hahaha! If I wanted to make a flipper bot, aye ;)
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hahaha! If I wanted to make a flipper bot, aye ;)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Outlaw
Or how about " The Pissed Platypus"
I don't think I have ever seen a angry Platypus before... certainly would be unique whatever the name! :D
I've bit the bullet and ordered a Como motor (https://www.technobotsonline.com/919...otor-50-1.html) with a hub and I'll be fashioning a couple of linkages from the leftover HDPE from the side panels to make the spear with (with sharp metal attachments to it as well).
To accommodate other weaponry later on in life, I'll mount the motor to a strengthening brace which is attached to the the front wedge and the side panels so that if I wanted another weapon in place of the spear, all I'd need to do is switch out the front lid for the other front lid that has the other weapon attached to it.
I've not really had a chance to build the weapon owing to work commitments and building Shu! but I did find a bit of time to have a test match with The Honey Badger 2.0 vs The Honey Badger 1.0, taking place in a fenced off area at a community centre me and my brother go to.
The whole point of doing this was to see if there were any weak spots on the 2.0 iteration and it did just that. Driving it on the tarmac, the wires connecting to the motors kept on falling off (which was an issue on the 1.0 iteration and I am sure caused the carnage at Grantham) and it kept on grounding out, which I am putting down to the motor mounts mounting the motors (and thus the wheels) too high off of the ground.
We had three matches and The Honey Badger 2.0 lost twice and drew once, both times due to the thing grounding out. I know the arena is going to be much more flat than this but debris could spell disaster as it is. New mounts are a must and soldering of some XT60 connectors for the motors.
The video is of the third fight. I was in control of The Honey Badger 1.0 with my brother in control of The Honey Badger 2.0. The camber of the driveway meant there was a gutter thing along the edge that the 1.0 variant seemed to like getting stuck in.
https://youtu.be/IoP9CCntp1k
This may be a bit late seen as you've built it now but...... 'ave you got a srimech?
it's probably safe to assume that the arena will be far from as flat as a road, even more so after the heavies have had a go at it. Unless you're talking about Extreme Robots events in which you might struggle to traverse seems in the arena floor where panels meet.
Not at present, I wanted to get the basics out of the way first. However, my intention is to have several front panels where the weaponry will bolt onto where at least one will feature a srimech.Quote:
This may be a bit late seen as you've built it now but...... 'ave you got a srimech?
This was one of my gripes at Grantham. The floor was nice and relatively flat at the time but by the time the FW melees happened, it has been chewed up somewhat and with the robot having millimeteres (1 or 2 at the most) of ground clearance... well you can see where this was going.Quote:
it's probably safe to assume that the arena will be far from as flat as a road, even more so after the heavies have had a go at it. Unless you're talking about Extreme Robots events in which you might struggle to traverse seems in the arena floor where panels meet.
With that said, it would have helped if the front castor ball had stayed in the hole. Dismantled the robot today to solder up the wiring to the motors and found the castor had come adrift so the front had dropped and thus, catches on the road. The test matches proved their worth then ;)
With The Honey Badger in pieces, I've gone and ordered a couple of LiFe batteries (a pair of these: https://hobbyking.com/en_us/zippy-fl...epo4-pack.html) to wire in series to drive the motors, which was part of the original intention in this rebuild. Should be a big improvement over the 2x 1.2ah 12v SLA batteries.
Attachment 7222
The new motor mounts have been ordered which should hopefully drop the motors onto the chassis board and thus, increase the amount of traction from the drive wheels as the current ones don't allow the wheels to fully grip onto the driving surface.
As for the weaponry, I am going to put the spear on hold as I can't allocate enough time between my various commitments to make it work as I would like it before Stevenage. I will install the side chisels when I put the robot back together but I do want to add something to the rear of the robot. I have an idea but I'll need to see if I have enough weight allowance and time to build it.
Well the mounts arrived but I realised the night before that they are not required. I could just elongate the original holes in the original mounts to cause it to drop down a few millimetres. So the new mounts will go towards another potential robot and the original mounts were reused.
I took the opportunity to rebuild the wiring loom of the Badger following the delivery of the LiFePO4 batteries. It is a bit messy in there after the rewire but what I'll do is house the majority of the loom and the batteries in a plastic box stuffed with foam. I've not had a chance to really test it moving around yet but it certainly seems to be happy with the batteries. Once they are charged properly, we'll see how zippy the robot is.
Next thing is to install the side chisels and then go through the rules to make sure The Honey Badger meets them, especially regarding the LiFePO4 batteries. Once done, it'll be ready for Robots Live! in Stevenage if there are any FW battles taking place (or indeed, anywhere at all).
The batteries and some of the wiring loom is now in a dedicated box (made from a old lunch box we had laying around) screwed down in the robot that I've put some material in help absorb some of the shock and make it look just that little neater than before. Just waiting to get a bit more money in before I can get the rest of the little bits and pieces together. As far as rule compliance goes, the only thing I am missing at this point is a label stating where the removable link is.
Attachment 7225
The little blue markers on the front crossmember is where the chisels are supposed to be mounted to but I've not got access to my drill at the moment (it is at the in-laws for some reason) but that really is the last thing to do before Stevenage.
Side weapons are now in! Not having the right tools to hand meant this was a absolute faff to do but they are drilled out and the chisels in. They need attaching to the crossmember and swarfe cleaning up mind but that can be done tomorrow, I am just glad they are in.
With that done, I am going to call this one ready for Stevenage barring cosmetic/minor improvements before then. I would have liked to get the spear weapon in for then but I am not going to realistically have time over the coming months as I get Shu! finished and begin work on Kaizen in the new year. Hopefully The Honey Badger will survive a round of combat this time. :P
Attachment 7229
And here we are. Built over 79 days from the 3rd of July till today in evenings/weekends, The Honey Badger is now rebuilt in its 2.0 form. Sure, it doesn't have a active weapon yet and there is still wood involved but it represents (to me anyway), a big improvement over what the 1.0 robot was like. The wiring is done properly, the motor selection is much more in keeping for Featherweights than the previous selection and the armour is vastly superior (much thicker anyway).
The side weapons, all the external screws and the front bash plate have all been painted in satin black. Link sticker has been put on the robot and the weapon guards made out of masking tape. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it only weighs 8kg, which is a fair weight allowance for a active weapon when I build it for next year.
Attachment 7240
Here is hoping this one survives at least one match, I'll make a run through video tomorrow.
To cap this off until after Stevenage (at least), here is the run through video with a side by side comparison with the 1.0 version.
https://youtu.be/Ivmkv9C6oqM
Well, I said it would be wrapped up until Stevenage, I may have been telling a fib. I've put in some weight to the front of the robot to add more momentum to the robot turning for the side chisels.
Attachment 7264
I think this brings the robot up to 8.4kg now. I'll see about adding one or two extras onto the robot before Stevenage as well, such as something to help deflect blows off of the rear.
Why not do some chain flails, or just one at the back? They'll be quite entertaining for the audience which is essentially what these meles are for.
As I noted, I do plan on having something on the rear. One of the ideas I had was kinda like a flail but effectively towed (so it sits on its own plate with a castor wheel). I reckon I could cook up a suitable modification for the rear to have a flail in time for Stevenage ;)
Will you be at Stevenage both days ? We're going Saturday ( just watching ) but will have to keep an eye out for the Badger if you're there.
Certainly will be for both days, looking forwards to putting The Honey Badger 2.0 through it's paces although the HW championship should be a excellent event as well!
I'll probably look to paint the Badger during the week (so it actually looks like a Honey Badger) but I did get the flail tail made up on Friday, just need to decide on how to finish it off.
Attachment 7265
why not bolt the old honey badger to the back and make a cluster bot haha!
Or put the shell on top of a bowling ball. :crazy:Quote:
Originally Posted by Albear
Hahaha - All good ideas! I think what I'll do with the 1.0 version is rebuild the drive in it and put the flails on a static part of the shell as the top part is badly twisted and run it as a fun entry for live events, I'll see if Rachael (my wife) will drive it.
As for being a clusterbot... I'll have to read the regulations into that but I think if the 1.1 version weighs 4kg after the drive and the chassis is built back up, I think it'll just fit within the 13.6kg weight limit. I doubt it'll go directly on the back of 2.0, it is about 10cm too big.
The "flail tail" is now complete!
Attachment 7284
I might need to remove a link or two so it doesn't run over it's own tail. :P
One of the motor mounts has also twisted a little so as a temporary fix, I've placed a metal spacer between the motor and the rear crossmember to straighten it out until I can get a bit of time to remake the motor mounts. I think the L shaped brackets I used were a bit twisted before I installed them...
Well Stevenage was just awesome. Congratulations to Manta for winning the UK Heavyweight championships!
As an aside, managed to get involved in setting up the arena this time around. The outer kickboards are awfully heavy. ;)
As for The Honey Badger 2.0, it was a interesting and very revealing experience. Managed to get in a test of the drive in the arena before the 3pm show on Saturday and it drove OK once the flip switches were in the right place, plenty fast enough however it still struggles with getting traction over the rear wheels. Other than that, it was ready to go. The show announcers came round to examine the entries and I must have struck a chord with one (Rob I think it was) who got excited over my batteries being contained in a tupperware container. I am sure he mentioned this before every match.
Melee 1
This was easily the Badger's best fight. It actually managed to get involved in a pileup briefly but with the control issues, it was sliding around everywhere, pirouetting on the front castor as it turned and eventually I ended up in the pit. Scuff marks and the motor mounts were loose but otherwise came out of that damage free. The flail tail did manage to do its job of keeping the robot the right way up when Team Shock attempted to flip the Badger from the front.
In between the fights, I watched as Alex put together his cannibalised Microwave robot that I think ended up being called PsychoWave in the finish, even donated the googly eyes!
Melee 2
Urmm... yeah. Even though the motor mounts were re-secured, The Honey Badger just wasn't moving very well at all. I got told by the Pressure Point team that my wheels were arched upwards in the fight so one can only assume they were bent and I'd missed it. Looking back at the fight, it looks as if the right hand side wheel (as you look at it from the back) was the cause of the issue. During that, the Badger took several hits from BattleAxe and you know when you have that moment of deja vu and think "I know what is coming next". Yeah... on the arena flipper, went flying, hit the outer polycarbonate wall and promptly disintegrated.
It was a mess. The top crossmember and rear crossmembers were cracked, the front cross member was in the process of doing so and the tupperware box was smashed. However, BattleAxe's hammer didn't leave much more than several marks on the HDPE so despite it all, it was an improvement over 1.0! I managed to get The Honey Badger 2.0 patched up by replacing the sheared screw in the rear crossmember, rotate the top crossmember 90 degrees so the side panels could be screwed back into place and refit the electrics. By the end of Saturday, it was back together.
Melee 3
The Honey Badger 2.0 was now feeling the strain of combat. I added a front tongue to the front to help push competitors out of the way but it wasn't effective as there was still drive issues (I had also removed a few links out of the tail to stop it catching underneath the back of the robot as well). Eventually got flipped over by Team Shock (not sure if this was Heatwave or Avalanche) after bouncing around on the front tongue and flail tail and then pushed into a corner.
Not much to report here but again, the mounts were loose though not as badly as the first match.
Melee 4
This was the worst fight for the Badger, got caught on the edge of the pit and with the drive issues, wasn't going anywhere. Team Shock came in and boom, it was over. Aftermarth then tried to get The Badger into the pit but I think ended up going in first, The Honey Badger got pushed in thanks to the Heavy Metal team. I also noted that this fight I forgot to remove the weapon covers, not that it made much difference.
I must mention Pressure Point, they had been itching to get their crusher into something and eventually did into the Arc Robotics machine. Cracked the top cover in great style, very near the batteries mind.
So that was that. Ultimately, despite not lasting the full three minutes in a single match, it is important to note that this one survived practically everything thrown at it bar the rough landing. I am planning to go to Maidstone next (Glocuster is too close to an important date I cannot afford to miss) with The Honey Badger 2.1, the revisions planned are:
- Rewire the robot with the thicker tupperware container kindly donated by Arc Robotics.
- Move the weight bias to the rear of the robot.
- Fabricate custom motor mounts to get the drivewheels lower to the ground.
- Replace the wooden crossmembers with HDPE or Nylon crossmembers (Have already ordered some).
I'll post a compilation video + pictures later on this evening showing all 4 melee fights and some work being done on The Honey Badger.
It was great seeing the Honey Badger be so resilient against so many other bots! I hope the new tupperwear box holds up!
Rob (Team ARC)
Haha, well at least it is more resilient than the 1.0 version. Thanks for the box, I am sure it'll hold up better than the one in there now.
Videos! I was having difficulty with my video editor so only the melees.
Melee I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6Bx_vZNbc4
Melee II
https://youtu.be/TQSnbcIj7qU
Melee III
https://youtu.be/ioJq6QNNX9U
Melee IV
https://youtu.be/078cCvQ3nmE
The Honey Badger is now utterly disassembled as the Nylon 6 HS crossmembers have arrived for the 2.1 refit. I've found a massive chunk missing/pressed out in the base plate which won't have helped with the robot moving and practically every screw/bolt is bent or warped in some way. I must confess, I've never worked with Nylon before, I guess it'll be a case of drilling slowly & cooling?
Attachment 7300
The wooden crossmembers are cracked in every which way and probably will not last much longer. However, since I've got the crossmembers cut practically to length by the suppliers, the motor mounts will be the first thing I'll work on. The base plate/side panels will need sanding down to remove any damage to them.
The electrics are in good shape all things considering. The motors may want cleaning up a touch but there is otherwise nothing to do to them.
I've decided to make a go at seeing if I can make it to Gloucester (only the Saturday mind) so today I've been cleaning up the base panel and installing the new crossmembers. Money and time have both been very limited recently so I've not had a chance to try the Nylon bars yet so I'll save them for something else if they don't make it into The Honey Badger. So I've gone for a harder wood for the members this time rather than pine so if anything, it'll weigh a bit more. I'll be adding some L shaped brackets from the top crossmember to the side panels to help absorb some of the hits it might get.
Attachment 7314
Electronics are now all mounted in and on the box so that is basically a case of screwing it into the base plate and adding in some foam to pad it. The motors themselves have new mounts ready to put into the robot and are much, much lower than the originals, thicker as well so they'll have less of a tendency to bend. This should finally resolve the motor mount (and thus traction) issue once and for all.
Original on the left, new on the right:
Attachment 7315
Hi,
If you make it to Gloucester and want to upgrade the wood for something a little stiffer then let me know.
I've got some 2" x 1" solid aluminium bar, 1" aluminium box section, various sizes of right-angle and checkplate. More than enough spare to donate some to another featherweight build.
Regards
Steve
The 1" box section is too small for existing holes at the moment and 2"x1" bar I wouldn't have a good use for. The checkplate might come in handy through for remaking the front protective cover on the front of the wedge though...
Side panels are now capable of being screwed onto the crossmembers and will measure up the new supporting brackets tomorrow lunchtime (getting a bit late to be doing drilling and what not). The drive motor holes will need to be re-drilled as the the rearmost crossmember has pushed everything forwards by about 10mm but otherwise, just waiting on a delivery of flange screws for the mounts and then it'll go back together within a day.
We are going to Gloucester! Mounted the Tupperware box onto the base plate, mounted the new mounts onto the plate, eventually managed to get the motors in though be assured, 2x Gimson 13.7:1 motors + mounts on a 250mm wide panel is a tight fit and motor holes drilled out and wheeee!
The Honey Badger is now so much more controllable than last time, must be the weight pressing on the back wheels to allow the motor's power not to go to waste. If anything, it has become a little twitchy but I'll take that over spinning drive wheels and no traction. Managed to lunch a castor ball at the community centre though so that will need replacing but in short, the robot will be at Gloucester for the Saturday.
Great to see everyone at Gloucester! I was only able to attend for the Saturday but had good fun in the arena with The Honey Badger 2.1. The fights finally saw the robot moving properly, damned zippy when it wants to be.
I definitely need more practice time driving the thing. The tank controls make the robot sensitive to how much input I am giving at any one moment and it does mean that it prone to rushing before the squishy meaty thing behind the controls realises it and boom, in the pit. Also, it needs a weapon capable of self righting it, considering a axe at the moment. Not much in the way of damage though the flail went missing after the first fight, as did my link cover. The wheel came off at one stage and one of the chisels is bent but nothing a good whack with a hammer won't fix.
I missed recording the first melee but I have videos (which are not very good) for the rest of the FW melees on Saturday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnBNQNVSzWk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDxE-AOqpwI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwlXAYKixNY
Excellent to see FW robots like BattleAxe, Venator, Mutiny, Luna-Tic and Bruiser at the event, many thanks to the Mutiny team for the Aluminium check plate, I'll look to use that in rebuilding the front wedge after Maidstone.
Good to see you at Gloucester! Honey Badger doesn't half shift when it needs to :)
Many thanks, first time it has really driven properly since being built. It was great to see you there as well, hope you managed to get a new chain for your axe.
The Honey Badger was in bits again today, the flange screws holding the motors in have bent and the Tupperbox, perhaps unsurprisingly, has cracked (needs more screwing down in places to spread the load). The grub screws for the wheel hubs have bent again but nothing that can't wait until after Maidstone. However, considering it needed major surgery after Stevenage, Team Kaizen is living up to the name! :P
Will be hamming things back into a straight line and teaching myself how to drive the thing properly if the weather holds out tomorrow.
So The Honey Badger is back together and, save sharpening the chisels, straightening the front wedge plate so it looks respectable and charging the batteries, is ready to go again. For a active weapon though, I've been re-watching various episodes of Robot Wars and recapping the opponents from Stevenage and Gloucester to see what I could feasibly build.
I've decided on a axe and I want to see if I can build a reciprocating mechanism for it (in a similar vein to Mortis, which you can see in action in the first fight of the War of Independence episode of RW Series 4). Whilst I am sure I'll lose some punch in the axe because of the losses in the mechanism, I am convinced that it'll pay off because it'll hit faster because it can repeatedly fire without me needing to hit a switch.
This won't appear until 2.2 but so long as I get the linkage measurements right, it should work quite well.
Wouldn't to crank mechanism like this do the trick coupled to an linkage or another crank do the trick ?
Attachment 7342
I had trialled something similar in a static model before hand but I wasn't sure how the measurements would pan out but essentially, yes, it is going to be that sort of mechanism.
Wikipedia (reference) describe the mechanism as a crank rocker mechanism, which handily show where I've been going wrong with my linkage length between the motor and the axe arm. I need to get a higher geared motor though, the 12v Como 50:1 motor is neither powerful enough and is too quick for this application.
I think you'll be better off mocking it up with some cardboard and some paper fasteners. That's how I'm personally laying out the plans for my reciprocating axe mechanism for Ratatoskr.
The static model I referenced to was literally a old metal bracket, a motor and some cardboard with bolts holding it together. The motor quickly ate the linkages but here we go:
https://youtu.be/7HaMrOhZ7_w
Deadliest weapon in the world right there :P
Ah, I see I see. Well, as soon as I get my robot on it's wheels, and I put my prototype mechanism together, I can give you a look at what my design is, and you can always give it a shot yourself. Also, start with hand cranking instead of using a motor, else it'll just do what happened in your video, as cardboard isn't really designed to be used with motors like that. :P