So, about one year after my first bot (oh, and what a funny but glorious failure that one was^^) i finally found some time to at least planning a second, much improved version of it.

Who want to see the old version: "Hammerschwanz" in that playlist...
I managed to improve it from fight to fight (mostly making it somewhat maneuverable and stopping things from falling off).
But still, decided i better start over completely.

Internals stay (almost) the same, just switching the 18V motors for 12V ones (had to go with 18V motors on a 3S LiPo, since the post lost the package with the 12V motors and Raptors may only have 12V max).
So internals now:

Motors:
https://www.pollin.de/p/hochleistung...hc683lg-310695
ESC:
http://www.robots.ib-fink.de/fahrtre...tregler4_5.htm
Gearboxes:
Ranglebox Neptunes
Batteries:
http://www.mylipo.de/Lipo-2600mAh-11...5C-70C-kompakt

Not sure about the transmitter/Receiver combination yet, had problems with that on the event, couldn't make my transmitter connect... might get both new.

And this time, i'm doing the planning beforehand, not just lock myself into the attic for 14 nights in a row, and trying to get anything moving with just a cordless drill and a jigsaw and a load of HDPE.

So, planning looks like this so far (my first ever CAD):
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/f3...6649b613d2bb79

used the same (often wrong) screws for everything, because lazyness and i just wanted a rough estimation on weight.

For now i have 3900g used and 2100g left (always rounded up, so maybe a bit more) for:
- the missing/different screws.
- a useful wheel hub or whatever to attach it.
- receiver, link, cables, LED and such stuff
- something hammer-like to put on that tail to at least have the chance to do some damage
- something to make the wheels grippy
- whatever mistake i made and whatever i forgot or whatever doesn't turn out like it should.


Biggest changes to last version:
1. hopefully wheels won't fall off anymore. just pressing a nut into HDPE doesn't work on that size. will try to build a better hub in the next few weeks or so.
2. don't fall on one of the wheels and just lay there dead. HDPE triangle on the wheels seem to work for others, and since screw through the wheels didn't work, i'll try that one next.
3. V1.0 was actually a few hundred grams too heavy... but people let me start nevertheless, first event and not really a dangerous bot... gotta stay within the limits this time.
4. A more "sorted" inside. due to the "tail" sticking right through most of the bot, cable management and everything was a pain. even more since i miscalculated the space needed for cables. Planned for them from the beginning this time.
5. the screws last time didn't really work good. at the end, only 5 of almost 40 screws actually provided some hold, all the others were just for stabilisation while duct tape kept everything together. different screws this time, and more testing before just using what looks good.
6. make the weapon work this time. even if i would have been able to really drive, i couldn't make the weapon swing overhead, and sideways i just flipped myself. so lighter, sleeker weapon design this time, more weight in front or over the axis instead of behind it, and try to get the wheels grippier. also more attachment of the tail, to keep it from slightly rotate in the relatively soft HDPE. that (and having just one point of it on the ground) made the triangle always stuck in the wooden floor.
7. new form hopefully makes overhead weapon attacks easier, will keep my link out of reach of others, and the ESC more accessible between fights (less screws). Plus using a lot better tools and more time (as well as not doing it alone this time) will hopefully lead to overall everything fitting together better than it did.
8. Fitting motors -> more power, less smoke.
9. Somehow couldn't make the LEDs work last time... possibly smoked them while soldering. (bought the hottest soldering iron i could, thinking "bigger is better"... oh, i was so wrong...) Must change that this time, mount the LEDs properly and fix the link better, make charging more accessible. Handling in the pits really was only possible due to the wheels have fallen off anyway, so i could reach everything. (hopefully) without falling off wheels, i have to get there easier.
10. Test drive. Last event the wheels were build in the train at 5.00 am on the way to the event, just to get there, all "done", and realising the transmitter/receiver wouldn't work with each other. And not being able to drive, due to weight distribution. and... about everything. 90% of the damage i took i did on myself, so would have been avoidable with some testing beforehand. want to do a lot of testing this time.


So much for what i have done and have planned... any ideas how to improve before the actual build starts? (i know this likely won't be competitive in any way, but all expensive parts seem kinda secured from spinners (not many spinners can even reach that high chassis).
So this is somewhat a cheap-ish secure bot to get some experience and also something unlike all these boxes and wedges we see most of the time.