinks it is from a movie I've never seen.
MySolderIsOlder
Posts: 190
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2018 1:22 pm
Location: Kent

Re: Team Ions build diary

Post by MySolderIsOlder »

For testing servos, use a servo tester. I got a "LiteBee
HJ Digital Servo Tester" from Amazon for about ten bucks (as i believe one would say your side of the pond). Lots of other models available at similar prices.
Basically you plug a lipo into one set of pins and the servo in another (ground at the bottom), set the pulse width you want by turning the little knob and see how far the servo moves.
For normal operation, 1500ns is the mid point with 1000 and 2000 as bottom and top ends
Stuart (Tony's dad)
minionhunter
Posts: 186
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 5:36 pm

Re: Team Ions build diary

Post by minionhunter »

MySolderIsOlder wrote: Sat Feb 15, 2020 5:05 pm For testing servos, use a servo tester. I got a "LiteBee
HJ Digital Servo Tester" from Amazon for about ten bucks (as i believe one would say your side of the pond). Lots of other models available at similar prices.
Basically you plug a lipo into one set of pins and the servo in another (ground at the bottom), set the pulse width you want by turning the little knob and see how far the servo moves.
For normal operation, 1500ns is the mid point with 1000 and 2000 as bottom and top ends
Thank you! I get one and test them out. I'll have to buy a lipo and charger too, but that is my biggest hang up right now. Hobbyking has the chargers that Alex uses for about $10 each right now but as far as I can tell, they don't check internal resistance and I think I want that. I'm looking into some ISDT chargers right now and 24V power supplies.

Perfect on the money slang, I wouldn't have even thought about it but you mentioned it. What do you all say? 10 Quid? A tenner? I realize that the pound is about 1.3x the dollar right now.

I'll post some pics soon. I'm waiting till March when I activate my free Mint mobile card (three months free) I got during the superbowl to use that phone number for a imagur account.
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Kyro
Posts: 412
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2019 12:36 am

Re: Team Ions build diary

Post by Kyro »

i use gyazo for image hosting... free and no sign up required... just download the app on phone, mac or pc and away you go.
Team Rocket
Trappist 1(4wd grab 'n' lift)
Ton 618 (4wd expanding bot)
Io(4wd flipper)
minionhunter
Posts: 186
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 5:36 pm

Re: Team Ions build diary

Post by minionhunter »

Kyro wrote: Sun Feb 16, 2020 6:04 am i use gyazo for image hosting... free and no sign up required... just download the app on phone, mac or pc and away you go.
Cool! Thank you!
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LimaHotel
Posts: 258
Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2018 10:30 am
Location: West Devon

Re: Team Ions build diary

Post by LimaHotel »

And I use imgbb for image hosting. There are plenty of options that work fine
A grabber? I CHALLENGE IT WITH JIGGY!
minionhunter
Posts: 186
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 5:36 pm

Re: Team Ions build diary

Post by minionhunter »

Woah! One order must have made it out of China before the shutdown. I just received a bunch of cheap Chinese 5A ESCs. I'm excited to have a few more parts!

I now have
1 jumper T16 transmitter (no batteries)
4 KST ds215mg servos
And 5, 5A ESCs

Waiting on batteries, 1.8A ESCs, receivers, flysky transmitters, N10 motors

Need to order more batteries, chargers, polycarbonate, wheels, tires, wire, connectors, zip ties, power supply, transmitter customization bling (colors will help prevent fights over who owns which transmitter), some foamacore

Need to ask about making wheels (I am familiar with rtv silicone and understand the tire making process - but haven't dyed my own silicone before, just used it to make molds for casting acrylic resin), how wheels stay on the motor shafts, if the Prusa i3 is really worth it or to just buy a knockoff,

Need to solicit donations for the arena or break down and buy it myself

Need to keep drawing plans and get kids on a CAD program (I spent countless hours drafting in high school so I'm comfortable with a triangle and t-square but the kids should go straight to the computer), need to buy a 3D mouse

Need to try imgbb and post some pictures

But I'm getting there!

I've put the kids on snap circuits and drawing plans for the mean time
minionhunter
Posts: 186
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 5:36 pm

Re: Team Ions build diary

Post by minionhunter »

Just got in my banggood package which obviously traveled through 2 war zones and was sat on by a hippo. I would like to have seen them use something other than a plastic bag for packaging. They literally taped the 4 flysky TX together threw the rx on top and wrapped it in a garbage bag. That's it, nothing else for packaging. Lol!

So I now have in addition to the rest of the components above

4 - flysky fs-i6 transmitters
6 - flysky fs-8a (smaller than the 2a in size and they were an amazing deal at the time, I think same price as the 2a so I figured I would try them out)
10 flysky fs-2a
1 pair of Jumper Hall sensor gimbals (for modding a FS-I6 to the better gimbals)

I don't have any batteries yet but the jumper T-16 transmitter just feels like a better transmitter, the gimbals are super smooth, but the flysky FS i6 seem like they are perfect for ants, they cost less than 1/4 of the T-16 price. Very happy with them (as long as they work the boxes and packing is destroyed).

I need to test this stuff out and since I'm still waiting for wheels and motors and batteries and a charger I think that the easiest way to do it might be to buy a small cheap drone and battery and test out all the transmitters and receivers with that. Does that sound like a good plan?

Do you all use regular aa batteries in the flysky or do you use rechargeable batteries for the transmitters? I mean without mods just buy rechargeable aa batteries and use those in your flysky FS-i6? Do you use just standard aa batteries? Or do you mod it to use rechargeable batteries you can charge in the transmitter itself?

Getting closer!
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MarkR
Posts: 375
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2017 12:46 pm
Location: Reading Hackspace
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Re: Team Ions build diary

Post by MarkR »

minionhunter wrote: Sat Feb 22, 2020 12:04 pm Just got in my banggood package which obviously traveled through 2 war zones and was sat on by a hippo.
I think in the present circumstances, you should be glad they sent it at all. As China is mostly on lockdown a lot of workers are not permitted to go to their place of work, or are on reduced hours. So probbaly they had like, 1 day to pack 200 packages and had to do a bit of a rush job.

Also I just got some components from LCSC, they were somewhat delayed but otherwise fine (LCSC are more professional than a Banggood seller though).
Robots: Betsie - RaspberryPi controlled flipper bot with gyro stablisation - too clever for her own good?
Stacie - tidy flipper; 4wd driven by hair bands
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