Yeah we thought it might be that. Will have to buy a new bind plug though since I lost it when I was young :roll:
Ohhh, are receiver is a AR500.
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Yeah we thought it might be that. Will have to buy a new bind plug though since I lost it when I was young :roll:
Ohhh, are receiver is a AR500.
I've actually found a few mixers that don't failsafe properly.(for some reason they seem to just retain the last output)
http://www.robotmarketplace.com/products/0-DGEVMXR.html this one I have had failsafe correctly, then others not without changing anything. If you have a dx6i or similar, you may be able to reprogram the mix to get full speed out of it, which I'm doing now on my 1lb bot Algos.
The summer holidays are finally here!!!!!
Made some progress on Mini E today:
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...psa284087a.jpg
Soldered capacitors to the motors as well as the ESC's. Connected it up to a bench power supply and tested it to see if it works, and indeed it does. I've got a few more bits and bobs to order until I can make anymore progress (duff: did you get our PM?).
Ohh, and in other news, I tried rebinding my transmitter and Endeavour still doesn't fail safe with the external mixer. Any body else got any ideas?
Yes, sorry I didn't reply, I've been a bit busy finishing off my FW. How many do you need, is it just two? PM me your address and I'll dig them out and send them over on monday. Are you coming to the AWS?
Yeah, its just the two, will send you are address in the morning.
Would love to come, but its a bit far us at the moment (need to twist my dads arm a bit more to go further a field :rofl:)
If there's one nearer to home in the future though, we will defo be there!
In the light of the AWS this weekend, I decided to crack on with Mini E. Yet again a very productive weekend:
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...ps082cddfc.jpg
Probably doesn't look like that much has changed since I last posted, but its wired up now and works!!!!! Just got to sort out the scoop and it'll be ready to rock and roll.
I did do a video of it but it was pretty dodgy so I'll do a better one tomorrow :)
Here you go:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlkC59_ejDw
If that mixer is the Turnigy V Tail Mixer I had the same problem, but changing to the GWS V Tail Mixer solved the problem :)Quote:
Originally Posted by SamO
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GWS-V-TAIL...item20c29a50cf
I'm impressed with that ant. I think the wheels could do with being a bit smaller though, stop the frame rocking so much?
Harry: Thanks :)
That problem will be sorted out when the scoop is attached. All the weight will be at the front as well as the scoop being inline with the wheels, keeping the robot the same distance of the ground around all sides
Chris: Thanks for the link, I think I'll be ordering one soon :)
Ok, so after a busy weekend of cutting, bending and filing some metal, Mini E has ended up with a scoop :D
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...ps212fea82.jpg
Its made out of 1.5mm (or there about) stainless steel. Took a fairly long time to get it lined up, straight etc but now it's done it looks fairly good. Thanks for the offer Dave but I think ill leave the scoop as it is at the moment :)
Later plonked it on the scales:
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2e03d39d.jpg
Seems a pretty good weight to me :) Only a few task left: 1.Secure electronics 2.Mount side armour (could be problematic :uhoh:) 3.Mount lid 4.Paint scoop 5.Attempt to kick RO_BUT 8)
Dam!!!!! Been meaning to post this for 2 weeks or so now. Ohhhhh, well :P
Finally finished Mini E :proud:
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0dfc6fdb.jpg
Weighs in at 133g which isn't to bad :)
Pic of the inners:
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4ccab2e6.jpg
We were going to AWS 42 with it but with the change of location as well as Dad being in India, it isn't looking likely :( Ohh well, will probably bring it to Maidstone for a bit of a run around anyway :D
Looks awesome, nice one Sam. Can't wait to see it in battle (or even fight it some day).
Cheers Marvin :D
I know its a bit late to ask this but meh. Has anybody got a spare v-tail mixer (which isn't a Turnigy one because they don't appear to failsafe with the spectrum DX5E :() that they can bring to Maidstone???
Its not majorly important. I can still run Endeavour if no one has one, but I was hoping to try and run it full pelt. I ordered a GWS one over a month ago and I'm still waiting for it to turn up in the dam post.
Cheers :D
which rx have you got as the 1s that come with the transmitters only failsafe on throttle i also think its the same with the cheap orrange rx
also i can bring a couple of external failsafes that you could borrow but im only going to maidstone on the sun
My GWS v-tail mixer finally turned up yesterday, fitted it and Endeavour now failsafe's..... YAY!!!!!
Also got some pictures form Kane of Endeavour back in April at the champs:
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...psd1172bf2.jpg
Whilst I'm here I guess I might as well do a round up of Maidstone. Yet again another great even for Endeavour and a first outing for Mini E. Endeavour ran as reliably as ever, pushing 2 or 3 people in the pit in one fight. Mini E won its only one on one fight against a flippy robot whose name I cant remember. It was great to meet up with every one and was a really enjoyable event.
ohhhh, another bit of news is that we should be going to AWS 42 now :)
Good to hear, see you in Burntwood :)
Nice to meet you guys and Endeavour ran very well!
Ok then, so its about time a did a update after a rather busy past 6 weeks.
First of.... AWS 42. Surprisingly, a fairly successful event with Mini E winning best newcomer and coming 2nd in the tag teams with Delirious (how we managed that I'm not entirely sure :P). He performed a bit pants in the main competition though. Started it off in the first fight by having random spasms which resulted in it driving itself off the side of the arena. Won its second fight against Kiwi and then lost its last fight against a much better robot (cant remember name SORRY). Oh, also did pretty well in the annihilator coming fourth.
Next we had Gloucester which was probably the most eventful show we have ever partaken in so far. We started off the day with high hopes for Endeavour after successfully managing the implant the new mixer...alas it was not successful. In the first fight we were having some steering issues, the drive kept on cutting out which resulted in it being practically un-drivable. As a result we got flipped 5 times, 3 times by Explosion and twice by the floor flipper. The second time on the floor flipper we got fired about 15 feet into the air, hitting the roof and landing right on the tip of the scoop. This bent it horrifically which was very surprising considering it structure and material. This however was not the only damaged caused. At first we thought we had burnt out a motor but once we had got it out of the arena and had an inspection, it turned out that it was only the gears slipping out of place which was easily resolved. We then hammered the scoop back into shape and we were ready to rock and roll again! In our second fight we were still having the cutting out problem but with less drastic out comes this time. After the event had finished we plonked Endeavour back into the arena to find out what the problem was. We discovered that when the stick was pushed fully to the diagonals the robot would cut out. We spoke to Dave W after the event and he believes that is something to do with the ESC's fail-safeing. So the plan other the next few months is to reprogram the ESC with the amended code :D
Before I do that though, has any one else got any ideas about what the problem might be?
So, that's about it for this year. Thanks to everyone who made our first year in combat robotics such a great one and we look forward to meeting up with you all again next year :)
P.S: Sorry for the wall of text :roll:
Nothing wrong with a wall of text. Build diaries bring that out in people, mine's testament to that!
The ESC problem described sounds exactly as David said. If you're using Botbitz 85A ESCs with a Spektrum transmitter (or other make), the ESCs will cut out when you hit the diagonals. Something to do with the throws/stick travel when mixing etc.
But anyway, the amended code that has been developed appears to resolve the issue, and can be found here: http://www.fightingrobots.co.uk/thre...-spektrum-dx6i (link at the bottom of the first post).
If you're unsure with soldering to the ESCs or programming, there are a few folk in the community that can do it who can help you out, although it's reasonably easy to do it yourself. One thing worth mentioning is that if you got the ESCs direct from Botbitz, the motor wires will be at the top and bottom of the side of the ESC, but if you install the amended code I've linked to, it use the middle and top (or middle and bottom, can't remember which) connection points, so you'll need to solder a wire onto the board in the middle spot.
And glad to hear that you've had fun in your first year. Endeavour is a tough and well-built little cookie, look forward to seeing it again next year :)
2 easy ways round the cut out is go lipo or add a separate battery for the rx as the motors are pulling more that a nimh battery can provide
had the same thing with night fury
Re-programming complete!
After finally getting my butt into gear and ordering the Pololu programmer, which arrived very promptly, we were finally in a position to start programing. It was actually surprisingly easy to do, even the soldering was straight forward and I have to say, I take my hat of to all involved in writing the program, it works perfectly! The only difficulty we had was changing over the wire port to the motor, we managed it in the end nut it was a bit of a pain. So now, hopefully...again, Endeavour will be running at full wack 8) A few pics of the programing process for those interested:
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...psd9dd7440.jpg
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9e74dd0c.jpg
In other news, a few very very minor upgrades will be made to Endeavour. This will just be things like moving the link further back into the robot to prevent being knocked out etc, all very exciting. We've also got something a bit more interesting coming along, but that wont be ready until end of this year/start of next. Will probably take longer knowing us :roll:
Ps: @Dave Weston, its a breeze ;)
Not done an update recently, so about time I did one...
Finally got Endeavour running properly (at full pelt) after six months or so of tinkering and face palming. If any of you didn't see at Portsmouth check out some of the videos on youtube, nips around the arena quite nicely now :D
We also repainted the scoop, and whilst it didn't last long, it did look quite funky before it got in the arena. We painted it a florescent yellow that glowed in the dark:
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...psd2e0a2ac.jpg
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...ps299ff3cc.jpg
Yer 8)
We have also finished the work on moving the link back which should stop the dam thing from falling out. Got a bit of another upgrade coming for Endeavour in the form of Hardox Corners (as opposed to the old Aluminium) which should be ready for the champs.
Mini E has had a very minor upgrade, now has a 250mah battery as opposed to the old 120mah one. Took to AWS 43 a few weeks ago and it performed pretty well, got to the 5th round which isn't to shabby!
Lastly, the "something a bit interesting" is making slow steady(ish) progress. Don't want to reveal to much about that yet, but I can say that it will be a Feather Weight :) Next stop, the Champs....
I love how neat and tidy the insides are, should do well at the champs it's looking very strong
Cool
Which motors do you run in Jeapordy? It goes really well.
Do you mean Endeavour? i believe it runs Makitas
"Do you mean Endeavour?"
That's the one! lol Epic Fail
Are the Makitas a lot more powerful that Dewalts etc?
I don't think there's really much difference, Makitas are by far the less expensive option but in terms of actual power i think they're pretty much even, i think i read somewhere once that they both use the same motors but i might be wrong Dewalts are maybe just better build quality
Kinda right Sam....
The original plan for Endeavour was in fact to use Dewalts, so we spent near enough £100 on a set of drills that we thought were going to be the Bee's Knees... they weren't! The problem is, on the newer/latest style of Dewalt drills, the motor and gearbox etc, aren't actually conjoined, they're just held together by the case. So when we took them apart we were just left with a pile of bits in our hands. If you look at Michael's Annihilation, you'll see that the motors are still in their cases. This may be the reason why, but don't quote me on that :)
In terms of power comparison, not much in it. Although, the Makitas I have run on 14.4v where as most Dewalts that are used run 18v, so for voltage to power ratio, they're probably a bit better. I like them myself... tough, rugged and plenty of power/speed!
Yeah, been looking at a big drive train for months but can't be bothered with making gearboxes as it won't go well. I mean this with regard to the obvious choice to big power being speed 900 and the like. I saw the DeWalt stuff but that looked a bit technical as well. Which wheels do you use and how have you attached them to the Makita's?
Like most other drill motors/gearboxes, its a bolt on and a reverse screw combination. These motors in particular are a bit a of a pain though because they have a rather wacky thread size
i think im using the same drills for one of the many robots im building, the shaft thread size is a 1/2" unf and there is a hydraulic pipe clamp that im using to hold them and insulation tape to keep the motor lock in to the gearbox
http://s1052.photobucket.com/user/pa...de07e.jpg.html
Btw sam, you'll have to repaint mini e's scoop yellow now :P
Yes that's exactly why Annihilation's motors are still in the cases :) When it was first built we thought it was the biggest bodge on the robot but in seven years it must be the only part that hasn't broken yet! It also helps because the whole thing is held in by rubber straps which helps to absorb shocks quite a lot.
I thought about doing the same for Combustion but decided against it. Main problem is that it makes the whole drive setup a lot bigger than "proper" mountings do and I wanted to make the robot as small as possible. The aluminium mounts look a lot nicer as well :)
right then, update time again....
Well, what can I say? What a cracking weekend at the Gadget Show live and what an unexpected and destructive (+ a bit controversial) set of fights there were too. Well done to all the winners, Tom with Wedgie for the Gladiator, Alex with Tiny Toon for the Annihilator, Team Beast for the 1st + 2nd and of course Ellis for his magnificent 3rd place. That really was the biggest shock (pleasing) of the event for me :D
Any way, in terms of Endeavour's efforts, Meh.... not too bad. Didn't do too badly in the main comp, lost its first fight by being flipped out by Explosion within the first 30 seconds or so. We then had Killer Joule and Devils Coach Horse, we got 4 points from this as Joule got beached and then DCH got beached after we bent their front scoop. Our 3rd fight was against Defector and Massacre. We knocked Massacres link out and then won the match on a judges decision to get 3 points. Lastly we had our fight against NST and Keizer. We were doing really well and taking the hits like a tank, and then we got spun off into the pit by an NST hit, so only got 1 point from that fight. I think we could have taken more hits but yeah, that ain't gona happen when you're in the pit. Over all then we got 9 points, one off from qualifying which is the exactly the same as we got last year :'( Some pics of the bot below:
Endeavour with spinner food attached (worked really well):
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5cbc6e16.jpg
Damage from the NST fight:
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...ps88fc91c1.jpg
The state of the spinner food after the champs:
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...pscd976e56.jpg
Now then, we experienced our first strip-down and rebuild at an event this weekend, we burnt out a motor :(. First problem for Endeavour in over a year, luckily we had no more competition fights left to do so we had plenty of time to swap for a new one and the job was done in 2 hours or so. Because of the burn out, we decided to not put it in for any more white boards and just enter it in the Gladiator event as we knew the other side was going to go soon.
In the actual Gladiator fight we were going really well, looking strong dealing with the spinners and putting LH3 in the pit. We were then left with Wedgie, Ricochet and us. We were battling it out for about 3 minutes and then my motor burnt out again leaving us spinning on one wheel and magic smoke coming out of the lid, so yeah came third in that. Once we had opened her up to have a peek inside, we were first met by a unique smell that now fills our garage, but we also found that the motor that had been replaced was the one that had burnt out.... suspiciously! Pics of the burnt out motor:
http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/...ps306d0bda.jpg
The race is now on to fix it and get ready for Burgess Hill in a couple of weeks, it can be done! :D
Ps: We also had some new Hardox corners made by Mario, who has done a great job again. Also, if anyone has any videos of Endeavours fights, can you post them on here please? Cheers :)
Little bit of an update:
Picked up the Migatronic TIG welder from my friends house yesterday, which I posted about in another thread. £250 which I didn't think was to bad! Just got to get the gas, filler rods and a fewer other bits and bobs and we're ready start welding. Expect to see some pictures of some crudely joined metal on here soon.
Also, we're just about the buy the parts for the next FW. In doing so, I cam across something deeply disturbing! It would appear as though TZ85's are out of stock and have been so for the past month or so.... which is a bit concerning. Any body know anything about this?!?!
I noticed that too when I was on the website the other day. The UK warehouse has 'In Transit' written next to it but I don't know if that means more are due in shortly.
To be fair, between Botbitz and people buying their own to hack, we've probably depleted the world's stock levels. Either that or Turnigy have noticed the spike in sales and are wondering 'what the hell is going on here?'